Mussel Vocabulary
What is the word for freshwater mussel larvae?
Glochidia
What species of freshwater mussel is named after a well-known researcher from Missouri?
Lampsilis sietmani
What freshwater mussel species in Minnesota can grow larger than any other in this state?
Megalonaias nervosa
Where are fertilized larvae stored in the mommy mussel?
Gills
What species of freshwater mussel almost always has a broad green ray on its umbow?
Cyclonaias pustulosa
What is the word for a packet of freshwater mussel larvae?
Conglutinate
What genus of freshwater mussel is known for lures that look like fish?
Lampsilis
How many gallons of water can the average freshwater mussel filter in a day?
~6 gallons
What species of freshwater mussel in Minnesota uses denticles on its ventral margin to catch fish and infect them with its larvae?
Epioblasma triquetra
What species of freshwater mussel has 2 prominent wings that make a 90-degree angle?
Potamilus ohiensis
What is the word for the outside surface of a freshwater mussel shell?
Periostacum
What species of freshwater mussel in Minnesota was named to belittle the researcher who discovered it?
Utterbackia imbecillis
What two freshwater mussel species are now extirpated from Minnesota as a result of Lock & Dam #19 on the Mississippi River?
Reginaia ebenus and Elliptio Crassidens
What is the only species of freshwater mussel in Minnesota that uses an animal that is not a fish as its host?
Simpsonaias ambigua
What species of floater does not have teeth?
Pyganodon lacustris
What is the word for the inside surface of a freshwater mussel shell?
Nacre
What two families of freshwater mussels are present in the United States?
Unionidae and Margaritiferidae
How many button companies were harvesting freshwater mussels on the Mississippi in the 1920s?
~60
What is it called when a freshwater mussel does not try to attract a fish and instead releases its larvae strait into the water column?
Broadcasting
What species of freshwater mussel has pustules that alternate between valves annually?
Obliquaria reflexa
What is the word for the soft, squishy insides of a freshwater mussel?
Mantle
What is the only species of freshwater mussel in Minnesota in the Margaritiferidae family?
Cumberlandia monodonta
When did freshwater mussels first appear in the fossil record in North America?
250-200 MYA (Triassic)
What is the only confirmed species of native freshwater mussel in Minnesota that does not require a host fish to complete its lifecycle?
Utterbackia imbecillis
What are the five freshwater mussel species in Minnesota that are federally endangered?
Cumberlandia monodonta, Epioblasma triquetra, Lampsilis higginsii, Plethobasus cyphyus, and Quadrula fragosa