Ptychobranchus subtentum

Ptychobranchus subtentum, also known as the fluted kidneyshell, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.

Ptychobranchus subtentum

Imperiled  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Unionidae
Genus: Ptychobranchus
Species:
P. subtentum
Binomial name
Ptychobranchus subtentum
(Say, 1825)

This species is endemic to the drainages of the Cumberland River and the Tennessee River in the United States.[2]

Reproduction

All Unionidae are known to use the gills, fins, or skin of a host fish for nutrients during the larval glochidia stage. Ptychobranchus subtentum enclose their larvae in a membranous capsule that resembles the pupae of black flies. When a fish bites the capsule bait, the Ptychobranchus subtentum larvae are forced out through the mimic capsule's "eyes" and then attach to the gills of the host fish.[3]

Host species of this bradytictic mussel include Etheostoma obeyense, Etheostoma rufilineatum, Etheostoma flabellare, Etheostoma caeruleum and Cottus carolinae.[2]

References
  1. Bogan, A.E. (1996). "Ptychobranchus subtentum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T18828A8645314. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T18828A8645314.en. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  2. NatureServe (31 May 2024). "Ptychobranchus subtentus". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  3. M. C. Barnhart (1998–2006). "Fluted kidneyshell: Ptychobranchus subtentum". Unio Gallery.


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