Mussels of the East Fork of the Tombigbee River, Monroe and Itawamba Counties, Mississippi

The purpose of this study was to collect freshwater mussels and shells to evaluate the effects of various proposed water management measures on the freshwater mussels. Twenty-eight species of mussels, in addition to the exotic Asiatic clam Corbicula fluminea, were collected in nine reaches of the East Fork of the Tombigbee River, Monroe and Itawamba Counties, Mississippi, in September 1987. Seventeen species, including C. fluminea, were collected alive, and 12 species were found only as shells. Evidence of recent recruitment was found for 19 species. The substratum in the upper reaches consisted of sand and mud, species richness and numbers of mussels were reduced, and the fauna was dominated by Leptodea fragilis and Lampsilis teres. The mid and lower reaches were characterized by pool-riffle sequences, exposed gravel shoals, and a rich fauna dominated by Amblema plicata and Megalonaias gigantea. A fresh shell of Epioblasma penita, listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, was found near the confluence of Bull Mountain Creek. Although this river provided excellent mussel habitat, settled sediments and reduced flows had negatively affected some of the fauna in the mid and lower reaches.