endemic to a single nation

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (250-1000 square km (about 100-400 square miles)) This species is known from eastern Gulf drainages in Louisiana and Mississipi. In Mississippi, it is found in Lake Pontchartrain, Coastal Rivers, Pearl River, and Pascagoula River drainages (Jones et al., 2005). Vidrine (1993) reports this species from eastern Louisiana in most drainages to the north (Pearl River, Tchefuncte River, Tangipahoa River, Tickfaw River, Amite River).

• Freshwater

Habitat Type: Freshwater

Comments: This species is known from small to medium coastal rivers in Louisiana and Mississippi (Vidrine, 1993). Other habitat information is lacking.

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

This species probably is rather sessile with only limited movement in the substrate. Passive downstream movement may occur when mussels are displaced from the substrate during floods. Major dispersal occurs while glochidia are encysted on their hosts.

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 21 - 80

Comments: Vidrine (1993) reports this species from eastern Louisiana in most drainages to the north (Pearl River, Tchefuncte River, Tangipahoa River, Tickfaw River, Amite River). Brown and Banks (2001) list 1990s records for the Amite and Tangipahoa Rivers in Louisiana. In Mississippi, it is found in Lake Pontchartrain, Coastal Rivers, Pearl River, and Pascagoula River drainages (Jones et al., 2005). This species was not recorded during surveys of the Strong River in Mississippi in 2001, despite historical documentation in the basin (Darden et al., 2002). Wieland (2000) documented it in a mussel bed in teh Pearl River in LeFleur's bluff State Park in Jackson, Mississippi.

Unknown

The host fish is not known.

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N3 - Vulnerable

Rounded Global Status Rank: G3 - Vulnerable

Reasons: This species is known from a restricted range in the north section of eastern Louisiana into southern Mississippi. Status and trend information are largely unknown and although range is somewhat limited, lack of adequate threat information precludes a higher ranking.

Intrinsic Vulnerability: Unknown

Environmental Specificity: Narrow to moderate.

Comments: This species is known from small to medium coastal rivers in Louisiana and Mississippi (Vidrine, 1993). Other habitat information is lacking.

Global Short Term Trend: Unknown

Global Long Term Trend: Unknown

Comments: Although specific threats to this species have not been addressed in detail, the primary reason for the imperilment of Mississippi's unionid mussels is the destruction and alteration of their habitats. Factors responsible for freshwater mussel habitat destruction in Mississippi include reservoir construction (Coldwater, Pearl, Little Tallahatchie, Tennessee, Tombigbee, Yalobusha, and Yocona Rivers plus many tributaries), channel degradation for navigation and flood control, sand and gravel mining, deterioration of water quality (excessive sediment from agriculture, pollution) (Jones et al., 2005).

Global Protection: Few (1-3) occurrences appropriately protected and managed

Comments: The species was recently found in lower section of the Pearl River in the south end of the LeFleur's Bluff State Park in Jackson, Mississippi (Wieland, 2000).