Pyganodon cataracta

Pyganodon cataracta
The pearly interior of a valve of Pyganodon cataracta at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Unionida
Family:	Unionidae
Genus:	Pyganodon
Species:	P. cataracta
Binomial name
Pyganodon cataracta (Say, 1817)
Synonyms [2]
List Anodonta cataractaSay, 1817 Anodonta cataracta subsp. cataractaSay, 1817 Anodonta cataracta subsp. marginataSay, 1817 Anodonta marginataSay, 1817 Anodonta atraRafinesque, 1820 Anodonta cuneataRafinesque, 1820 Anodonta digonotaRafinesque, 1831 Anodonta teresConrad, 1834 Anodonta excurvataDeKay, 1843 Anodonta virgulataLea, 1857 Anodonta dariensisLea, 1858 Anodonta williamsiiLea, 1862 Anodonta tryoniiLea, 1862 Anodonta doliarisLea, 1863 Pyganodon marginata(Say, 1817)

Pyganodon cataracta, formerly Anodonta cataracta, is a species of large freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. Its common name is the eastern floater.

Subspecies

• Pyganodon cataracta subsp. cataracta
• Pyganodon cataracta subsp. marginata

Description

Pyganodon cataracta can reach a size of 10–15 centimetres (3.9–5.9 in).

Distribution and habitat

This mussel is present in freshwater habitats along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from Alabama to some parts of Canada. It is typically found in soft-bottomed ponds, rivers and small lakes.

Taxonomy

Like many other of its relatives, the eastern floater was thought to be in the genus Anodonta , but was since moved to other genera such as Pyganodon , Utterbackia , and more. ^[3]

References

1. Cummings, K. & Cordeiro, J. (2012). "Pyganodon cataracta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012 e.T189007A1917221. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T189007A1917221.en . Retrieved 6 August 2023.
2. "Pyganodon cataracta (Say, 1817)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 6 August 2023.
3. https://www.molluscabase.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1351487

• Richard A. Tankersley - Larval Brooding by the Freshwater Unionid Mussel Anodonta Cataracta - Wake Forest University. Department of Biology, 1992
• The Freshwater Mussels (Unionoida) of the World
• Catalogue of Life