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Dwarf
Wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon)
| Description |
-Shell: 45
mm long, 25 mm high and 16 mm wide
-Periostracum*: brown or yellowish brown, wnd with greenish
rays in young specimens
-Nacre**: bluish or silvery white |
| Distribution |
-Petitcodiac River
only Canadian location
-Common in portions of the Connecticut River system, but uncommon
to rare elswhere
-Endangered
in the U.S.A.
-Extirpation in the U.S.A. also
linked to dams that block migration of anadromous fishes |
| Ecology |
-Medium-sized rivers
whith slow to moderate current
-Found on mud, sand, or (rarely) gravel bottoms |
Source: Clark Arthur H. 1981. The Freshwater Molluscs
of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences/ National
Museums of Canada
*Periostracum: the outer
parchment-like layer of a mollusc shell
**Nacre: the pearly inner layer characteristic of some
mollusc shells
Dwarf Wedgemussel
in the Petitcodiac River Watershed
- The Petitcodiac: only known
Canadian location for this specie
- Designated "Extirpated
in Canada" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered
Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)
For more information please consult
the following web sites:
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