Freshwater mussel (Bivalvia : Unionidae) causes incidental fish mortality

2007·1.7 MB·English

by  James (Jay) R Cordeiro

THE VELIGER
The Veliger49(3);129-131 (October 1, 2007) © CMS, Inc., 2006
Freshwater Mussel (Bivalvia: Unionidae) Causes Incidental Fish Mortality
JAMES (JAY) R. CORDEIRO
MA
NatureServe, 11 Avenue de Lafayette, 5th Floor, Boston. 02111 and Division of Invertebrate Zoology,
American Museum ofNatural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA
(e-mail:[email protected])
Abstract. A rare observation ofincidental fish mortality caused by a native Atlantic slope freshwater mussel is
herein reported from a small pond in Middleboro, Massachusetts, and the resulting mortality ofthe fish is discussed
in the context ofother vertebrate mortalities induced by aquatic invertebrates as reported in the literature.
On 14 August 2003, while surveying the south side of invertebrates, especiallyupon adult aquaticvertebrates,
Tispaquin Pond (at the boat launch) in Middleboro is extremely rare. Predation of hatchling or juvenile
(Plymouth Co.), Massachusetts, for specimens of the reptiles, particularly turtles, is known for decapod
invasiveAsiaticclam, CorbiculaJlumineaCMuWer, 1774) crustaceans (Stancyk, 1982) and hemipterans (Gotte,
(Bivalvia: Corbiculidae), a single living specimen ofthe 1992). Active predation by aquatic invertebrates is
eastern Elliptio mussel, Elliptio complanata (Lightfoot, known for diving beetles {Dytiscus sp.) and dragonfly
1786) (Bivalvia: Unionidae), was hand-collected in nymphs (Anax sp., and others) on various amphibians
sandy substrate at one meter depth. Upon extracting (e.g., salamanders, tadpoles) (Smith & Van Buskirk,
the specimen for examination, a dead, juvenile yellow 1995; Storfer & White, 2004; Van Buskirk & Schmidt,
perch, Perca flavescens (Mitchill, 1814), about 5 cm 2000). Recently, Mueller et al. (2006) documented
long, was found lodged tightly between the valves significant predation on eggs and larvae of the
(Figure 1). Both specimens were immediately retained, endangered razorback sucker, Xyauchen texcmus (Ab-
narcotized with Epsom salts, fixed in an ethyl alcohol bott, 1860), by the introduced red swamp crayfish,
series, preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol, and retained in Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852). Back in 1894, J.H.
the author's personal collection. Sage (1895: 49, unnumbered fig.) published a short
The yellow perch appeared to have died recently, as observation near Portland, Connecticut, of a living
evidenced by the lack ofglossing over its eyes and the sora, Porzana Carolina (Linnaeus, 1758), with a living
relatively good condition of scales and fins. No adult freshwater mussel (later identified as Elliptio
evidence of decomposition was evident whatsoever. complanata) clamped tightly to its left foot. The bird
Cause ofdeath appeared to be from the trauma caused was unable to fly and was hopping about with its toe
bythemussel valveclosure around the body ofthefish. nearly severed. Frierson (1899: 139-140) reported twice
The eastern Elliptio was 8.3 cm long with valves kilhng ducks with freshwater mussels attached to their
clamped tightly around the body of the fish at right toes and postulated this as a means of long-distance
angles to themidline and directly through the region of dispersal. Carbine (1942) documented attachment of
the dorsal fin. The mussel valves remained clamped the fingernail clam, Musculium securis (Prime, 1852), to
throughout the fixation and preservation process and thejaws oftwo live individuals ofnorthern pike, Esox
the fully preserved fish continues to remain clamped liicius Linnaeus, 1758, in Houghton Lake, Michigan.
between the valves ofthe preserved mussel at the time DeGroot (1927) reports the introduced ribbed mussel,
of submittal of this manuscript (October 2006). The Geukensia demissa (Dillwyn, 1817) (Bivalvia: Mytili-
mussel did not appear adversely affected by the dae), trapping its valves onto the toes and beaks of
presence ofthe yellow perch, although the valves could foraging clapper rails, Ralliis longirostris Boddaert,
not close completely and remained agape even after 1783, in San Francisco Bay, California. In addition to
retrieval from the substrate. Although numerous personally removing a mussel from a nesting chick's
(hundreds) other specimens were collected from the toe, the author estimated 75% ofthe rails in the region
site at that time and subsequently, no other specimens had lost one or more toes to ribbed mussels and
have ever been found with valves clamped around inferred frequent mortality, especially for rail chicks.
juvenile fishes. Plummer and Goy (1997: 88, fig. 1) documented, in
Incidents of mortality in fish and other aquatic graphic detail, a living adult pondmussel, Ligumia
vertebrates are commonly attributed to predation by subrostrata (Say, 1831), causingmortality ofa common
other vertebrates. Vertebrate mortality caused by musk turtle, Sternotherus odoratiis (Latrielle, 1802), in
Page 130 The Veliger, Vol. 49, No. 3
Figure 1. Yellow perch {Percaflavescens) (5.0 cm) trapped within eastern Elliptic {Ellipiio complanata) (8.3 cm).
a similar fashion in Salado Creek, near Floral (In- with seven other common freshwater fish species
dependence Co.). Arkansas, in 1996. The mussel was (Lefevre & Curtis, 1912; Matteson, 1948, 1955; Tedla
found to be a 73.2 mm gravid adult female that had & Fernando, 1969; Weir, 1977), nearly all ofwhich are
apparently closed its valves upon the turtle's neck just present in Massachusetts waters (Hartel et al., 2002).
ventral to the siphons laterally compressing it to The collected specimen was not found to be gravid and
mm
2.4 causing mortality either by drowning or no encysted glochidia were found on the trapped fish.
suffocation. Although speculative, it is unlikely the trapped yellow
Freshwatermusselsare known to feed on a varietyof perch was attracted to any sort ofdisplay behavior.
particles including bacteria, protozoans, and phyto- The combination of wide habitat preference, large
plankton (Coker et al., 1921; Gatenby et al., 1996; scale distribution, high densities, and glochidial trans-
Nichols & Garling, 2000; Paterson, 1986; Yeager et al., formation capability on multiple, common fish hosts
1994). Active feeding by mussels on fish, hosts or indicates Elliptio complanata is an ecological generalist.
otherwise, has never been documented, however, nor is Themortality ofthe yellow perch in this case mayhave
it implied here. been incidental. Although speculative, it is not likely
Mantle displays by various species of freshwater themussel wasattemptingto feed onthe fishnorluring
mussels have been shown to elicit attacks by various the fish in order to infect it with glochidia. The mussel
fish resulting in gill and body infestations ofthe fish by may have been filtering with its valves agape and the
mussel glochidia (Haag & Warren, 1999; Kat, 1984), fish somehow managed to find itselfin the wrongplace
but have not been demonstrated for eastern Elliptio at the wrong time. A paucity ofsimilar observations in
despite extensive morphological study of this species the literature despite numerous, long-term studies of
(Downing et al., 1993; Kesler & Bailey, 1993; freshwater mussels in the past century indicates the
Matteson, 1948, 1955; Watters et al., 2005; Weir, observation presented here is a randomized, rare event
1977; Wiles, 1975a, b; Young, 1911). Yellow perch is that is not part ofthe typical life history offreshwater
a confirmed glochidial host for eastern EUipfio along mussels.
J. R. Cordeiro, 2006 Page 131
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