Utterbackia imbecillis

Utterbackia imbecillis, commonly called the paper pondshell, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.

Utterbackia imbecillis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Unionida
Family:	Unionidae
Genus:	Utterbackia
Species:	U. imbecillis
Binomial name
Utterbackia imbecillis (Say, 1829)
Synonyms
List Anodon horda Gould, 1855 Anodonta (Lastena) ohiensis horda (Gould, 1855) Anodonta (Utterbackia) imbecilis (Say, 1829) Anodonta henryana "I. Lea, 1860" [lapsus] Anodonta henryiana I. Lea, 1857 Anodonta imbecilis [lapsus] Anodonta imbecillis Say, 1829 Anodonta incerta I. Lea, 1834 Anodonta phalena De Gregorio, 1914 Margarita (Anodonta) incerta (I. Lea, 1834) Margaron (Anodonta) henryana (I. Lea, 1857) Margaron (Anodonta) imbecillis (Say, 1829) Utterbackia henryana (I. Lea, 1857) Utterbackia imbecilis (Say, 1829) Utterbackia imbecillis var. fusca F. C. Baker, 1927

Description

It is characterized by its unusually thin shell.

Distribution

This species is native to the United States. It is present in the Mississippi interior basin, western and eastern gulf, and the Atlantic Slope drainages. It is a common and widespread species. Thousands of individuals can inhabit a single pond.

References

• Haag, W. R. (2012). North American Freshwater Mussels: Natural History, Ecology, and Conservation. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521199384
• Vidrine, M. F. (1993) The historical distributions of fresh-water mussels in Louisiana. Gail O. Vidrine Collectibles. ISBN 978-0963730404.