Endangered Clams Around The World – Part One

Clams, what are they? They belong to the broad category of invertebrates. Invertebrates are those animal species that doesn’t have a backbone and this group consists nearly 90% of the total animal population. Invertebrates group consists of insects, spiders, fishes, squids, octopus, snails, squids, etc. Do you know that these invertebrates are becoming extinct at an alarming rate? Yes…if we are not going to take proper care of our environment, our future generation may not be able to see many of these invertebrates. Take a look at the endangered clams around the world.

Southern acorn riffle shell: Southern acorn riffle shell is also called as southern acornshell. Its scientific name is Epioblasma othcaloogensis. These belong to a group called freshwater mussels.

Image courtesy fws

Purple bean: This is not a type of bean that we eat; it is a freshwater mussel. As they are freshwater mussels, it is evident that they require rivers for their habitat and these are threatened by habitat loss.

Image courtesy wikipedia

Green blossom: They are also called as Pearlymussel. Their scientific name is Epioblasma torulosa gubernaculums. These are yet again another freshwater mussel. Operations are carried out to save this endangered clam since the year 1983.

Image courtesy wikipedia

White Catspaw: These were once found in the Ohio River drainage, but it is reported that since 1930, they were not able to find any white catspaw. It is about 2 inches long. Female white catspaw is rectangular in shape while the males are oval in shape. It is believed that the lifespan of this species is about 15 years.

Image courtesy biosci

Clubshell: The scientific name of this group of species is Pleurobema clava. The species that are endangered under this group are Black clubshell, Ovate clubshell and Southern clubshell. These species are generally found in freshwater and is triangular in shape. The lifespan of a clubshell is 50 years. These are heterothermic; this means they are susceptible to variation in temperatures.

Image via fws

Southern combshell: The scientific name of this species is Epioblasma penita. Southern combshell was declared an endangered species on April 7th, 1987. These are nearly 55mm in length. They have dark spots on their body and are either yellow or greenish yellow or tawny shell in color. Other species in this category that are declared extinct include Upland combshell and Cumberlandian combshell.

Appalachian Elktoe: Their scientific name is Alasmidonta raveneliana. Appalachian Elktoe is a thin kidney-shaped shell and can grow up to 4 inches in size. These are found in shallow or mid-sized creeks or rivers. Their lifespan is still not known. Appalachian Elktoe was added to the list of endangered species on November 23, 1994. Siltation, mining, area construction work are some of the reasons cited for the endangerment of this species. Another invertebrate in this group that is endangered is Cumberland elktoe.

Image via wikipedia

Fanshell: The scientific name of Fanshell is Cyprogenia stegaria and is designated endangered on June 21, 1990. They can grow up to 80 mm in length and are light green or yellow in color.

Image via wikipedia

Higgins eye: The scientific name of Higgins eye is lampsilis higinsii. They are round and slightly elongated in shape and has a smooth textured shell. They are yellowish brown in color. Males are round in shape while the females are squared. They grow up to 4 inches in size. Higgins eye was added to the endangered list in the year 1976.

Triangular kidneyshell: Triangular kidneyshell is scientifically called as Ptychobranchus greenii. This was added to the list of endangered species in the year 1994. They are about 100 mm in length and are either oval or elliptical in shape. Life history or the life span of this endangered species is not known.

Keep a tab for the second part of endangered clams around the world.

Sources for endangered clams around the world:

The IUCN Red list of Threatened species

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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