Velesunio wilsonii

Last updated

Velesunio wilsonii
Velesunio wilsoni.jpg
Velesunio wilsonii from the Ross River, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Hyriidae
Genus: Velesunio
Species:
V. wilsonii
Binomial name
Velesunio wilsonii
(Lea, 1859)
Synonyms
  • Unio (Alasmodon) stuarti Adams & Angas, 1864
  • Centralhyria wilsonii caurina Iredale, 1934.
Distribution map of Velesunio wilsonii in Australia. Map of Velesunio wilsonii distribution.png
Distribution map of Velesunio wilsonii in Australia.

Velesunio wilsonii is a species of freshwater mussel endemic to Australia and comes from the Hyriidae family (phylum: Mollusca). [1] Velesunio wilsonii mussels have a thick, dark shell that are sometimes flaky and mostly closed. [1] Velesunio wilsonii have a fleshy foot that sometimes extends outside of the valves. [1] The shell of the Velesunio wilsonii varies from oblong to a symmetrical circle. [1] Velesunio wilsonii size ranges from 40 mm to 120 mm. [1]

Contents

Biology and ecology

Reproduction in Velesuniowilsonii generally involves the male mussels releasing sperm that females take up to fertilize their eggs. [2] Once fertilized, the embryos develop within the females’ gills. [2] These develop into larvae (glochidia), which then attach to the gills or fins of native fish, acting parasitic. [3] They remain attached to the fish by hooks until they have metamorphosed into juvenile mussels [2] with siphon structures that allow them to feed. [4] Velesuniowilsonii siphon water into these structures and filter-feed, filtering out algae and nutrients. [1] Once fully developed, Velesuniowilsonii live in the sediment of rivers and floodplains and remain relatively sedentary throughout their life. [1] Due to their ability to tolerate changing environmental conditions, Velesuniowilsonii can live for a long period of time. [5]

Velesunio wilsonii shell Velesunio wilsonii.png
Velesunio wilsonii shell

Dispersal of Velesuniowilsonii mussels in adult stages is limited and they remain mostly sedentary. [5] However, it has been suggested that mussels from the Velesunio genus are dispersed when attached to the fish in their larvae stage. [5] This may explain the large range of Velesuniowilsonii within Australia. [5]

Distribution

Velesuniowilsonii mussels are distributed throughout several areas of Australia. [5] Velesunio wilsonii can be found in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland, northeast of South Australia and northern New South Wales. [6] There are no records of Velesunio wilsonii in Victoria or Tasmania. [3]

Habitat

Velesuniowilsonii occurs in lowland floodplain ecosystems, including billabongs, temporary and episodic streams, [4] irrigation canals and farm dams. [1] Velesuniowilsonii live partially buried in fine sediments such as sand and mud. [1] When buried and their shell is closed, Velesuniowilsonii can survive in drought conditions, high temperatures and low levels of oxygen, [4] allowing them to inhabit a wide range of ecosystem types. [1]

Evolution

Velesuniowilsonii come from one of two classes of molluscs that have successfully inhabited freshwater ecosystems. [1] All other mollusc classes remain in marine ecosystems. [1] Bivalve molluscs evolved in marine ecosystems before slowly moving into estuaries and inhabiting upstream freshwater habitats, evolving to tolerate lower salinity levels. [1] Velesuniowilsonii is an example of this evolution. [1]

Threats

Velesuniowilsonii mussels are threatened with changes to biotic and abiotic conditions of lowland river ecosystems. [7] Changes to flow regimes through dam and weir construction may limit the ability of host fish to disperse, limiting the dispersal of Velesuniowilsonii larvae. [7] Changes to flow regime may also affect the ecology of the host fish, causing host fish populations to decline. [7] Increased erosion, sedimentation and pollutant runoff may also affect the survival of Velesuniowilsonii, affecting the water quality of floodplains. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Gooderham, John; Tsyrlin, Edward (2002). The Waterbug book: A Guide to the Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Temperate Australia. Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing. ISBN   0-643-09971-9.
  2. 1 2 3 Walker, K. F. (2016-07-18). "Reproductive phenology of river and lake populations of freshwater mussels (Unionida: Hyriidae) in the River Murray" . Molluscan Research. 37 (1): 31–44. doi:10.1080/13235818.2016.1206166. ISSN   1323-5818. S2CID   89516859.
  3. 1 2 "Australian Freshwater Molluscs". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  4. 1 2 3 Bauer, G; Wächtler, K (2001). Ecology and Evolution of the Freshwater Mussels Unionoida. Berlin: Springer. ISBN   978-3-642-63140-5. OCLC   44266465.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Hughes, Jane; Baker, Andrew M.; Bartlett, Christopher; Bunn, Stuart; Goudkamp, Katrina; Somerville, Jemma (2004-10-14). "Past and present patterns of connectivity among populations of four cryptic species of freshwater mussels Velesunio spp. (Hyriidae) in central Australia: CONNECTIVITY AMONG FRESHWATER MUSSELS". Molecular Ecology. 13 (10): 3197–3212. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02305.x . PMID   15367132. S2CID   20884876.
  6. ↑ W. F. Ponder, A. Hallan, M. Shea, S. A. Clark (2016). Australian Freshwater Molluscs. Australian Museum. Accessed June 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Walker, Keith F.; Jones, Hugh A.; Klunzinger, Michael W. (2013). "Bivalves in a bottleneck: taxonomy, phylogeography and conservation of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida) in Australasia" . Hydrobiologia. 735 (1): 61–79. doi:10.1007/s10750-013-1522-9. hdl: 10072/416124 . ISSN   0018-8158. S2CID   254546281 – via ProQuest Central.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.