L. Holland-Bartels
C.A. Woody
1993
<div class="hlFld-Abstract"><p class="last">We examined monthly and age-specific gametogenic development of the washboard mussel,<span> </span><i>Megalonaias nervosa</i>, from April 1986 to March 1987 in navigation Pool 10 of the upper Mississippi River. We found<span> </span><i>M. nervosa</i><span> </span>to be a late tachytictic breeder. Female marsupia contained eggs or glochidia primarily from August (17°C) through October (9°C). Males were mature from July through October. Most females released their glochidia in October. Only one female was gravid in November (3°C). Most mussels were sexually mature at 8 years of age and then had an estimated average size of 68 mm (shell height). Only 8% of individuals ≤ 4 years of age showed any degree of reproductive development, while > 90% of age 5 and older individuals had recognizable reproductive material present. In host specificity studies, we verified three fish species as hosts for the glochidial stage. Green sunfish (<i>Lepomis cyanellus</i>), black bullhead (<i>Ictalurus melas</i>), and channel catfish (<i>Ictalurus punctatus</i>) produced juveniles after 26–28 days at 17°C. White suckers (<i>Catastomus commersoni</i>) and yellow perch (<i>Perca flavescens</i>) retained glochidia from 23 up to 26 days, but no juveniles were produced. Glochidia remained attached to common carp (<i>Cyprinus carpio</i>) and fathead minnows (<i>Pimephales promelas</i>) ≤ 3 days. Channel catfish were retested at 12°C and produced juveniles after 56 days.</p></div>
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10.1080/02705060.1993.9664724
en
Taylor and Francis
Reproductive characteristics of a population of the washboard mussel Megalonaias nervosa (Rafinesque 1820) in the upper Mississippi River
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