Freshwater Mussels Pacific Northwest - The Xerces Society

Anodonta Taxonomy
It would be misleading to publish a field guide to western mussels without explaining
how little we know about the genus Anodonta. This genus has challenged
taxonomists since 1838 when Isaac Lea first described shells from one
location in the lower Willamette River as three different Anodonta species:
nuttalliana (winged floater), oregonensis (Oregon floater), and wahlametensis
(Willamette floater). Subsequently, taxonomists described four more species
of Anodonta west of the Continental Divide: beringiana (Yukon floater), californiensis
(California floater), kennerlyi (western floater), and dejecta (woebegone
floater). The species A. wahlametensis is no longer recognized 103 , and the
existence of A. dejecta is uncertain. A. dejecta was considered to be the same
species as A. californiensis in Arizona by some researchers 8 , but more recently
was validated as its own species 103 . It is unknown whether this species is alive
today, and since A. dejecta lacks an accepted type locality 8 , there is the added
complication of having no source population with which to compare current
Anodonta in the region.
Taxonomy of Anodonta based on shell characteristics is difficult because
this genus lacks some of the morphological features—especially hinge
teeth—that are used to distinguish other mussel genera. As a rule, Anodonta
species have no teeth (the Latin word anodonta means “without teeth”) and
therefore identification of Anodonta in the past has relied almost solely on
shell shape, which unfortunately is quite variable. Age, sex, environmental
conditions, and individual variation influence shell shape. Animals that live
in lakes may appear different than the same species that live in rivers. Shell
erosion—the intensity of which depends on water chemistry, sediment types,
and flow conditions—will often obscure shell features such as shape, beak
sculpture, and rays.
Species with broad geographic ranges and poor dispersal abilities, such
as freshwater mussels, often exhibit a high degree of genetic variation across
their range 11,12 . Differences in the genetic make-up of isolated populations
might affect their appearance, but not be sufficient to affect their ability to interbreed.
In other words, they might look different, but still be the same species.
Conversely, they may look similar and yet be different species. Scientists
are trying to understand if the currently recognized “species” are genetically
distinct throughout their range, and recent advances in genetic research may
help resolve the uncertain Anodonta taxonomy in the West 10,17,64,116 .
The first edition of this publication generally followed currently accepted
classification 103 , which considered six species of Anodonta west of the Continental
Divide: californiensis, dejecta, nuttalliana, oregonensis, kennerlyi, and
beringiana. The first edition departed from this standard reference by not
including the southwestern species A. dejecta in the guide for the reasons
Freshwater Mussels of the Pacific Northwest 17