Theliderma stapes

Theliderma stapes, the stirrup shell or stirrupshell, was a species of bivalve in the family Unionidae. It was endemic to eastern Mississippi and western Alabama in the United States. It was last observed in 1987 and was proposed for delisting due to extinction by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2021.[1][5][6] It was officially delisted and declared extinct on October 16, 2023.[7]

Theliderma stapes

Presumed Extinct  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Unionidae
Genus: Theliderma
Species:
T. stapes
Binomial name
Theliderma stapes
(Lea, 1831)
Synonyms[4]
  • Quadrula stapes (Lea, 1831)
  • Unio stapes Lea, 1831

Conservation

This species experienced a population collapse primarily due to river modification in the form of canal construction. In 1976, it was predicted that the construction of the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway would cause the extinction of this species. This prediction would quickly come to fruition after the waterway was completed in 1984. Freshly dead shells of this species were last observed in 1987 and further surveys have failed to find any evidence of a surviving population.[1][5]

In 2021, it was proposed to delist this species from the Endangered Species Act. This is done when further efforts to recover a species would almost certainly be futile, and there is no evidence of currently surviving individuals. The species was delisted on October 16, 2023.[8]

References
  1. NatureServe (2 June 2023). "Theliderma stapes". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  2. "Stirrupshell (Quadrula stapes)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  3. 52 FR 11162
  4. "Theliderma stapes (Lea, 1831)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  5. Stirrupshell (Quadrula stapes) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, September 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  6. "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Delisting 23 Species from Endangered Species Act Due to Extinction". U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  7. "21 Species Delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to Extinction | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". FWS.gov. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  8. "21 Species Delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to Extinction | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". FWS.gov. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
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