Northern riffleshell

Northern riffleshell
Epioblasma torulosa rangiana
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Unionidae
Genus: Epioblasma
Species:
E. torulosa
Subspecies:
E. t. rangiana
Trinomial name
Epioblasma torulosa rangiana
(I. Lea, 1838)

The northern riffleshell (Epioblasma torulosa rangiana) is a subspecies of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This mussel is endangered and federally protected.[3][4] It was proposed as a species, Epioblasma rangiana, by Williams et al. (2017).[5]

This mussel was formerly found widely in the Ohio River basin, but now the population is fragmented into only three viable groups.[citation needed]

This river mussel needs gravel river beds and swift-flowing, well-oxygenated water. The reduction in range seems to be principally due to impoundment, the silting up of rivers due to agriculture, mining and tree cutting and competition from zebra mussels.[6]

  1. ^ Bogan, A.E.; et al. (Mollusc Specialist Group) (2000). "Epioblasma torulosa ssp. rangiana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2000: e.T7887A12861810. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2000.RLTS.T7887A12861810.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this subspecies is critically endangered and the criteria used
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ "Northern riffleshell (Epioblasma rangiana)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  4. ^ 58 FR 5638
  5. ^ Williams JD, Bogan AE, Butler RS, Cummings KS, Garner JT, Harris JL, Johnson NA, Watters GT (2017). "A Revised List of the Freshwater Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionida) of the United States and Canada". Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation. 20 (2): 33–58. doi:10.31931/fmbc.v20i2.2017.33-58.
  6. ^ NatureServe (7 April 2023). "Epioblasma rangiana". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 20 April 2023.