Temporary Placement

Class Bivalvia : Temporary Placement

Simpsonaias ambigua (Salamander Mussel)
The salamander mussel is so named because it is the only species of freshwater mussel that has a salamander, the mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) rather than a fish as a host for its larva. This small (up to only two inches in length) mussel has a thin, elliptical shell with rounded ends.
Salamander mussels live on mud or gravel bars and under stones or slabs in medium to large rivers. In Illinois it hase occured in the Wabash, Illinois, and Mississippi river basins except in southern Illinois.
Conservation status: endangered in Illinois
Taxonomy: Order Unionoida; Superfamily Unionoidea; Family Unionidae; Subfamily Anodontinae

Collection of the Illinois State Museum, photograph by Karen Little
ISM Accession #: 680369

Class Bivalvia : Temporary Placement

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