Top Level
: Harvesting
: Mussels
: Mussel Species
The Pimpleback, Quadrula pustulosa (Lea, 1831), is a medium-sized mussel with numerous bumps (pustules) on the outside of its shell. Despite its intermediate size, it was valued by button makers for its lustrous white shell interior (nacre).
Illinois State Museum Collection (ISM-679839)
Photograph by Robert E. Warren, Illinois State Museum.