AIM

Lampsilis siliquoidea (Barnes)

Fatmucket (male)

Recognition

The shell is light colored and usually has darker rays, especially in young individuals. The shell is solid with the lateral teeth well developed and white nacre. The shells are sexually dimorphic with females swollen posteriorly. None of our other species have dark colored rays. The usual size is 75 to 110 mm.

Summary

This species was often been treated as a subspecies of L. radiata (Gmelin) The known hosts for Lampsilis species include many warmer water fish species. These include centrarchids, percids, ictalurids, gars, sturgeons and freshwater drum. Most of these are introduced, but some are native.

Distribution

It is widespread across the Montana prairie and outside of Montana it is widespread in the central part of the continent. It is also covered in the Field Guide to the Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest.

17 DEC 1995, updated on 7 FEB 1997 D.L. Gustafson
AIM home page
dlg@rivers.oscs.montana.edu