ALABAMA LAMPMUSSEL

Lampsilis virescens

SPECIES CODE: F00A I01

STATUS:

On June 14, 1976, the Alabama lampmussel was designated as endangered throughout its entire range in Alabama and Tennessee (USFWS 1976), except where listed as experimental populations (in the free‑flowing reach of the Tennessee River below the Wilson Dam, Colbert and Lauderdale Counties, AL) (USFWS 2001). A recovery plan addressing the Alabama lampmussel was approved in July 2, 1985 (USFWS 1985).

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

The Alabama lampmussel is a medium-sized (reaching approximately 60 mm in length) freshwater mussel with a smooth and shiny greenish to yellow shell, sometimes with rays (USFWS 1985). Like other freshwater mussels, the Alabama lampmussel feeds by filtering food particles from the water column. The specific food habits of the species are unknown, but other juvenile and adult freshwater mussels have been documented to feed on detritus, diatoms, phytoplankton, and zooplankton (Churchill and Lewis 1924). The diet of Alabama lampmussel glochidia, like other freshwater mussels, comprises water (until encysted on a fish host) and fish body fluids (once encysted).

REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT:

The reproductive cycle of the Alabama lampmussel is similar to that of other native freshwater mussels. Males release sperm into the water column; the sperm are then taken in by the females through their siphons during feeding and respiration. The females retain the fertilized eggs in their gills until the larvae (glochidia) fully develop. The mussel glochidia are released into the water, and within a few days they must attach to the appropriate species of fish, which they parasitize for a short time while they develop into juvenile mussels. The life history of this species is largely unknown. The Alabama lampmussel is likely a long-term brooder with spawning occurring in late summer and glochidial release the following spring or summer (USFWS 1985). Specific glochidial host species for the Alabama lampmussel are not known (ESIE 1996).

RANGE AND POPULATION LEVEL:

The Alabama lampmussel, a Cumberlandian species, was historically known from seven drainages in the Tennessee River system. In Tennessee, the species was found in the Emory River (Roane and Morgan Counties) and Coal Creek (a tributary of the Clinch River). In Alabama, it was known from the Paint Rock River (Jackson County), Bear Creek (Franklin County), and Spring Creek (Lauderdale County) (Ortmann 1918, Bogan and Parmalee 1983, USFWS 1985). The Alabama lampmussel has also been reported from Crow Creek (Jackson County, AL) (Stansbery 1976). It was last collected from Mussel Shoals, an 85 km reach of the Tennessee River in Alabama, prior to 1925 (Ortmann 1925) and is presumed to be extirpated from the shoal. The species is also believed to be extirpated from all historic habitat areas in Tennessee (NatureServe 2003). Currently, the species is known to survive only in the upper Paint Rock River system, Jackson County, Alabama (Service 1985). Recent surveys indicate that the species may still be present in the mainstem of Paint Rock River as well as three major tributaries (Larkin Fork, Estill Fork, and Hurricane Creek) which are all located in Jackson County, Alabama (McGregor and Shelton 1995, Shelton 1997).

HABITAT:

The Alabama lampmussel prefers sand and gravel substrates in small to medium-sized streams (USFWS 1985). This species has also been found in swiftly moving waters in pools or riffles (NatureServe 2003).

PAST THREATS:

Many of the historic populations of the Alabama lampmussel were apparently lost when the river sections they inhabited were impounded. Impoundments on the Tennessee River have eliminated the majority of riverine habitat for the species in its historic range (ESIS 1996, USFWS 1985).

CURRENT THREATS:

The Alabama lampmussel is currently threatened by sedimentation, agricultural runoff, poor silviculture practices, and unrestricted cattle access in remaining habitat areas for this species (Godwin 1995). The Estill Fork area where the species may still be present has recently been affected by instream recreational vehicle use and unpermitted habitat alteration. Crushed Alabama lampmussel shells were found just below this construction site; however, the cause of mortality is undetermined (NatureServe 2003). Given the small size of the remaining Alabama lampmussel populations, any factor that adversely modifies habitat or water quality in the short reaches that the species inhabits could threaten its survival. Other current threats to freshwater mussels are well documented in the general mussel description.

CONSERVATION MEASURES:

Exposure Scenario Summary Table for the Alabama lampmussel
Species	Life Stage	Habitat Type	Exposure Route	Diet	Significant Interspecies Relationships
Alabama lampmussel	glochidia	parasite	contact with water, diet	water (until encysted), fish body fluids (once encysted)
	juvenile / adult	sediment dweller	contact & ingestion of water, diet, sediment	filter feeder (bacteria, algae, detritus, sediment)

LITERATURE CITED:

Bogan, A.E. and P.W. Parmalee. 1983. Tennessee's rare wildlife. Vol. 2: The mollusks. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Conservation Department. 123 pp.

Churchill, E.P., Jr., and S.I. Lewis. 1924. Food and feeding in freshwater mussels. Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish. 39: 439-471.

Endangered Species Information Exchange. 1996 Species Id ESIS404003. Virginia Tech Fish and Wildlife Information Exchange. Available http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/esis/lists/e404003.htm. (Accessed: December 9, 2003)

Godwin, JC. 1995. Survey of Non‑Point Source Pollution in the Paint Rock River Watershed. Submitted to ADCNR, Department of Game & Fish.

McGregor, S. W., and D. N. Shelton. 1995. A qualitative assessment of the unionid fauna of the headwaters of the Paint Rock and Flint Rivers of north Alabama and adjacent areas of Tennessee, 1995. Geological Survey of Alabama, Environmental Geology Division, in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. 23 pp. + appendix.

NatureServe. 2003. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 1.8. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: December 9, 2003 ).

Ortmann, A.E. 1925. The naiad fauna of the Tennessee River system below Walden Gorge. The American Midland Naturalist. 9(8): 321‑372.

Shelton, D. N. 1997. The Paint Rock River Initiative. Pages 68‑71 in K. S. Cummings, A. C. Buchanan, C. A. Mayer, and T. J. Naimo (editors). Conservation and Management of Freshwater Mussels II: Initiatives for the Future. Proceedings of a UMRCC Symposium, 16‑18 October, 1995, St. Louis, Missouri. Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois.

Shelton, Douglas N. Alabama Malacological Research Center, 2370‑G Hillcrest Road #236. Mobile, AL 36695. 334‑639‑0480. Personal communication.

Stansbery, D. H. 1976. Naiad mollusks. Pages 42‑52 in H. Boschung (editor). Endangered and threatened plants and animals of Alabama. Bulletin Alabama Museum of Natural History (2):42‑52.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1976. Endangered Status for 159 Taxa of Animals. Federal Register 41: 24062-24067.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1985. A Recovery Plan for the Alabama Lamp Pearly Mussel, Lampsilis virescens) (Lea, 1858). USFWS, Jackson, MS. 40 pp.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2001. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Establishment of Nonessential Experimental Population Status for 16 Freshwater Mussels and 1 Freshwater Snail (Anthony's Riversnail) in the Free‑Flowing Reach of the Tennessee River below the Wilson Dam, Colbert and Lauderdale Counties, AL. Federal Register 66(115): 32250-32264.