Obovaria retusa

Obovaria retusa is a rare species of freshwater mussel in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. Its common names include golf stick pearly mussel[1] and ring pink. It is native to parts of the eastern and southeastern United States, but it remains in very little of its original range. There may be no viable populations left.[2] This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Obovaria retusa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Unionidae
Genus: Obovaria
Species:
O. retusa
Binomial name
Obovaria retusa
(Lamarck, 1819)

This mussel was native to Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia. By 1991 it was thought that there were about five populations remaining in Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. It is now thought to be extirpated from West Virginia, as the population there was a misidentification. Only a few specimens of the species have been observed recently. If any viable populations remain, they will be located in the Green River of Kentucky.[2]

References
  1. Bogan, A.E. 1996. Obovaria retusa. 2011 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Archived 2014-06-27 at the Wayback Machine Downloaded on 1 October 2011.
  2. USFWS. Obovaria retusa Five-year Review. August 2011.


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