# Cracking pearlymussel

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cracking_pearlymussel
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cracking_pearlymussel.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_pearlymussel
> Source revision: 1314186978
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Species of bivalve

Cracking pearlymussel Conservation status Critically Endangered (IUCN 2.3)[1] Endangered (ESA)[2][3] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Bivalvia Order: Unionida Family: Unionidae Tribe: Pleurobemini Genus: Hemistena Rafinesque, 1820 Species: H. lata Binomial name Hemistena lata (Rafinesque, 1820) Synonyms[4] Lastena lata (Rafinesque, 1820) Anodonta lata Rafinesque, 1820 Unio dehiscens Say, 1829 Unio oriens Lea, 1831 Odatelia radiata Rafinesque, 1832 Unio hildrethi Delessert, 1841 Unio dehiscens subsp. oriensopsis de Gregorio, 1914

The **cracking pearlymussel** (***Hemistena lata***) is an [endangered species](/source/Endangered_species) of [freshwater mussel](/source/Freshwater_mussel), an [aquatic](/source/Aquatic_animal) [bivalve](/source/Bivalve) [mollusk](/source/Mollusk) in the family [Unionidae](/source/Unionidae).

This species is native to the United States, where it remains only in [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee) and [Virginia](/source/Virginia). It was originally distributed in the [Ohio River](/source/Ohio_River), [Cumberland River](/source/Cumberland_River) and [Tennessee River](/source/Tennessee_River) systems, but it has been extirpated from most of its previous range.

Parmalee and Bogan reported that there were still populations in the [Clinch River](/source/Clinch_River) in Tennessee.[5] Other populations that are known to survive are located in the [Powell](/source/Powell_River_(Virginia)) and [Elk](/source/Elk_River_(North_Carolina)) Rivers.[6]

## Shell description

These mussels have thin, fairly weak, elongated [shells](/source/Mollusc_shell). The shells may reach up to 69 millimetres (2.7 in) in height The outer coloring of the shell varies from yellow to brown, while the interior of the shell is pale bluish white, with a purple beak cavity.[5]

## Ecology

This species spends its adult life buried under the sand or mud at the bottom of medium-sized, flowing rivers. The females capture sperm released into the water by males. They store the sperm until they need them to fertilize their eggs. After fertilization, the females release the larvae into the river, where the larvae attach themselves to fish. Once the larva matures into juveniles with shells, they leave their host fish and drop into the sediment, where they bury themselves.[7] This process, therefore, requires an environment with ample fish to act as hosts. They prefer relatively shallow (usually less than 2 ft deep) water with a moderate current.[5]

## Conservation

The main threats to the continued existence of this species are habitat changes due to [damming](/source/Dam) of rivers, [silting](/source/Silting) of rivers due to erosion caused by construction, farming and logging, and poisoning due to agricultural and industrial [pollution](/source/Pollution).[7] The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has created a recovery plan for this species.[8] As of the most recent 5 year review, the cracking pearlymussel is still critically endangered and has not met the recovery goals.[9]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-iucn_status_20_November_2021_1-0)** Bogan, A.E. (1996). ["*Hemistena lata*"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9907/13025910). *[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/source/IUCN_Red_List)*. **1996** e.T9907A13025910. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T9907A13025910.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T9907A13025910.en). Retrieved 20 November 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Cracking pearlymussel (*Hemistena lata*)"](https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/4130). *Environmental Conservation Online System*. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 6 April 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** 54 [FR](/source/Federal_Register) [39850](https://www.govinfo.gov/link/fr/54/39850)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["*Hemistena lata* (Rafinesque, 1820)"](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=80350). [Integrated Taxonomic Information System](/source/Integrated_Taxonomic_Information_System). Retrieved 6 April 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Parmalee_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Parmalee_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Parmalee_5-2) Parmalee, P. W. and Bogan, A. E. (1998) *The Freshwater Mussels of Tennessee*. Knoxville, TN: [University of Tennessee Press](http://utpress.org/).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** C. J. Moseley, ed. (1990). "Cracking Pearly Mussel". [*The Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Endangered Species of North America*](https://archive.org/details/officialworldwil03amer). volume III. Washington, D.C.: [Beacham Publishing Inc.](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beacham_Publishing_Inc.&action=edit&redlink=1) pp. [1447–1448](https://archive.org/details/officialworldwil03amer/page/1447). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-933833-17-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-933833-17-3).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-fwsspecies_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-fwsspecies_7-1) ["Cracking Pearly Mussel"](https://www.fws.gov/species/cracking-pearly-mussel-hemistena-lata). [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service](/source/U.S._Fish_and_Wildlife_Service). Retrieved January 24, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** R. C. Biggins (1991). ["Recovery Plan for Cracking Pearlymussel (*Hemistena (=Lastena) lata*)"](https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Cracking%20Pearlymussel%201991_2.pdf) (PDF).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southeast Region (1918). ["Cracking Pearlymussel *Hemistena lata* (Rafinesque, 1820) 5 year review: Summary and Evaluation"](https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/five_year_review/doc6300.pdf) (PDF).

Taxon identifiers Hemistena lata Wikidata: Q3014920 BOLD: 80593 CoL: 3KSXY ECOS: 4130 EoL: 449355 GBIF: 2287900 iNaturalist: 102604 IRMNG: 11232083 ITIS: 80350 IUCN: 9907 NatureServe: 2.109635 NCBI: 228084 Open Tree of Life: 541417 WoRMS: 857316 Hemistena Wikidata: Q45287260 BOLD: 80592 CoL: 7P52C GBIF: 2287899 iNaturalist: 88830 IRMNG: 1301473 ITIS: 80349 NCBI: 228083 WoRMS: 856834 Anodonta lata Wikidata: Q109546298 GBIF: 7860916 ITIS: 986665

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cracking pearlymussel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_pearlymussel) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_pearlymussel?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.