Mussels of the Big Darby Creek Watershed

Information on mussels of the Big Darby Creek Watershed

Why mussels and the Darby Creeks?

The occurrence of a wide variety of mussels is one reason the Big Darby Creek is so outstanding and why its protection is so important. The Big Darby Creek watershed has recorded an exceptional list of 44 mussel species, among the best in the Midwest for a watershed of its size (about 557 square miles). A remarkable 23 Darby species are rare or declining elsewhere in Ohio. Of these, two species - the northern riffleshell and clubshell - are federally endangered species. Some species, such as the kidneyshell, are common in the Big Darby watershed, but less common and declining in the rest of Ohio.

"Big Darby Creek, for its size, has the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in North America" (Watters 1994).*

Because they live most of their lives in the same place, or very close to it, mussels make good indicators of water and stream habitat quality. Habitat alteration (such as from channelization, levees, removal of riparian vegetation, gravel mining) and pollution (sewage, septic tanks, agricultural and urban stormwater runoff) are leading causes, but the likely causes for declines are combinations of all of these. Mussels are the most endangered group of animals in North America. Over half of Ohio's mussel species are in trouble - and those in the Big Darby Creek watershed are no exception. Where the mussels are gone, the Darby Creeks are of lower quality, and we lose a major portion of our Ohio natural heritage.

Addressing trends in Big Darby watershed mussel communities, in 2004, Ohio EPA stated "Thirty percent of the species that have been observed in recent surveys are now found in very few locations and low abundance."**

If you find a live mussel or shell, leave them for others to enjoy! While mussels are sometimes common in parts of the Big Darby watershed, they are declining in numbers throughout Ohio. It is illegal to remove live animals or dead shells without a permit from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. A federal permit from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also may be required.

Mussel species of the Big Darby Creek Watershed
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Status	Comments	Photo link	Links
1	black sandshell	Ligumia recta	OT	Rare, lower Big Darby only
2	clubshell	Pleurobema clava	OE,FE	Last large population in Little Darby		http://ecos.fws.gov/servlet/SpeciesProfile?spcode=F01D
3	creek heelsplitter	Lasmigona compressa	OSI	Uncommon, upper half of basin
4	cylindrical papershell	Anodontoides ferussacianus		Widespread, headwaters
5	deertoe	Truncilla truncata	OSI	Uncommon, low and mid Big Darby
6	elephant ear	Elliptio crassidens	OE	Rare, lower and middle Big Darby
7	elktoe	Alasmidonta marginata	OSI	Widespread, common Big Darby
8	fat mucket	Lampsilis radiata luteola		Widespread, abundant
9	fawnsfoot	Truncilla donaciformis	OT	Very rare, lower Big Darby only
10	fluted-shell	Lasmigona costata		Widespread, common
11	fragile papershell	Leptodea fragilis		Common lower half of Big Darby
12	giant floater	Pyganodon grandis		Widespread, uncommon
13	kidneyshell	Ptychobranchus fasciolaris	OSI	Widespread, abundant
14	lilliput	Toxolasma parvus		Rare, upper half of watershed
15	longsolid	Fusconaia maculata	OE	Extirpated, one record
16	mapleleaf	Quadrula quadrula		Fairly common, lower half Big Darby
17	mucket	Actinonaias ligamentina		Extirpated?, lower half of Big Darby
18	northern riffleshell	Epioblasma rangiana	OE, FE	Very rare, now lower half Big Darby		http://ecos.fws.gov/servlet/SpeciesProfile?spcode=F02Z
19	Ohio pigtoe	Pleurobema cordatum	OE	Extirpated, 2 records
20	paper pondshell	Utterbackia imbecillis		Rare, all but lower Big Darby
21	pimpleback	Quadrula pustulosa		Rare, lower Big Darby
22	pink heelsplitter	Potamilus alatus		Now fairly common, Big Darby
23	pink papershell	Potamilus ohiensis		Rare, lower half of Big Darby
24	pistolgrip	Tritogonia verrucosa		Common, lower half of Big Darby
25	plain pocketbook	Lampsilis ventricosa		Widespread, common
26	pondhorn	Uniomerus tetralasmus	OT	Extirpated?, Hellbranch Run only
27	purple wartyback	Cyclonaias tuberculata	OSI	Uncommon, lower half Big Darby
28	rabbitsfoot	Quadrula cylindrica	OE, FT	Pop. in Little Darby, almost gone Big Darby		http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/clams/rabbitsfoot/index.html www.darbycreeks.org/010700Creaturefeaturerabbitsfootmussel.htm
29	rainbow	Villosa iris		Common upper half of basin
30	rayed bean	Villosa fabilis	OE, FE	Middle Big Darby; was widespread		http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/clams/rayedbean/index.html
31	round hickorynut	Obovaria subrotunda		Rare, lower half of Big Darby
32	round pigtoe	Pleurobema sintoxia	OSI	Uncommon, lower half of Big Darby
33	salamander mussel	Simpsonaias ambigua	OSI	Possibly extirpated
34	sharp-ridged pocketbook	Lampsilis ovata	OE	Extirpated, 1 record
35	slippershell	Alasmidonta viridis		Rare, upper basin
36	snuffbox	Epioblasma triquetra	OE, FE	Rare, widespread but sporadic		http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/clams/snuffbox/index.html
37	spike	Elliptio dilatata		Widespread and abundant
38	squawfoot/ creeper	Strophitus undulatus		Widespread, fairly common
39	threehorn wartyback	Obliquaria reflexa	OT	Rare, lower Big Darby
40	threeridge	Amblema plicata		Widespread, sporadic
41	Wabash pigtoe	Fusconaia flava		Widespread and common
42	washboard	Megalonaias nervosa	OE	Rare stray, lower Big Darby
43	wavy-rayed lampmussel	Lampsilis fasciola	OSI	Widespread, common
44	white heelsplitter	Lasmigona complanata		Common lower Big Darby
Status: FE - Federal endangered; OE - Ohio endangered; OSI - Ohio special interest; OT - Ohio threatened
compiled by John Tetzloff 4/2003 Revised November, 2013

* Watters, G. Thomas. 1994. Unionidae of the Big Darby Creek system in central Ohio, USA. Malacological Review 27: 99-107, and Watters, G. Thomas. 1998. Freshwater mussel surveys of the Big Darby Creek system in central Ohio. Ohio Biological Survey Notes 1: 19-24.

** Ohio EPA. 2004. Biological and Water Quality Study of the Big Darby Creek Watershed, 2001/2002. Ohio EPA, Columbus. pg. B.7.71.

Mussel links

The Columbus Zoo Freshwater Mussel Facility

Freshwater Mussel Conservation at the Columbus Zoo

The Freshwater Mussels of Ohio

Freshwater Mussels: Ohio's Panther

The Ohio State University, Division of Mollusks

Federal endangered species

Field Guide to Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest Photos

Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society

North American Freshwater Mussels

Unio Gallery at Southwest Missouri State University Excellent photos

Mussel links compiled by the Illinois Natural History Survey

North Carolina Atlas of Freshwater Mussels Photos and identification key

Mussels of the Big Darby Creek Watershed - photos

Fish of the Big Darby Creek Watershed Page 1 Page 2

Fishes of Ohio's Scenic Rivers - ODNR

Watershed map and Topographic map of the Big Darby Creek Watershed