''Rotundaria couchiana'', the Rio Grande monkeyface, is a
species of
freshwater mussel. It is native to
Chihuahua, Mexico and
New Mexico and
Texas in the United States.
This species experienced a tremendous decline due to
habitat destruction in the 1800s. The last confirmed living individual was seen near
Brackettville, Texas in 1898. This species is likely extinct, although there is the slim possibility that it could persist in poorly surveyed regions on the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
drainage.
[NatureServe]
/ref>
It was formerly classified under '' Quadrula'', but in 2012 it was moved to ''Rotundaria'' based on genetic evidence.
References
Critically endangered fauna of the United States
couchiana
Bivalves described in 1860
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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