<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:contributor>James D. Williams</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Stuart W. McGregor</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>J. Malcom Pierson</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Charles Lydeard</dc:contributor>
  <dc:creator>W. Henry McCullagh</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2002</dc:date>
  <dc:description>&lt;p&gt;Recent surveys for unionid bivalves were conducted in the mainstem of the Sipsey River and headwater tributaries (Tombigbee River drainage) during the summer and autumn of 1996-1999. A total of 35 species and 22 genera were found. Museum records from the upper Sipsey, based largely on the efforts of H. H. Smith during 1910-11, raised the total number of recorded unionids in the Sipsey to 42. Smith documented 25 species in the river; however, most of his collections were made in the mid- to upper-Sipsey, which has lower diversity. The three most common recently observed species in descending order of abundance were &lt;i&gt;Quadrula asperata&lt;/i&gt; (I. Lea, 1861), &lt;i&gt;Pleurobema decisum&lt;/i&gt; (I. Lea, 1831), and &lt;i&gt;Tritogonia verrucosa&lt;/i&gt; (Rafinesque, 1820). Federally listed species observed recently include &lt;i&gt;Lampsilis perovalis&lt;/i&gt; (Conrad, 1834) (threatened), &lt;i&gt;Medionidus acutissimus&lt;/i&gt; (I. Lea, 1831) (threatened), &lt;i&gt;P. decisum&lt;/i&gt; (endangered), &lt;i&gt;P. perovatum&lt;/i&gt; (Conrad, 1834) (endangered), and &lt;i&gt;Potamilus inflatus&lt;/i&gt; (I. Lea, 1831) (threatened). Species not observed recently but recorded in prior surveys include &lt;i&gt;Anodontoides radiatus&lt;/i&gt; (Conrad, 1834), &lt;i&gt;Arcidens confragosus&lt;/i&gt; (Say, 1829), &lt;i&gt;Plectomerus dombeyanus&lt;/i&gt; (Valenciennes, 1827), &lt;i&gt;Q. metanevra&lt;/i&gt; (Rafinesque, 1820), &lt;i&gt;Q. stapes&lt;/i&gt; (I. Lea, 1831) (federally endangered), &lt;i&gt;P. taitianum&lt;/i&gt; (I. Lea, 1834) (federally endangered), and &lt;i&gt;Toxolasma parvus&lt;/i&gt; (Barnes, 1823). Many, species are known recently or historically by only five or fewer recorded specimens including: &lt;i&gt;A. radiatus&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Elliptio arctata&lt;/i&gt; (Conrad, 1834), &lt;i&gt;Ligumia recta&lt;/i&gt; (Lamarck, 1819), &lt;i&gt;P. taitianum&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;P. inflatus&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Q. aspera&lt;/i&gt; (Lea, 1831), &lt;i&gt;Q. metanevra&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Q. stapes&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;T. parvus&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Truncilla donaciformis&lt;/i&gt; (I. Lea, 1828), &lt;i&gt;Uniomerus tetralasmus&lt;/i&gt; (Say, 1831), &lt;i&gt;Utterbackia imbecillis&lt;/i&gt; (Say, 1829), &lt;i&gt;A. confragosus&lt;/i&gt;, and &lt;i&gt;P. dombeyanus&lt;/i&gt;. Unlike the mussel fauna of most Alabama streams, that of the Sipsey River is still relatively intact in terms of species richness despite impacts from mining, silvicultural, and agricultural activities. A concerted effort should be made to provide guidelines to manage floodplain and watershed activities to avoid future adverse impacts on this aquatic hotspot.&lt;/p&gt;</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
  <dc:publisher>American Malacological Union</dc:publisher>
  <dc:title>The unionid (Bivalvia) fauna of the Sipsey River in northwestern Alabama, an aquatic hotspot</dc:title>
  <dc:type>article</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>