Glebula

Glebula
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Unionida
Family:	Unionidae
Tribe:	Lampsilini
Genus:	Glebula Conrad, 1853
Species:	G. rotundata
Binomial name
Glebula rotundata (Lamarck, 1819) [2]

Glebula rotundata, the round pearlshell, is a freshwater mussel, and an aquatic bivalve mollusks in the family Unionidae. As the only species in the genus Glebula, it is unusual among unionoid mussels for its abiltiy to tolerate brackish water. ^{[3] [4]}

It is found in the drainages of the Gulf Coast, as well as in Arkansas and Oklahoma. ^[1]

Description

The round pearlshell has a rounded shell shape, typical of its species name, and inhabits freshwater rivers and streams, though it can survive in areas with some salinity.^{[ citation needed ]}

Habitat and distribution

This species is found primarily in freshwater systems in North America, especially in regions where freshwater meets brackish water, such as estuaries. ^[5]

References

1. NatureServe (1 August 2025). "Glebula rotundata". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
2. "Glebula rotundata". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 18 September 2018.
3. Haag, Wendell R. (2012). North American Freshwater Mussels: Natural History, Ecology, and Conservation. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0521199384.
4. Johnson, L. M. (2018). Salinity tolerance in Unionidae: The case of Glebula rotundata. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 84(3), 123-130. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyy020
5. Smith, J. A. (2020). Freshwater Mussels of North America. Academic Press.