| Unionidae Temporal range: Middle Jurassic - present,
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| Six endangered species of Unionidae | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Unionida |
| Superfamily: | Unionoidea |
| Family: | Unionidae Fleming, 1828 |
| Genera | |
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See text | |
The Unionidae are a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simply as unionids.[1][2]
The range of distribution for this family is world-wide. It is at its most diverse in North America, with about 297 recognised taxa,[3][4][5] but China and Southeast Asia also support very diverse faunas.
Freshwater mussels occupy a wide range of habitats, but most often occupy lotic waters, i.e. flowing water such as rivers, streams and creeks.
- ^ Unionidae. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 4 January 2012.
- ^ Huber, Markus (2010). Compendium of Bivalves. A Full-color Guide to 3'300 of the World's Marine Bivalves. A Status on Bivalvia after 250 Years of Research. Hackenheim: ConchBooks. pp. 901 pp. + CD. ISBN 978-3-939767-28-2.
- ^ Williams, J. D, M. L. Warren, K. S. Cummings, J. L. Harris, and R. J. Neves (1993). "Conservation Status of Freshwater Mussels of the United States and Canada". Fisheries. 18 (9): 6–22. doi:10.1577/1548-8446(1993)018<0006:CSOFMO>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1548-8446.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Burch, John B. 1975. Freshwater unionacean clams (Mollusca: Pelecypoda) of North America. Biota of Freshwater Ecosystems, Identification Manual No. 11. U.S. Gov. Printing Office. 114p.
- ^ Heard, William H. 1979. Identification Manual of the Freshwater Clams of Florida. Fla. Dept. Environmental Regulation, Technical Series 4(2): 1-83.