Salamander mussel explained

Simpsonaias ambigua, the salamander mussel or mudpuppy mussel, is a species of bivalve in the family Unionidae. It is unique among freshwater mussels in using mudpuppies as its glochidial host. It is the only freshwater mussel known to have a non-fish host.^[1]

Distribution and conservation status

The mussel is native to the United States and Ontario, Canada. The Canadian Species at Risk Act listed the Salamander mussel in the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as being endangered in Canada.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Simpsonaias ambigua Michigan Natural Features Inventory . 2016-07-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190415184421/https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/abstracts/zoology/Simpsonaias_ambigua.pdf . 2019-04-15 . dead .
2. COSEWIC. 2005. Canadian Species at Risk. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 64 pp., page 13.