Determination or Verification of Host Fish for Nine Species of Unionid Mussels

Identification of host fish for native freshwater mussels (Family: Unionidae) is increasingly important because of the rapid decline of these mollusks. To date, hosts have been identified for fewer than a third of all unionids inhabiting the United States and Canada. We identified previously unknown hosts for Elliptio buckleyi, E. icterina, Lampsilis straminea claibornensis, Villosa lienosa and V. villosa. Successful transformations also were achieved for Lampsilis siliquoidea, L. teres, Megalonaias nervosa and Utterbackia imbecillis. Fish hosts for these species have been listed in previous studies but many were deduced from circumstantial evidence, or if based on laboratory experiments, have not been verified.