Upland combshell

Upland combshell
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 2.3) [1]
Extinct  (ESA) [2] [3] [4] : 71667–71668
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Unionida
Family:	Unionidae
Genus:	Epioblasma
Species:	E. metastriata
Binomial name
Epioblasma metastriata (Conrad, 1838)
Synonyms [5] [6]
Dysnomia metastriata (Conrad, 1838) Margaron (Unio) compactus (I. Lea, 1859) Truncilla compacta (I. Lea, 1859) Truncilla metastriata (Conrad, 1838) Unio compactus I. Lea, 1859 Unio metastriatus Conrad, 1838

The upland combshell (Epioblasma metastriata) was a species of freshwater mussel in the family Unionidae. It was endemic to the upper Mobile River Basin in the southeastern United States.

This species was found only in the shoals of rivers and large streams. This habitat has been massively impacted by dam construction and dredging. Due to habitat loss and pollution, this species is considered extinct. The last live individual was seen in 1988, in the Conasauga River. Surveys conducted after that time have failed to find any live individuals in any of their previously known locations, ^[7] and in 2021 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed officially labeling them as extinct. ^[8] The species was officially declared extinct and delisted from the Endangered Species Act on November 16, 2023. ^{[4] [9]}

There remains the possibility that this species could still exist in sections of the Upper Coosa River Basin that, as of 2008, remain poorly surveyed. ^[10]

References

1. Bogan, A.E. (1996). "Epioblasma metastriata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 1996 e.T7876A12860384. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T7876A12860384.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
2. "Upland combshell (Epioblasma metastriata)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
3. Hartfield, Paul; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (17 March 1993). "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Status for Eight Freshwater Mussels and Threatened Status for Three Freshwater Mussels in the Mobil River Drainage". Federal Register. 58 (50): 14330–14340. 58 FR 14330
4. Branch of Delisting and Foreign Species, Ecological Services Program; et al. (17 October 2023). "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of 21 Species from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife". Federal Register. 88 (199): 71644–71682. 88 FR 71644
5. "Epioblasma metastriata (Conrad, 1838)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 7 November 2025.
6. "Epioblasma metastriata (Conrad, 1838)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 7 November 2025.
7. NatureServe Explorer
8. "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Delisting 23 Species from Endangered Species Act Due to Extinction". U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. September 29, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
9. "21 Species Delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to Extinction | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". FWS.gov. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
10. Georgia Department of Natural Resources