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Five New Freshwater Mussel Species Identified in Southern US Rivers
Key Takeaways
- A peer-reviewed Zootaxa paper describes five new freshwater mussel species from the southern United States, all in the genus Obovaria.
- Researchers from Shedd Aquarium, Arkansas State University and the U.S. Geological Survey identified the species using DNA testing of mussels collected in Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.
- Fieldwork spanned about 20 years, with researchers wading rivers in masks and snorkels to collect mussels from muddy stream bottoms for laboratory genetic analysis.
- Mussel surveys are complicated by similar shell appearances, historical misidentifications and incomplete sampling across the southern U.S.
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DT Editorial Team··via phys.org