Epioblasma turgidula, the turgid blossom pearly mussel, turgid riffle shell, turgid-blossom naiad or turgid blossom, was a species of freshwater mussel, a mollusk in the family Unionidae. The US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the species extinct and delisted it from the Endangered Species Act in 2023.[5][6][4]
| Epioblasma turgidula | |
|---|---|
_-_Unionidae_-_Mollusc_shell.jpeg)
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Unionida |
| Family: | Unionidae |
| Genus: | Epioblasma |
| Species: | †E. turgidula
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| Binomial name | |
| †Epioblasma turgidula (Lea, 1858)
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| Synonyms | |
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Dysnomia turgidula Lea, 1858 | |
This species was native to the United States, where it was found in the drainage of the Cumberland River, Tennessee River, and several rivers in the Ozark Mountains. Its natural habitat was riffles and shoals of medium rivers, which have now largely been destroyed by dam construction and dredging.[4]: 71670
Like most other mussels in the sensitive genus Epioblasma, this species experienced severe declines during industrialization due to pollution, siltation and habitat destruction. The last known population was recorded in 1965 from the Duck River in Tennessee, near the town of Normandy. This population was killed by the construction of Normandy Dam in the following years.[7] A recently dead specimen was collected in the Duck River at Normandy in 1972.[4]: 71670
References
edit- ^ Bogan, A.E.; et al. (Mollusc Specialist Group) (2000). "Epioblasma turgidula". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2000: e.T7890A12862264. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2000.RLTS.T7890A12862264.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ "Turgid blossom (pearlymussel) (Epioblasma turgidula)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ 41 FR 24062
- ^ a b c d 88 FR 71644
- ^ "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Delisting 23 Species from Endangered Species Act Due to Extinction". U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. September 29, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
- ^ "21 Species Delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to Extinction | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". FWS.gov. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ^ NatureServe (7 April 2023). "Epioblasma turgidula". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
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