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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.
A formal freshwater mussel fishing industry was established in the mid-1850s to take advantage of this natural resource. [17] The "pearl rush" to find freshwater pearls became so intense in some rivers that millions of freshwater mussels were killed in a few years. In some rivers and streams entire freshwater mussel beds were completely eliminated.
Margaritiferidae is a family of medium-sized freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the order Unionida. [1] [2] It is the most threatened of all unionid families.[3]The family is sometimes referred to as the freshwater pearl mussel family, [4] but "freshwater pearl mussel" more often applies to the species Margaritifera margaritifera.
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.
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 ...
Margaritifera margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758) — Freshwater pearl mussel (includes Margaritifera margaritifera durrovensis Phillips, 1928) Margaritifera marrianae R. I. Johnson, 1983; The following fossil species are known from the mid-Cretaceous of Mongolia, being formerly classified in the genus Unio: [2] †Margaritifera elongata (Martinson ...
Margaritifera auricularia is a species of European freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Margaritiferidae, the freshwater pearl mussels.Formerly found throughout western and central Europe, the species is now critically endangered and is one of the rarest invertebrates worldwide, being confined to a few rivers in Spain and France.
The western pearlshell (Margaritifera falcata) is a species of freshwater bivalve, a pearl mussel, a bivalve mollusk in the family Margaritiferidae. This species can be found only in the United States and Canada, where it occurs mostly west of the Rocky Mountains.