Introduction

Ohio has an especially rich heritage of freshwater mussels, from both a biological and a historical perspective. Eighty species have been reported from the state. This number is 27% of all mussel species known to be from North America. More than 60 mussel taxa were described from specimens collected from Ohio, although many of them are now recognized as synonyms of other species. This bounty of Ohio taxa is a result of the efforts of some of Ohio’s early naturalists. Isaac Lea (1792– 1886), the undaunted Philadelphia describer of more than 800 mussel species, was sent specimens from his brother