Fish Hosts for Four Species of Freshwater Mussels (Pelecypoda: Unionidae) in the Upper Tennessee River Drainage

Abstract

-Fish hosts were identified for glochidia of four freshwater unionid mussel species, Epioblasma brevidens, E. capsaeformis, E. triquetra and the endangered mussel, Quadrula intermedia, from the Powell River of the upper Tennessee River drainage. All four species exhibited high degrees of host specificity in laboratory tests. Host fish for Epioblasma spp. were restricted to a cottid, the banded sculpin (Cottus carolinae) and several percids: the greenside darter (Etheostoma blennioides), wounded darter (E. vulneratum), redline darter (E. rufilineatum), snubnose darter (E. simoterum), logperch (Percina caprodes) and dusky darter (P sciera). Fish hosts identified for Q intermedia were two cyprinids, the streamline chub (Erimystax dissimilis) and blotched chub (E. insignis). Host fishes for all four mussel species were fast-water species occupying the same riffle habitats as the mussels.