Host Fishes and Reproductive Biology of 6 Freshwater Mussel Species from the Mobile Basin, USA

Abstract

Host fishes were identified for 6 species of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) from the Black Warrior River drainage, Mobile Basin, USA: Strophitus subvexus, Pleurobema furvum, Ptychobranchus greeni, Lampsilis perovalis, Medionidus acutissimus, and Villosa nebulosa. Hosts were determined as those that produced juvenile mussels from glochidial infestations in the laboratory. The following mussel-fish-host relationships were established: Strophitus subvexus with 10 species including Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, Fundulidae, Centrarchidae, and Percidae; Pleurobema furvum with Campostoma oligolepis, Cyprinella callistia, C. venusta, Semotilus atromaculatus, and Fundulus olivaceus; Ptychobranchus greeni with Etheostoma bellator, E. douglasi, Percina nigrofasciata, and Percina sp. cf. caprodes; Lampsilis perovalis with Micropterus coosae, M. punctulatus, and M. salmoides; Medionidus acutissimus with Fundulus olivaceus, Etheostoma douglasi, E. whipplei, Percina nigrofasciata, and Percina sp. cf. caprodes; and Villosa nebulosa with Lepomis megalotis, Micropterus coosae, M. punctulatus, and M. salmoides. Fundulus olivaceus served as host for 3 species and carried glochidia for long periods for 2 other species, suggesting that topminnows may serve as hosts for a wide variety of otherwise host-specialist mussel species. Host relationships for the species tested are similar to congeners. Methods of glochidial release, putative methods of host-fish attraction, and gravid periods are described for the 6 species.