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Phylogeographic Analysis Of The Threatened And Endangered Superconglutinate-Producing Mussels Of The Genus Lampsilis (Bivalvia: Unionidae), Kevin J. Roe, Charles Lydeard, Paul D. Hartfield

Kevin J. Roe

Several species of freshwater unionid mussels in the genus Lampsilis exhibit a remarkable reproductive strategy. Female mussels of these species enclose their larvae in a minnow-like lure, called a ‘superconglutinate’, to attract piscivorous fishes. When a fish attempts to ingest the superconglutinate the lure ruptures and the larvae are released to parasitize the fish. Of the four species of mussel which exhibit this strategy and are endemic to the Gulf Coast drainages of the southeastern United States, three are protected under the Endangered Species Act, and one is recognized as imperilled. Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial 16S …