Cracking pearlymussel
Hemistena lata (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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Cracking pearlymussel |
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| Hemistena lata, UIMNH Z-3826. Duck River, Maury County, Tennessee. Length: 2.8 inches (7.1 cm).
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| Other common names None.
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| Key characters Thin, elongate shell, yellowish brown with broken green
rays, poorly developed teeth, purple or pinkish nacre near the beak cavity.
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| Similar species: Fluted-shell, pondhorn, yellow sandshell.
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| Description Shell thin, elongate, and compressed. Anterior end rounded,
posterior end pointed. Dorsal margin straight, ventral margin straight to
slightly curved. Umbos low, not elevated above the hinge line. Beak sculpture
of three or four weak ridges. Periostracum yellowish brown or tan with broken
green rays on some shells. Length to 4 inches (10.2 cm). Teeth poorly developed. Pseudocardinal teeth as a thickened knob or ridge, one in each valve. Lateral teeth as a thickening of the hinge line. Beak cavity very shallow or absent. Nacre bluish white, with light purple or pink in the beak cavity area.
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| Habitat Medium to large rivers in mud, sand, or gravel.
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Status Federally Endangered. Likely extirpated from the Midwest.
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