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 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Unionida |
| Family: | Unionidae |
| Genus: | Villosa |
| Species: | V. iris
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| Binomial name | |
| Villosa iris (Lea, 1829)
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| Synonyms | |
|
Unio iris Lea, 1829 | |
Reproduction
editAll 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 antennae, legs, and eyes. They also mimic crayfish behavior, moving the papillae independently like legs, and use "tail tucking" motions.[3] Juvenile mussels bury in the sediment just below its surface, and feed on interstitial bacteria and bacterial-sized particles including algae.[4]
Distribution
editThis species is widely distributed throughout the St. Lawrence, upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland River Basins.[5]
Conservation status
editVillosa 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 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 Wisconsin, it is listed as state endangered.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c NatureServe (7 April 2023). "Cambarunio iris". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ G. Thomas Watters (2017). "A Preliminary Review of the Nominal Genus Villosa of Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia, Unionidae) in North America". Visaya. Conchology, Inc. ISBN 978-3-939767-86-2. Supplement 10.
- ^ "Villosa iris (Lea). The rainbow-shell". Unio Gallery.
- ^ Yeager, M. M.; Cherry, D. S. & Neves, R. J. (1994). "Feeding and burrowing behaviors of juvenile rainbow mussels, Villosa iris (Bivalvia:Unionidae)". Journal of the North American Benthological Society. 13 (2): 217–222. doi:10.2307/1467240. JSTOR 1467240. S2CID 87037556.
- ^ "Home".
- ^ Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2016-08-10). "Rainbow (Villosa iris): COSEWIC assessment and status report 2015". aem. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ "Rainbox (Villosa iris)". Species at risk public registry. Government of Canada. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Rainbow Shell (Villosa iris)". dnr.wi.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
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