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Page last updated
4 October 2014

Mussel of the Month

The October 2014 Mussel of the Month is Triplodon corrugatus. Triplodon is a genus of two species, distributed from northern South America through the Amazon basin.

Triplodon corrugatus
MNHN. Brazil. Voyage M. Francis de Castelneau & Emile Deville!

Triplodon corrugatus is one of more than 70 species known from the region of northern South America, including the Amazon basin. Recently, KSC gave a presentation on the subject at the 7th Malacological Congress of the European Malacological Societies entitled, "The Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida) of Northern South America and the Amazon." He discussed our systematic re-evaluation of the taxa of the region based on 1) fieldwork conducted by KSC in collaboration with Christine A. Mayer (1986-1995), 2) our collections-based study of specimens in 17 major research collections, and 3) a comprehensive literature review.

The 71 species of the region are classified in 16 genera and 3 families: Hyriidae (29 spp.), Mycetopodidae (40), and Etheriidae (2). Thirty-nine species are found in northern South America, 19 of which are thought to be endemics. Forty-four species are recognized from the Amazon Basin — 14 of which are endemics (46 & 19 including the Rio Tocantins).

The genus Triplodon is known only from a few drainages in Northern South America and the Amazon (including the Tocantins) with the exception of a disjunct population located near Victoria in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil collected as part of the Thayer Expedition to Brazil conducted by the MCZ.

* 71 species according to us. Only 5 of these await description.

Classification:

Phylum Mollusca
Class Bivalvia
Subclass Palaeoheterodonta
Order Unionoida

Family HYRIIDAE Swainson, 1840
Subfamily HYRIINAE s.s.
Tribe HYRIINI s.s.

Genus Triplodon Spix & Wagner, 1823

Species Triplodon corrugatus (Lamarck, 1819)

To find out more about Triplodon and the freshwater mussels of northern South America, check out:
 
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