- Range:
Blue = current range
Hollow circles = former range
- Status in Kansas:
Common in eastern half of Kansas
- North American Status:
(From NatureServe)
This species is currently
stable. It is found throughout the Mississippi River basin from western Ohio and Michigan
west to South Dakota, south to Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, although it
has disappeared from many regions in the northern parts of its range. It also occurs in
the lower Cumberland River system of Tennessee and Kentucky.
- Comments:
Unlike its cousin, the black sandshell, the pondmussel is common in Kansas. It is
found in decent numbers in a large variety of habitats including ponds and pools of small
streams or rivers. The pondmussel can withstand the drying conditions often associated
with pond habitats by surviving for long periods in the moist substrate. Like other
mussels in this group, the female is more inflated and is not nearly as pointed at the
posterior end to provide space for the numerous maturing eggs and glochidia. The most
defining character of this shell is the noticeable fine ridges (sculpturing) on the umbo
that are drawn up in the center appearing as inverted Vs. The dark brown shell may have
dark green rays but the shells tend to blacken with age. The nacre is bluish-white.
- Fish Hosts:
orangespotted sunfish, green sunfish, bluegill and largemouth bass
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