Spengler's freshwater mussel
Encyclopedia
Spengler's freshwater mussel scientific name (Margaritifera auricularia or Pseudunio auricularia) is a species
of European freshwater mussel, an aquatic
bivalve mollusk in the family Margaritiferidae
, the freshwater pearl mussels. It is named after Lorenz Spengler
.
Large shells are up to 180 mm in length.
The species was originally described as Unio auricularius Spengler, 1793.
When it is placed in the genus Margaritifera
Schumacher, 1816, it is considered to be:
At other times it is placed in the genus Pseudunio F. Haas
, 1910, in which case it is known as:
Sometimes it is given the masculine gender:
larvae of this species are: Salaria fluviatilis
, Gambusia hollbrooki, Acipenser baerii, Acipenser naccarrii and Acipenser sturio.
The hosts for this species were unknown for a long time: as recently as 1998 they were still not known.
Araujo, R., Bragado, D. & Ramos, M. A. 2001. Identification of the river blenny, Salaria fluviatilis, as a host to the glochidia of Margaritifera auricularia. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 67: 128-129.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of European freshwater mussel, an aquatic
Aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
bivalve mollusk in the family Margaritiferidae
Margaritiferidae
Margaritiferidae is a family of medium-sized freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve mollusks in the order Unionoida. They are known as freshwater pearl mussels, because they are capable of producing pearls.-Genera within the family Margaritiferidae:...
, the freshwater pearl mussels. It is named after Lorenz Spengler
Lorenz Spengler
Lorenz Spengler was a Swiss-born Danish turner and naturalist.He arrived at Copenhagen in 1743. He was a tutor to Christian VI of Denmark and later Frederick V of Denmark in the art of turning. From 1771 he was head of the Royal Art Chamber , a position he held until his death in...
.
Description
Taxonomy
There are different opinions on the taxonomy of this species.The species was originally described as Unio auricularius Spengler, 1793.
When it is placed in the genus Margaritifera
Margaritifera
Margaritifera is a genus of freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the family Margaritiferidae, the freshwater pearl mussels.-Species:Species within the genus Margaritifera include:...
Schumacher, 1816, it is considered to be:
- Margaritifera auricularia (Spengler, 1793)
At other times it is placed in the genus Pseudunio F. Haas
Fritz Haas (zoologist)
Fritz Haas was a Jewish German zoologist born in Frankfurt-am-Main. He specialized in the field of malacology....
, 1910, in which case it is known as:
- Pseudunio auricularia (Spengler, 1793)
Sometimes it is given the masculine gender:
- Pseudunio auricularius auricularius (Spengler, 1793)
Distribution
It is found in:- France - recent distribution
- ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- recent - Spain - recent
- PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
- recent(?) or fossil(?) - maybe in some rivers in north Africa: Marocco
- GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- locally extinct from upper Rhine after 1500
- NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
- extinct or fossil - BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- extinct or fossil - LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
- extinct or fossil
- Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
- only fossil records in layers with settlement from neolite: ĎábliceĎábliceĎáblice is a municipal district and cadastral area in Prague. It is located in the northern part of the city. As of 2008, there were 3,048 inhabitants living in Ďáblice....
, KobylisyKobylisyKobylisy is a Prague Metro station on Line C.- External links :* http://www.angrenost.cz/metro/c/kb.php Gallery and information...
, RoztokyRoztokyRoztoky is a small town in the Czech Republic. It is located on the Vltava River, just north of Prague, the country's capital. 7,719 inhabitants was registered as of January, 1st 2010, but the true number of citizens is probably higher due to a massive development of the town in recent years and...
, Podbaba. - United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- ?
Ecology
The fish hosts for the glochidiumGlochidium
The glochidium is a special microscopic larval stage of larger freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve mollusks in the families Unionidae and Margaritiferidae, the river mussels and European freshwater pearl mussels....
larvae of this species are: Salaria fluviatilis
Salaria fluviatilis
Freshwater blenny, Salaria fluviatilis, is a species of fish in the Blenniidae family. It is found in African rivers and brooks in Algeria and Morocco flowing to the Mediterranean Sea. In Europe it is widespread in the freshwaters of Albania, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Spain,...
, Gambusia hollbrooki, Acipenser baerii, Acipenser naccarrii and Acipenser sturio.
The hosts for this species were unknown for a long time: as recently as 1998 they were still not known.
Further reading
- Araujo, R & Moreno, R. 1999. Former Iberian Distribution of Margaritifera auricularia (Spengler) (Bivalvia: Margaritiferidae). Iberus, 17(1): 127-136.
- Araujo, R., Bragado, D. & Ramos, M. A. 2000. Occurrence of glochidia of the endangered Margaritifera auricularia (Spengler, 1793) and other mussel species (Bivalvia: Unionoida) in drift and on fishes in an ancient channel of the Ebro River, Spain. Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 148(1): 147-160.
- Araujo, R. & Ramos, M. A. 2000. A critic revision of the historical distribution of Margaritifera auricularia (Spengler, 1793) (Mollusca: Margaritiferidae) based on museum specimens. Journal of Conchology, 37(1): 49-59.
- Araujo, R. & Ramos, M. A. 2000. Status and conservation of the relict giant European freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera auricularia (Spengler, 1793). Biological Conservation, 96(2): 233-239
- Grande, C., Araujo, R. & Ramos, M. A. 2001. The gonads of Margaritifera auricularia (Spengler, 1793) and Margaritifera margaritifera (L. 1758) (Bivalvia: Unionoidea). Journal of Molluscan Studies, 6: 27-35.
Araujo, R., Bragado, D. & Ramos, M. A. 2001. Identification of the river blenny, Salaria fluviatilis, as a host to the glochidia of Margaritifera auricularia. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 67: 128-129.
- Araujo, R., Cámara N. & Ramos, M. A. Glochidium metamorphosis in the endangered freshwater mussel Margaritifera auricularia (Spengler, 1793): A histological and scanning electron microscopy study. Journal of Morphology. 254: 259-265.
- Araujo, R., Quirós, M. & Ramos, M. A. 2003. Laboratory propagation and culturing of juveniles of the endangered freshwater mussel Margaritifera auricularia (Spengler, 1793). Journal of Conchology. 38(1): 53-60.
- Araujo, R. 2004 Two overlooked host fish species of Margaritifera auricularia (Bivalvia, Unionoidea, Margaritiferidae). Basteria, 67: 113.
- Vallejo, A., & Araujo, R. The Historical misidentification of Margaritifera auricularia for M. margaritifera (Bivalvia, Unionoidea) explained by their iconography. Malacologia. (in press)
- Araujo, R. & Ramos, M. A. 2001. Action Plan for Margaritifera auricularia. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention). Council of Europe Publishing. Nature and environment, No. 117. Strasbourg. 28 pp.
- Araujo, R. & Ramos, M. A. 2001. Life-History data on the virtually unknown Margaritifera auricularia. En: Ecological Studies, Vol. 145. "Ecology and Evolution of the Freshwater Mussels Unionoida" ed. by G. Bauer and K. Wächtler. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. 143-152. Por invitación.
- Araujo, R. & Ramos, M. A. 2001. Margaritifera auricularia. En: Los Invertebrados no Insectos de la "Directiva Hábitat" en España. Serie Técnica. Ed. Organismo Autónomo Parques Nacionales (Ministerio de Medio Ambiente). Madrid. 93-101.