Villosa iris

Villosa iris, the rainbow mussel or rainbow-shell, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. In 2018, Watters proposed to move the species into a new genus, Cambarunio.[1][2]

Villosa iris

Unranked (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Unionidae
Genus: Villosa
Species:
V. iris
Binomial name
Villosa iris
(Lea, 1829)
Synonyms

Unio iris Lea, 1829

Reproduction

All Unionidae are known to use the gills, fins, or skin of a host fish for nutrients during the larval glochidia stage. Female villosa iris attract host fish by imitating a crayfish. Elongate papillae on the mantle margin resemble antennae, legs, and eyes. They also mimic crayfish behavior, moving the papillae independently like legs, and use "tail tucking" motions.[3] Juvenile mussels bury in the sediment just below its surface, and feed on interstitial bacteria and bacterial-sized particles including algae.[4]

Distribution

This species is widely distributed throughout the St. Lawrence, upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland River Basins.[5]

Conservation status

Villosa iris is the focus of conservation concern in areas like Ontario, Illinois, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.[1] In Canada, V. iris is listed as a species of Special Concern by COSEWIC and under the Species at Risk Act,[6] having been downgraded to this status in 2019 after its initial listing as Endangered in 2013.[7] In Wisconsin, it is listed as state endangered.[8]

References
  1. NatureServe (7 April 2023). "Cambarunio iris". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  2. G. Thomas Watters (2017). "A Preliminary Review of the Nominal Genus Villosa of Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia, Unionidae) in North America". Visaya. Conchology, Inc. ISBN 978-3-939767-86-2. Supplement 10.
  3. "Villosa iris (Lea). The rainbow-shell". Unio Gallery.
  4. Yeager, M. M.; Cherry, D. S. & Neves, R. J. (1994). "Feeding and burrowing behaviors of juvenile rainbow mussels, Villosa iris (Bivalvia:Unionidae)". Journal of the North American Benthological Society. 13 (2): 217–222. doi:10.2307/1467240. JSTOR 1467240. S2CID 87037556.
  5. "Home".
  6. Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2016-08-10). "Rainbow (Villosa iris): COSEWIC assessment and status report 2015". aem. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  7. "Rainbox (Villosa iris)". Species at risk public registry. Government of Canada. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  8. "Rainbow Shell (Villosa iris)". dnr.wi.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-04.


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