Pleurobema marshalli explained

Pleurobema marshalli, the flat pigtoe or Marshall's mussel, was a species of freshwater mussel in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. It was native to Alabama and Mississippi, but it has not been seen since 1980. Though it is still listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List and as an endangered species on the US Endangered Species List, it is likely extinct.^{[1] [2]}

This mussel was last seen in a stretch of the Tombigbee River before the habitat was destroyed by the installation of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.^[1] No living or freshly dead specimens have been seen since.^[3]

The US Fish and Wildlife Service press release in September 2021 formally proposed the species be delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction, it was officially delisted on October 16, 2023.^{[4] [5]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pleurobema marshalli. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Arlington, Virginia. NatureServe. 29 April 2023. 7 April 2023.
2. Web site: September 29, 2021. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Delisting 23 Species from Endangered Species Act Due to Extinction. 2021-09-29. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. en.
3. USFWS. Tombigbee River Mussels 5-Year Review. April 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Delisting 23 Species from Endangered Species Act Due to Extinction . 29 September 2021. 29 April 2023. Fish and Wildlife Service.
5. Web site: 2023-10-16 . 21 Species Delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to Extinction U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service . 2023-10-17 . FWS.gov . en.