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Freshwater mussels are used as host animals for the cultivation of freshwater pearls. Some species of marine mussel, including the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the New Zealand green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus), are also cultivated as a source of food. Bouchots are marine pilings for growing mussels, here shown at an agricultural fair.
Osmoregulation, or the maintenance of constant salinity within body tissue and fluids, is another challenge faced by freshwater Mollusca. Dillon (2000) [2] indicates that they have characteristically low tissue salinities relative to other freshwater animals, and unionid mussels have some of the lowest tissue salinities of any animal.
In contrast, one of the largest species of freshwater bivalves is the swan mussel from the family Unionidae; it can grow to a length of 20 cm (7.9 in), and usually lives in lakes or slow-flowing rivers. Freshwater pearl mussels are economically important as a source of pearls and mother of pearl. While some species are short-lived, others can ...
The freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae.. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used for this species, other freshwater mussel species (e.g. Margaritifera auricularia) can also create pearls and some can also be used as a source of mother of pearl.
The Unionidae are a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simply as unionids. [1] [2]The range of distribution for this family is world-wide.
Eight different types of freshwater mussels have been identified in Rhode Island's freshwater rivers and ponds, according to a fact sheet from the University of Rhode Island.
Freshwater mussels provide multiple benefits to their surrounding ecosystems but are among the most imperiled groups of native animals in North America. A single mussel can filter up to three ...
Exportation of freshwater mussels for the use in the Japanese cultured pearl industry has supported the North American freshwater mussel fisheries since the late 1950s. The mother of pearl (or nacre) from exported freshwater mussels are used to make a bead nucleus which is placed in a living animal to form a pearl. In the 1990s, the United ...