Records of Two Invertebrate Species in Kansas

Abstract

The freshwater entoproct, Urnatella gracilis Leidy, was found attached to the valves of two species of unionid mussels, Lampsilis rafinesqueana Frierson and Lasmigona costata (Rafinesque) collected from Spring River at K-96 Hwy. (sec. 11, T33S, R25E, Cherokee Co., Kansas) by Charles Cope on 24 July 1984. Mussels were taken to the laboratory and maintained in a 200 liter aquarium. The colonies of U. gracilis survived for over two years remaining attached to the host valves. During this time no other substrates were colonized in the tank. Urnatella gracilis has been reported from Missouri (Tracy and Hazelwood, 1983), Oklahoma (Harrel and Wallis, 1967) and Texas (Cox and McCullough, 1976; Cusak and McCullough, 1985). This species probably is more widespread than published records indicate. The colonies were discovered while examining the garden communities on the valves of several species of mussels from the collection site, a long submerged riffle. This locality is a new record for the state. A single complete specimen of the unionid mussel Alasmidonta marginata Say, 12.7 cm in length, was collected from the Marais des Cygnes River (sec. 33, T16S, R20E, Franklin Co., Kansas) by Dan Bleam on 6 August 1983. The specimen was recently dead having some of the mantle still attached to the valves. This species is new to the Osage River Drainage in Kansas. The collection site is about 150 kilometers west of the most western site reported by Oesch (1984) in the same drainage in Missouri.