{{Short description|Species of bivalve}} {{Speciesbox | image = Elliptio complanata.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Cummings, K. |author2=Cordeiro, J. |date=2011 |title=''Elliptio complanata'' |volume=2011 |article-number=e.T188880A8656796 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T188880A8656796.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref> | status2 = G5 | status2_system = TNC | status2_ref = <ref name=NS>{{cite NatureServe |id=2.1066212 |title=''Elliptio complanata'' |access-date=24 December 2025}}</ref> | genus = Elliptio | species = complanata | authority = ([[John Lightfoot (biologist)|Lightfoot]], 1786)<ref>{{ITIS |id=79952 |taxon=''Elliptio complanata'' (Lightfoot, 1786) |accessdate=September 18, 2011}}</ref> | synonyms={{Collapsible list|bullets=yes|? complanata <small>Lightfoot</small>|''Elliptio complanata'' subsp. ''complanata'' <small>(Lightfoot) 1786</small>|''Elliptio complanatus'' <small>(Lightfoot) 1786</small>|''Elliptio complanatus'' subsp. ''catawbensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Elliptio complanatus'' subsp. ''complanatus'' <small>(Lightfoot) 1786</small>|''Elliptio complanatus'' subsp. ''cuvierianus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1853)</small>|''Elliptio complanatus'' subsp. ''jejunus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1838)</small>|''Elliptio complanatus'' subsp. ''northamptonensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1862)</small>|''Elliptio complanatus'' subsp. ''quadrilaterus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Elliptio complanatus'' subsp. ''subinflatus'' <small>(Conrad, 1835)</small>|''Elliptio errans'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Elliptio geminus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1856)</small>|''Elliptio insulsus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Elliptio nubilus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1868)</small>|''Elliptio rostrum'' <small>(I.Lea, 1862)</small>|''Elliptio spadiceus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Elliptio subinflatus'' <small>(Conrad, 1835)</small>|''Elliptio violaceus'' <small>(Spengler, 1793)</small>|''Elliptio violaceus'' subsp. ''cuvierianus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1853)</small>|''Elliptio violaceus'' subsp. ''jejunus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1838)</small>|''Elliptio violaceus'' subsp. ''northamptonensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1862)</small>|''Elliptio violaceus'' subsp. ''subinflatus'' <small>(Conrad, 1835)</small>|''Elliptio violaceus'' subsp. ''wheatleyi'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margarita'' (''Unio'') ''complanata'' <small>(Lightfoot) 1786</small>|''Margarita'' (''Unio'') ''griffithianus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1834)</small>|''Margarita'' (''Unio'') ''paliatus'' <small>I.Lea, 1836</small>|''Margaritana decumbens'' <small>(I.Lea, 1861)</small>|''Margaritifera decumbens'' <small>(I.Lea, 1861)</small>|''Margaritifera decumbens'' <small>(I.Lea, 1861)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''abbevillensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''aberrans'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''baldwinensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1859)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''beaverensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1868)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''burkensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1859)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''catawbensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''chathamensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''complanatus'' <small>(Lightfoot) 1786</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''contractus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''curatus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''cuvierianus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1853)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''datus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1868)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''decumbens'' <small>(I.Lea, 1861)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''errans'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''exactus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1858)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''fuliginosus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1845)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''gastonensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''geminus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1856)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''griffithianus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1834)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''humerosus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1868)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''indefinitus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''insulsus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''jejunus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1838)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''mecklenbergensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''mediocris'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''neusensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1858)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''northamptonensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1862)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''nubilus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1868)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''paliatus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1836)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''percoarctatus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''perlucens'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''postellii'' <small>(I.Lea, 1858)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''protensus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1865)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''purus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1858)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''quadrilaterus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''raeensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1859)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''raleighensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''rostrum'' <small>(I.Lea, 1862)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''savannahensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''spadiceus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''squameus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1862)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''subflavus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''subinflatus'' <small>(Conrad, 1835)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''uhareensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1868)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''vicinus'' <small>(I.Lea, 1856)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Anodonta'') ''virens'' <small>(I.Lea, 1857)</small>|''Margaron'' (''Unio'') ''weldonensis'' <small>(I.Lea, 1863)</small>|''Mya complanata'' <small>(Lightfoot) 1786</small>|''Mya rigidus'' <small>Wood, 1828</small>|''Unio abbevillensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio aberrans'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio amplus'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio'' (''Elliptio'') ''aurata'' <small>Rafinesque, 1820</small>|''Unio baldwinensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1859</small>|''Unio beaverensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1868</small>|''Unio burkensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1859</small>|''Unio carinifera'' <small>Lamarck, 1819</small>|''Unio catawbensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio chathamensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio cirratus'' <small>I.Lea, 1874</small>|''Unio coarctata'' <small>Lamarck, 1819</small>|''Unio'' (''Elliptio'') ''complanatus'' <small>(Lightfoot) 1786</small>|''Unio'' (''Elliptio'') ''complanatus'' subsp. ''jejunus'' <small>I.Lea, 1838</small>|''Unio complanatus'' subsp. ''mainensis'' <small>Rich, 1915</small>|''Unio'' (''Elliptio'') ''complanatus'' subsp. ''quadrilaterus'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio complanatus'' subsp. ''subinflatus'' <small>Conrad, 1835</small>|''Unio contractus'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio curatus'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio curvatus'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio cuvierianus'' <small>I.Lea, 1852</small>|''Unio datus'' <small>I.Lea, 1868</small>|''Unio decumbens'' <small>I.Lea, 1861</small>|''Unio differtus'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio dissimilis'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio errans'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio exactus'' <small>I.Lea, 1858</small>|''Unio fluviatilis'' <small>Green, 1827</small>|''Unio fuliginosus'' <small>I.Lea, 1845</small>|''Unio gastonensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio geminus'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio georgina'' <small>Lamarck, 1819</small>|''Unio glabrata'' <small>Lamarck, 1819</small>|''Unio griffithianus'' <small>I.Lea, 1834</small>|''Unio humerosoides'' <small>I.Lea, 1868</small>|''Unio humerosus'' <small>I.Lea, 1868</small>|''Unio indefinilus'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio indefinitus'' <small>Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio infulgens'' <small>I.Lea, 1874</small>|''Unio infuscus'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio insulsus'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio irwinensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio jejunus'' <small>I.Lea, 1838</small>|''Unio ligatus'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio mecklenbergensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio mediocris'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio neusensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1858</small>|''Unio northamptonensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1862</small>|''Unio nubilus'' <small>I.Lea, 1868</small>|''Unio oblongus'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio percoarctatus'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio perlucens'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio postellii'' <small>I.Lea, 1858</small>|''Unio protensus'' <small>I.Lea, 1865</small>|''Unio'' (''Arconaia'') ''provancheriana'' <small>Pilsbry, 1890</small>|''Unio pullatus'' subsp. ''majusculus'' <small>de Gregorio, 1914</small>|''Unio purpurascens'' <small>Lamarck, 1819</small>|''Unio purpureus'' <small>Say, 1817</small>|''Unio purus'' <small>I.Lea, 1858</small>|''Unio quadrilaterus'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio raeensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1859</small>|''Unio raleighensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio rarisulcata'' <small>Lamarck, 1819</small>|''Unio ratus'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio rhombula'' <small>Lamarck, 1819</small>|''Unio rigidus'' <small>Wood, 1828</small>|''Unio'' (''Elliptio'') ''roanokensis'' subsp. ''northamptonensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1862</small>|''Unio roanokoides'' <small>I.Lea, 1868</small>|''Unio rostrum'' <small>I.Lea, 1862</small>|''Unio santeensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1871</small>|''Unio savannahensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio spadiceus'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio squameus'' <small>I.Lea, 1862</small>|''Unio subflavus'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio subinflatus'' <small>(Conrad, 1835)</small>|''Unio'' (''Elliptio'') ''subinflatus'' <small>Conrad, 1835</small>|''Unio subolivaceus'' <small>I.Lea, 1874</small>|''Unio subparallelus'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio subsquamosus'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>|''Unio sulcidens'' <small>Lamarck, 1819</small>|''Unio tortuosus'' <small>G.B.Sowerby II, 1868</small>|''Unio uhareensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1868</small>|''Unio vicinus'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio violaceus'' <small>Spengler, 1793</small>|''Unio virens'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio virginiana'' <small>Lamarck, 1819</small>|''Unio weldonensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1863</small>|''Unio wheatleyi'' <small>I.Lea, 1857</small>|''Unio yadkinensis'' <small>I.Lea, 1872</small>}} |synonyms_ref=<ref>{{GBIF|taxon=''Elliptio complanata'' (Lightfoot) 1786|id=2288334|access-date=31 March 2023}}</ref> }}
The '''eastern elliptio''' ('''''Elliptio complanata''''') is a [[freshwater mussel]] in the [[Unionidae]] family, native to [[Canada]] and the [[United States]]. It is a bivalve member of the phylum Mollusca. Not only is it found in Canada and the United States, but it is frequently the most abundant species of mussel found in its home waterways. It is the most common mussel in the Delaware River <ref>{{Cite web |last=Lake |first=Mailing Address: 274 River Road Beach |last2=Us |first2=PA 18405 Phone: 570 685-4871 Contact |title=Mollusks - Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/upde/learn/nature/mollusks.htm |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref> and the most common mussel found in the state of [[New Hampshire]] and [[Vermont]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elliptio complanata {{!}} Vermont Atlas of Life |url=https://val.vtecostudies.org/projects/vermont-freshwater-mussel-atlas/elliptio-complanata/ |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=val.vtecostudies.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Department |first=NH Fish and Game |title=Eastern elliptio {{!}} Nongame {{!}} New Hampshire Fish and Game Department |url=https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/wildlife/profiles/eastern-elliptio-mussel.html |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=www.wildlife.state.nh.us |language=en}}</ref> It can be found in the substrate at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers. Size is variable, but can reach up to {{convert|13|cm|in}} in length.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elliptio complanata (Eastern elliptio) - Michigan Natural Features Inventory |url=https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/species/description/397737/Elliptio-complanata |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=mnfi.anr.msu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Elliptio complanata: Eastern Elliptio {{!}} Rare Species Guide {{!}} Minnesota DNR |url=https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action=elementDetail&selectedElement=IMBIV14060 |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=www.dnr.state.mn.us |language=en}}</ref>
== Reproduction == The eastern elliptio reproduces sexually via spawning from third week of April to second week of June.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elliptio complanata (Eastern elliptio) - Michigan Natural Features Inventory |url=https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/species/description/397737/Elliptio-complanata |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=mnfi.anr.msu.edu}}</ref>
== Life cycle == Like most Unionidae, ''Elliptio complanata'' begins as an egg within the gills of the female elliptio, matures into a [[glochidium]], attaches itself to a host fish species and then becomes a [[Juvenile (organism)|juvenile]] [[mussel]]. ''Elliptio complanata'' is known to attach to several fish species including American eel ''[[Anguilla rostrata]]'', brook trout ''[[Salvelinus fontinalis]]'', lake trout ''[[Salvelinus namaycush]]'', mottled sculpin ''[[Cottus bairdii]]'', and slimy sculpin ''[[Cottus cognatus]]''. It has the most success maturing on the American eel.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lellis |first=William A. |last2=St. John White |first2=Barbara |last3=Cole |first3=Jeffrey C. |last4=Johnson |first4=Connie S. |last5=Devers |first5=Julie L. |last6=van Snik-Gray |first6=Ellen |last7=Galbraith |first7=Heather S. |date=2013 |title=Newly documented host fishes for the eastern elliptio mussel (Elliptio complanata) |url=http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70045817 |journal=Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management |volume=4 |issue=1 |page=7585 |doi=10.3996/102012-JFWM-094|doi-access=free }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category-inline|Elliptio complanata|''Elliptio complanata''}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3012534}}
[[Category:Elliptio]] [[Category:Bivalves described in 1786]] [[Category:Long stubs with short prose]]
{{Unionidae-stub}}