Description and potential sources of a shell deformity in North American freshwater mussels (Unionoida)
© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Aquatic Animal Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Fisheries Society.
| Veröffentlicht in: | Journal of aquatic animal health. - 1998. - 36(2024), 4 vom: 27. Dez., Seite 310-320 |
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| Weitere Verfasser: | , , , |
| Format: | Online-Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | English |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2024
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| Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk: | Journal of aquatic animal health |
| Schlagworte: | Journal Article Xenochironomus Chironomidae Unionicolidae Unionidae annuli parasite shell deformity |
| Zusammenfassung: | © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Aquatic Animal Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Fisheries Society. OBJECTIVE: Freshwater mussels of the order Unionoida are among the most imperiled taxa in North America, and many species are undergoing enigmatic decline without fully understood causation. Disease pathology and parasitology have been identified as areas with significant knowledge gaps in relation to these declines. We investigated a shell deformity of unknown cause that is widespread in northeastern North America by adding to the clinical description from a mussel assemblage in Massachusetts with a deformity prevalence exceeding 50%. We build upon previous qualitative descriptions of this deformity with investigations of shell morphology and mussel age METHODS: We conducted a qualitative survey of the mussel community to evaluate the prevalence of deformity. Mussels were classified as deformed based on the presence of a distinct truncation of the posterior margin of the shell. For the eastern elliptio Elliptio complanata, we evaluated the shell height, shell length, and height : length ratio of animals classified as deformed versus normal and we conducted a comparison to a reference population. We also incorporated shell thin sectioning and aging to qualitatively describe the deformity in cross section and to compare age distributions between deformed and normal eastern elliptio RESULT: We observed the presence of this deformity in four species, including the eastern elliptio, eastern lampmussel Lampsilis radiata, eastern pearlshell Margaritifera margaritifera, and creeper Strophitus undulatus. In cross section, the deformity appeared to be caused by repeated disturbance in growth in the posterior portion of the shell. Deformed eastern elliptio had markedly shorter shells for a given shell height when compared to normal and reference mussels, and they tended to be older at shorter shell lengths than normal mussels from the same site CONCLUSION: The cause of the shell deformity in the United States remains unknown, although it appears similar in description to the deformity caused by a commensal midge, Xenochironomus canterburyensis, which infects a distantly related freshwater mussel in New Zealand. We highlight potential causes and the need for further investigation |
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| Beschreibung: | Date Completed 31.12.2024 Date Revised 06.01.2025 published: Print-Electronic Citation Status MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1548-8667 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/aah.10232 |