Unionida
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Unionida
Unionida is a monophyletic order of freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs.Bieler R., Carter J.G. & Coan E.V. (2010). ''Classification of Bivalve families''. pp. 113–133, in: Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (2010), ''Nomenclator of Bivalve Families''. Malacologia 52(2): 1–184. The order includes most of the larger freshwater mussels, including the freshwater pearl mussels. The most common families are the Unionidae and the Margaritiferidae. All have in common a larval stage that is temporarily parasitic on fish, nacreous shells, high in organic matter, that may crack upon drying out, and siphons too short to permit the animal to live deeply buried in sediment. Taxonomy Fossil evidence suggests a Permian origin for the order, making it incredibly ancient and a survivor of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Morphology The shells of these mussels are variable in shape, but usually equivalve and elongate. They have solid, nacreous valves with a pearly interior, radia ...
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Unionidae
The Unionidae are a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simply as unionids. The range of distribution for this family is world-wide. It is at its most diverse in North America, with about 297 recognised taxa, but China and Southeast Asia also support very diverse faunas. Freshwater mussels occupy a wide range of habitats, but most often occupy lotic waters, i.e. flowing water such as rivers, streams and creeks. Origin and early diversification The recent phylogenetic study reveals that the Unionidae most likely originated in Southeast and East Asia in the Jurassic, with the earliest expansions into North America and Africa (since the mid-Cretaceous) followed by the colonization of Europe and India (since the Paleocene). Life history Unionidae burrow into the substrate, with their posterior margins exposed. They pump water through the incurrent aperture, obtaining oxygen and food. They remove ...
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Freshwater Mussel
Freshwater bivalves are one kind of freshwater mollusc, along with freshwater snails. They are bivalves that live in fresh water as opposed to salt water, which is the main habitat type for bivalves. The majority of species of bivalve molluscs live in the sea, but in addition, a number of different families live in fresh water (and in some cases, also in brackish water). These families belong to two different evolutionary lineages (freshwater mussels and freshwater clams), and the two groups are not closely related. Freshwater bivalves have a simple morphology that varies among taxa, and are distributed around most regions of the world. Species in the two groups vary greatly in size. Some pea clams (''Pisidium'' species) have an adult size of only 3 mm. In contrast, one of the largest species of freshwater bivalves is the swan mussel, in the family Unionidae; it can grow to a length of 20 cm, and usually lives in lakes or slow rivers. Freshwater pearl mussels are eco ...
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Bivalve
Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bivalves have no head and they lack some usual molluscan organs, like the radula and the odontophore. They include the clams, oysters, cockles, mussels, scallops, and numerous other families that live in saltwater, as well as a number of families that live in freshwater. The majority are filter feeders. The gills have evolved into ctenidia, specialised organs for feeding and breathing. Most bivalves bury themselves in sediment, where they are relatively safe from predation. Others lie on the sea floor or attach themselves to rocks or other hard surfaces. Some bivalves, such as the scallops and file shells, can swim. The shipworms bore into wood, clay, or stone and live inside these substances. The shell of a bivalve is composed of calc ...
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Lampsilis Higginsii Glochidia 620
''Lampsilis'' is a genus of freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve mollusks in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. There are over 100 species in the genus. Some species, notably ''Lampsilis ovata'' (pocketbook mussel) use aggressive mimicry to lure large predatory fish by using their mantle as a lure, ejecting larvae into the mouth of the fish when they strike. The larvae attach to the gills, using the fish's blood as food for several weeks. Species * ''Lampsilis abrupta'' (pink mucket) * '' Lampsilis binominata'' (lined pocketbook) * '' Lampsilis bracteata'' * '' Lampsilis cardium'' * '' Lampsilis cariosa'' (yellow lampmussel) * '' Lampsilis dolabraeformis'' * ''Lampsilis fasciola'' (wavy-rayed lampmussel) * '' Lampsilis floridensis'' (Florida sandshell) * '' Lampsilis fullerkati'' (Waccamaw fatmucket) * '' Lampsilis higginsii'' (Higgins' eye pearly mussel) * '' Lampsilis ornata'' * ''Lampsilis ovata'' (pocketbook mussel) * '' Lampsilis powellii'' (Arkansas fatmucket) * '' L ...
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Glochidia
The glochidium (plural glochidia) is a microscopic larval stage of some freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve mollusks in the families Unionidae and Margaritiferidae, the river mussels and European freshwater pearl mussels. These larvae are tiny and are typically between 100 and 200 micrometers, or approximately a third of the size of a grain of salt. They can be round or have hooks, attaching to the gills, fins and scales of fish (for example to the gills of a fish host species) for a period before it detaches and falls to the substrate and takes on the typical form of a juvenile mussel. Since a fish is active and free-swimming, this process helps distribute the mussel species to potential areas of habitat that it could not reach any other way. Before the origin of this larval form was understood, it was described as "parasitic worms" on the fish host, although under normal circumstances, glochidia do not harm fish. Overexposure or heavy infections of glochidia may however ...
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Margaritiferidae
Margaritiferidae is a family of medium-sized freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the order Unionida. Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)licence. It is the most threatened of all unionid families. The family is sometimes referred to as the freshwater pearl mussel family, but "freshwater pearl mussel" more often applies to the species ''Margaritifera margaritifera''. The name refers to the thick layer of nacre (mother of pearl) lining the interior of the shell of the species, which enables them to produce pearls. Taxonomy A 2018 study suggested a new phylogeny and systematics of the Margaritiferidae, comprising two subfamilies, Gibbosulinae and Margaritiferinae, and four genera, ''Gibbosula'', ''Cumberlandia'', ''Margaritifera'', and ''Pseudunio''. This family has ancient origins, having diverged from the ancestors of the Unionidae during the Late Triassic with the crown group of the Marga ...
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Elliptio Complanata
The eastern elliptio (''Elliptio complanata'') is a freshwater mussel in the Unionidae family, native to Canada and the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie .... References External links Elliptio Molluscs described in 1786 {{Unionidae-stub ...
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Anodonta Anatina
''Anodonta'' is a genus of freshwater mussels in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. Species Species in this genus include: * ''Anodonta anatina'' Linné, 1758 – duck mussel * '' Anodonta beringiana'' Middendorff, 1851 – Yukon floater * '' Anodonta californiensis'' I. Lea, 1852 – California floater * '' Anodonta cataracta'' Say, 1817 – eastern floater * '' Anodonta couperiana'' I. Lea, 1840 – barrel floater * ''Anodonta cygnea'' Linné, 1758 – swan mussel * ''Anodonta dejecta'' Lewis, 1875 – woebegone floater * '' Anodonta gibbosa'' Say, 1824 * '' Anodonta hartfieldorum'' * '' Anodonta heardi'' M. E. Gordon and Hoeh, 1995 – Apalachicola floater * '' Anodonta imbecillis'' Say, 1829 synonym ''Utterbackia imbecillis'' * '' Anodonta implicata'' Say, 1829 – alewife floater * '' Anodonta kennerlyi'' I. Lea, 1860 – western floater * '' Anodonta nuttalliana'' Lea, 1838 – winged floater * '' Anodonta oregonensis'' I. ...
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Freshwater Pearl Mussel
The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used for this species, other freshwater mussel species (e.g. ''Margaritifera auricularia'') can also create pearls and some can also be used as a source of mother of pearl. Most cultured pearls today come from ''Hyriopsis'' species in Asia, or ''Amblema'' species in North America, both members of the related family Unionidae; pearls are also found within species in the genus ''Unio''. The interior of the shell of ''Margaritifera margaritifera'' has thick nacre (the inner mother of pearl layer of the shell). This species is capable of making fine-quality pearls, and was historically exploited in the search for pearls from wild sources. In recent times, the Russian malacologist Valeriy Zyuganov received worldwide reputation after he discovered that the pearl m ...
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Button (clothing)
A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, or seashell. Buttons can also be used on containers such as wallets and bags. Buttons may be sewn onto garments and similar items exclusively for purposes of ornamentation. In the applied arts and craft, a button can be an example of folk art, studio craft, or even a miniature work of art. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. History Buttons and button-like objects used as ornaments or seals rather than fasteners have been discovered in the Indian Indus Valley civilization during its Kot Diji phase (c. 2800–2600 BC), at the Tomb of the Eagles, Scotland (2200-1800 BC), and at Bronze Age sites in China (c. 2000–1500 BC) and Ancient Rome. Buttons made from seashell were used in the Indus Valley Civilization for orn ...
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Cultured Freshwater Pearls
Cultured freshwater pearls are pearls that are farmed and created using freshwater mussels. These pearls are produced in Japan and the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusively produced in China. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission requires that farmed freshwater pearls be referred to as "freshwater cultured pearls" in commerce. Quality of cultured freshwater pearls is evaluated through a grading system of a series of A values, based on luster, shape, surface, colour and matching. Current and historic industry Pearls gathered in the wild from the Holarctic saltwater pearl mussel were important sources of pearls for modern jewelry, with Scotland a major source; this species is now endangered in most areas. Although the Japanese freshwater pearl industry has nearly ceased to exist, it has a normal historic place as the first country to cultivate whole freshwater pearls, which it did in Lake Biwa, using the Biwa pearly mussel (''Hyriopsis schlegeli''). The ind ...
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Freshwater Pearls
Cultured freshwater pearls are pearls that are farmed and created using freshwater mussels. These pearls are produced in Japan and the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusively produced in China. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission requires that farmed freshwater pearls be referred to as "freshwater cultured pearls" in commerce. Quality of cultured freshwater pearls is evaluated through a grading system of a series of A values, based on luster, shape, surface, colour and matching. Current and historic industry Pearls gathered in the wild from the Holarctic saltwater pearl mussel were important sources of pearls for modern jewelry, with Scotland a major source; this species is now endangered in most areas. Although the Japanese freshwater pearl industry has nearly ceased to exist, it has a normal historic place as the first country to cultivate whole freshwater pearls, which it did in Lake Biwa, using the Biwa pearly mussel (''Hyriopsis schlegeli''). The ind ...
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