''Lampsilis abrupta'', the pink mucket or pink mucket pearly mussel, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 ...

, an aquatic

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, bival ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

in the family

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 ...

, the river mussels. This species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to 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 ...

Life history

The pink mucket is a rounded, slightly elongated mussel with a thick, inflated, and smooth shell, which is usually yellow-brown in color.*Bessken, Charlene M. “Pink Mucket- Lampsilis abrupta.” Missouri Department of Conservation. Conservation Commission of Missouri. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. It can be found on the bottoms of various bodies of water, among gravel and cobble. It can be found in water one inch to five feet in depth.*“Best Management Practices.” Missouri Department of Conservation. N.p. Web. 19 Oct.2009. The mussel can live up to fifty years, but it rarely reaches this age now. The pink mucket has been a federally endangered species since the year 1976. The pink mucket reproduces in a similar manner to most other freshwater mussels. It requires a stable and undisturbed habitat.*“Pink Mucket.” Threatened and Endangered Species. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. The male releases sperm into the current, and the female siphons it into its gill chamber, where the eggs are then fertilized. Once the eggs have gone through this process, they mature into larvae called (

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 ...

) and are discharged into the water. The glochidium lodges in the gills of a host fish, such as

black bass Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

and

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

. After the larval mussel spends a few days to weeks attached to the host it becomes a juvenile mussel and drops to the substrate. The pink mucket spawns from August to September, and releases their glochidia the following year from May to June.

Reason for decline

At one time, the pink mucket was present in twenty-six rivers in the Midwest and eastern United States. The building of dams and reservoirs caused the flooding of the habitat, affecting both the mussel and the host fish. Deteriorating water quality and siltation also affects mussel populations. Other practices, such as dredging, gravel mining, removal of trees, and undergrowth along the stream bank, and non-point source pollution from agriculture and urban areas, have contributed to the decline in the pink mucket as well.

Steps to recovery

Mussels are filter feeders that pump water through their siphons to collect food particles from the water. They gather essential nutrients and remove unwanted toxins from the water. Depending on the state, many organizations and conservationists, are making attempts to recover the pink mucket. Protection and management of the pink mucket is clearly related to managing the habitat and the water quality of the large rivers it depends upon. For instance, some landowners report mussel poaching by calling their local conservation agents. Others have already taken steps to recover the pink mucket. The state of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, where the pink mucket is endangered, has created the Kentucky’s Wildlife Action Plan. This plan was developed by the state to help create priority conservation actions for the aquatic and wildlife that have become threatened and endangered species.“Restoring Endangered Pink Mucket Mussels.” Kentucky Wildlife Action Plan. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. In July 2007, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources reared pink mucket mussels at the Center for Mollusk Conservation and released eleven hundred pink muckets in the

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

. The state will continue to work on the endangered species for the next several years in order to increase and even augment the current populations of mussels. The states of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

have designated mussel sanctuaries in parts of the

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

and

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

s and have also successfully reproduced populations at these locations.*Matthews, J. R. “Pink Mucket Pearly Mussel.” Pesticides: Endangered Species Protection Program. Beacham Publishing Inc. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. The recovery of the pink mucket is expected to improve over the years.

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Bessken, Charlene M. “Pink Mucket- Lampsilis abrupta.” Missouri Department of Conservation. Conservation Commission of Missouri. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. *“Best Management Practices.” Missouri Department of Conservation. N.p. Web. 19 Oct.2009. *Matthews, J. R. “Pink Mucket Pearly Mussel.” Pesticides: Endangered Species Protection Program. Beacham Publishing Inc. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. *“Pink Mucket.” Rare Animals of Louisiana. Wildlife and Fisheries of Louisiana. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. *“Pink Mucket.” Threatened and Endangered Species. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. *“Restoring Endangered Pink Mucket Mussels.” Kentucky Wildlife Action Plan. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. {{Taxonbar, from=Q309013 Molluscs of the United States abrupta Bivalves described in 1831 ESA endangered species Taxonomy articles created by Polbot