Mussels?

[KMC]

Hey all,
I am a student studying American freshwater mussels. I am looking for people who come across the little (sometime not so little) buggers when outdoors. I would love anyone who finds the muskrat middens on the side of the rivers/lakes (or how ever they come across the mussels) to box up a bunch of paired fellas big and small and send them my way. I collect and study and write about all the different species. I'm not concered about big or small, the more different ones the better. Anyone who would be able to help me with my studies by just picking up a bunch of the ones you find while fishing would be a HUGE help in my studies. I would certainly compensate you for your effort and of course pay for shipping too. The only requirements would be that you provide matching paired (not single) valves and that they are not totally broken (they don't have to be absolutely perfect with no chips at all, but the cleaner with their natural "skin" the better). I've been trying to make contacts with people across the country that naturally run into mussels while out fishing or hiking that might be able to just pick up shells they come across without it being a big hassle for them. I can't thank enough anyone who would consider assisting me with this project. You can contact me through this site or directly at [email protected]. Thank You!!!!! And good fishing!!!
-Kevin

 

[beetlespin]

Can you post some pictures of what you are looking for? Are you wanting the outer shells or the whole living mussel?

 

[polo-dog]

There are lots of mussels out there but I don't know if they are all the same species or not. Do you know how many species are common in the TN river near Chattanooga?

 

[fish4thepeck]

Tennessee has over 123 different species of fresh water mussels and 46 of them are on the federal threatened and endangered list

 

[KMC]

Thanks for getting back to me! I will see about posting pictures (I haven't figured out how to do that yet). But being from Massachusetts, any kind of freshwater mussel you find in Tennessee will be new and exciting to me. And there are over a hundred different possibilities from Tennessee (compared to 12 in Massachusetts!). If you found ones that look different, that would be great because most likely they would be different species, however, I would still be interested in multiples of the same kind as there is no better way to learn about different species than to see multiple examples of them (plus many times the females look different from the males). If you could collect up a bunch for me and send it my way, I would appreciate it so much. Also, I only need the shells, not the living animals. But I do need only shells with paired valves (not just singles). But there is no issue of specific kinds. Big ones, small ones, thin ones, thick ones, its all good for my studies. Thanks so much, and I look forward to hearing from you again.
-Take care, Kevin

Can you post some pictures of what you are looking for? Are you wanting the outer shells or the whole living mussel?

 

[KMC]

</p>

OK, I figured out how to paste pictures. The above picture is a group of mussels from the Clinch River. I did not take the picture. It is from a Nature Conservancy article on Pendleton Island in Virginia and taken by Jon Golden.</p>

 

[KMC]

</p>

This is a famous Internet mussel picture. Don't remember exactly where the specimens come from but, it is somewhere in the Midwest. It is a particularly amazing bunch of shells gathered from a muskrat midden. Most if not all I believe occur in Tennessee.</p>

 

[KMC]

PS,
Don't let the pictures I posted represent specifically what I'm looking for. I would be delighted to have specimens like the ones in the picture, but I study all mussels big and small (including algae covered less than picture worthy ones). Broken or excessively eroded ones are not good for studying the shells of the different species. But that is about the only constraint. Small unimpressive brown fellas are plenty interesting to me too!

 

[KMC]

I should probably provide pictures of the only freshwater clams species I am not interested in. These are the invasive asian species that are all too plentiful in our American rivers and lakes now. The asian clam which is usually an inch or less (but sometimes rarely gets over 1.5 inches):

</p>

or the zebra mussel which never gets more than a inch and is even more damaging:</p>

</p>

 

[KMC]

Hello Beetlespin,
being a newbie, I'm just getting used to this site. I sent you a reply to the general thread, but not specifically to your answer, so I figured I'd reply to you specifically. I did post a few representative pictures in this thread that you can check out. I am only looking for the shells, not the live animals. If you come across some you can share with me, I would be so pleased. Let me know.
-Thanks so much, Kevin

Kevin Czaja
37 Dracut Street
Dorchester, MA 02124
617-825-5016
[email protected]

 

[rsimms]

KMC... I'll ask for your input.

Summertime mussel die-offs are common in the Tennessee River... although some years are much worse (or better) than others.

In the heat of summer we frequently see the little white mussel bodies floating downriver where they have died and floated to the surface. Some years it is very dramatic with huge numbers of dead mussels on the surface. My understanding is that it is caused a combination of high water temps and low oxygen that stresses them out, killing the weaker mussels.

Local fishing forklore (which I agree with) says this is a GREAT time to be catfishing. I also observed a very unique occurrence last summer... numerous local mallards drifting in the river midstream feeding. I started watching them closely and realized they were indeed keeping a close eye out and they were eating the mussel bodies as they drifted downstream.

I was shocked... believing that mallards were strictly vegetarians... but there was absolutely no doubt these were scooping up dead mussel bodies.

But now to my real question... are the summertime die-offs a natural process... simply a manifestation of natural selection?

Or is it a clear indicator of water quality issues?

Or perhaps a combination of both?

Any info can you provide us would be appreciated.