This is a demonstration of the ISM freshwater mussel image gallery.
Class Bivalvia : Subclass Paleoheterodonta : Genus Potamilus
Potamilus purpuratus (Bleufer)
The bleufer mussel shell is a thin, elongate, rectangular shell with a smooth, dark brown surface. It grows to a length of eight inches. The species lives in the mud or mixed mud and gravel of large rivers. In Illinois is is found only at the extreme southern tip.
Conservation status: a southern species; Species of Special Concern in Illinois.
Taxonomy: Order Unionoida; Superfamily Unionoidea; Family Unionidae; Subfamily Lampsilinae
Collection of the Illinois State Museum, photograph by Karen Little
ISM Accession #: 677424
Class Bivalvia : Subclass Paleoheterodonta : Genus Potamilus
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