Birdwing pearlymussel
| Birdwing pearlymussel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lemiox rimosus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Unionoida |
| Family: | Unionidae |
| Tribe: | Lampsilini |
| Genus: | Lemiox |
| Species: | L. rimosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lemiox rimosus Rafinesque, 1831 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Conradilla caelata | |
The birdwing pearlymussel (Lemiox rimosus) is a rare species of freshwater mussel in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This aquatic bivalve is native to Tennessee and Virginia in the United States. Its range has declined over 90%.[2] It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
This mussel remains in three rivers in Tennessee and Virginia, the Duck, Clinch, and Powell Rivers, having been extirpated from many more. It is now extinct in the state of Alabama.[2] The Tennessee Valley Authority spent nearly $83 million between 1969 and 1983 on the Columbia Dam in Columbia, TN, but had to cancel the project due to two endangered mussel species found in the Duck River, the birdwing pearly mussel and the Cumberland monkeyface pearly mussel.
References
- ↑ Cummings, K. & Cordeiro, J. (2012). "Lemiox rimosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- 1 2 Lemiox rimosus. The Nature Conservancy.