Villosa iris
Species of bivalve
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| Villosa iris | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Unionida |
| Family: | Unionidae |
| Genus: | Villosa |
| Species: | V. iris |
| Binomial name | |
| Villosa iris (Lea, 1829) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Unio iris Lea, 1829 | |
Reproduction
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 crayfish antennae, legs, and eyes. They also mimic crayfish behavior, moving the papillae independently like legs, and use "tail tucking" motions.[3] Juvenile mussels bury themselves in the sediment just below its surface and feed on interstitial bacteria and bacteria-sized particles including algae.[4]
Distribution
This species is widely distributed throughout the St. Lawrence, upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland River drainage basins.[5]
Conservation status
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 the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (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 the United States, the Government of Wisconsin lists it as endangered.[8]
