| Villosa iris | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Unionida |
| Family: | Unionidae |
| Genus: | Villosa |
| Species: | V. iris |
| Binomial name | |
| Villosa iris (Lea, 1829) | |
| Synonyms | |
Unio irisLea, 1829 | |
Villosa iris, the rainbow mussel or rainbow-shell, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. In 2018, Watters proposed to move the species into a new genus, Cambarunio . [1] [2]
All Unionidae are known to use the gills, fins, or skin of a host fish for nutrients during the larval glochidia stage. Female villosa iris attract host fish by imitating a crayfish. Elongate papillae on the mantle margin resemble antennae, legs, and eyes. They also mimic crayfish behavior, moving the papillae independently like legs, and use "tail tucking" motions. [3] Juvenile mussels bury in the sediment just below its surface, and feed on interstitial bacteria and bacterial-sized particles including algae. [4]
This species is widely distributed throughout the St. Lawrence, upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland River Basins. [5]
Villosa iris is the focus of conservation concern in areas like Ontario, Illinois, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. [1] In Canada, V. iris is listed as a species of Special Concern by COSEWIC and under the Species at Risk Act, [6] having been downgraded to this status in 2019 after its initial listing as Endangered in 2013. [7] In Wisconsin, it is listed as state endangered. [8]
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