Agenda - 04-21-2009 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

North Carolina Mussel Atlas Pale 1 oft Species .~nfarrnotr'vn ant Stal~us WILDLIFE SPECIES 8 CONSERVATION yellow lampmussel Lampsilis carioca (Say, 1817) Please Note: Red Text is defrned in the G/oss~ Description Say described this species in 1817 from the G4 t0 Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. The ~~'Ii~" periostracurn is smooth, shiny, and usually yellow with some brownish freckling or patches on some surface areas. Rays may be present -usually o.n the posterior slope but rarely may extend toward the anterior end,: resulting in over half the shell being rayed. Females are obovate or subovate resulting in a rather short high shape. Mates are elongate and elliptical. Shells may reach 130 mm in length (Johnson 1970). The nacre is usually white to bluish white. Britton and Fuller (1979) and Fuller and Bereza (1974) add that a distinguishing characteristic of female yellow lampmussels is the development of the mantle, anterior to a larger darkly pigmented "eyespot," into a strongly developed flap of tissue on each mantle lobe. Also, the ventral margin of the marsupium is darkly pigmented (Britton and Fuller 1979). Distribution see rna The yellow lampmussel is found from the lower Ottawa River, Canada eastward to the Sydney River, Nova Scotia then south to the Ogeechee River Drainage Basin in Georgia (Johnson 1970). Atone time this species probably ranged throughout most of the Atlantic Slope drainages in North Carolina; however, historical records provided by Johnson (1970) come from the Coopor-Santee, Waccamaw, Cape Fear, neuse, Pamlico, and Chowan drainages. It appears that this species has been recently extirpated from the Black River in Sampson, Bladen, and Pender counties and from Ruin Creek in Vance County. Distribution by County: Pee-Dee River Basin: Montgomery Co. (Little River Basin). Waccamaw River Basin: Columbus Co. (Lake Waccamaw). Cape Fear River Basin: Randolph Go. (Deep River); Moore (Deep River); Chatham (Deep River); Lee Co. (Deep River); .Harnett Co. (Cape Fear River); Cumberland counties (Cape Fear River}. Neuse River Basin: Person Co. (Flat River Subbasin}, Durham Go. (Flat and Little river subbasins}, Orange Go. (Eno River Subbasin), Johnston Co. (Little River Subbasin). Tar River Basin: Granville Co, (Tar River Subbasin), Franklin Co. (Sandy Cr. Subbasin and Tar River), Nash Co. (Swift and Fishing creek subbasins and Tar River), Edgecombe Co. (Fishing Cr. Subbasin. and Tar River), Halifax Go. (L. Fishing and Fishing creek subbasins). NOTE: All headwater areas that flow into These occupied habifafs should receive special management. Habitat Preferences The yellow lampmussel can be found in many different habitats; however, it appears to slightly prefer the shifting sands downstream http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg07_wildlifespeciesco~~/p~7bla1_15.htm 1/6/2009 (interior) (exterior)