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Villosa iris

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(Redirected from Rainbow mussel) Species of bivalve

Villosa iris
Conservation status

Unranked (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Unionidae
Genus: Villosa
Species: V. iris
Binomial name
Villosa iris
(Lea, 1829)
Synonyms

Unio iris Lea, 1829

Villosa iris, the rainbow mussel or rainbow-shell, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. In 2018, Watters proposed to move the species into a new genus, Cambarunio.

Reproduction

All Unionidae are known to use the gills, fins, or skin of a host fish for nutrients during the larval glochidia stage. Female villosa iris attract host fish by imitating a crayfish. Elongate papillae on the mantle margin resemble antennae, legs, and eyes. They also mimic crayfish behavior, moving the papillae independently like legs, and use "tail tucking" motions. Juvenile mussels bury in the sediment just below its surface, and feed on interstitial bacteria and bacterial-sized particles including algae.

Distribution

This species is widely distributed throughout the St. Lawrence, upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland River Basins.

Conservation status

Villosa iris is the focus of conservation concern in areas like Ontario, Illinois, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In Canada, V. iris is listed as a species of Special Concern by COSEWIC and under the Species at Risk Act, having been downgraded to this status in 2019 after its initial listing as Endangered in 2013. In Wisconsin, it is listed as state endangered.

References

  1. ^ NatureServe (7 April 2023). "Cambarunio iris". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  2. G. Thomas Watters (2017). "A Preliminary Review of the Nominal Genus Villosa of Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia, Unionidae) in North America". Visaya. Conchology, Inc. ISBN 978-3-939767-86-2. Supplement 10.
  3. "Villosa iris (Lea). The rainbow-shell". Unio Gallery.
  4. Yeager, M. M.; Cherry, D. S. & Neves, R. J. (1994). "Feeding and burrowing behaviors of juvenile rainbow mussels, Villosa iris (Bivalvia:Unionidae)". Journal of the North American Benthological Society. 13 (2): 217–222. doi:10.2307/1467240. JSTOR 1467240. S2CID 87037556.
  5. "Home".
  6. Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2016-08-10). "Rainbow (Villosa iris): COSEWIC assessment and status report 2015". aem. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  7. "Rainbox (Villosa iris)". Species at risk public registry. Government of Canada. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  8. "Rainbow Shell (Villosa iris)". dnr.wi.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
Taxon identifiers
Villosa iris
Unio iris


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