TN00144 FINE-RAYED PIGTOE PEARLY MUSSEL FUSCONAIA CUNEOLUS
Physical description: The glochidia are subelliptical in shape and of nearly equal (0.16 mm) length and height. The gonads are red and the eggs and conglutinates are pink to bright crimson *4272*. Reproduction: During the spawning period, the male releases sperm into the water column which is taken in by the females when they are siphoning. The eggs are fertilized in the suprabranchial cavity or gills which also serves as a marsupia for the larvae where they develope to mature glochidia. When the larvae are mature, they attach to the fins or gills of a host fish where they encyst and metamorphose to the juvenile stage. This species is a short term breeder and the females are reported to be gravid from May to July *4272*. Origin: The origin of this species is native *573*. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: SHELL IS MEDIUM-SIZED, SUBTRIANGULAR OR SUBRHOMBOIDAL, VALVES ARE CONVEX TO SUBINFLATED, INEQUILATERAL AND SOLID, WITH HIGH, MODERATELY FULL BEAKS, ANTERIOR END OF SHELL IS OBLIQUELY TRUNCATED ABOVE AND ROUNDED BELOW, SOMETIMES WITH THE WHOLE ANTERIOR END ROUNDED, SHELL BASE IS NEARLY STRAIGHT, POSTERIOR-DORSAL MARGIN IS CURVED, RISING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE POSTERIOR MARGIN ALMOST TO AN ANGLE, POSTERIOR RIDGE IS SUBANGULAR, ENDING IN A POINT AT THE BASE, POSTERIOR RIDGE IS NOT AS HIGH AS THE RADIAL SWELLING IN FRONT OF IT, RADIAL SWELLING IS SEPARATED FROM THE POSTERIOR RIDGE BY A SHALLOW DEPRESSION, SURFACE IS MARKED BY GROWTH LINES AND A SATIN- LIKE APPEARANCE, PERIOSTRACUM IS GREENISH-YELLOW OR YELLOW- GREEN, WITH BROKEN GREEN RAYS OF VARYING WIDTHS, RATHER DULL, AND OFTEN DARKENING WITH AGE, LEFT VALVE HAS TWO ROUGH AND UNEVEN PSEUDOCARDINAL TEETH WITH DOUBLE, SLIGHTLY CURVED LATERAL TEETH, RIGHT VALVE HAS ONE LARGE ROUGH PSEUDOCARDINAL TOOTH, WITH A VESTIGIAL TOOTH ABOVE IT, LATERAL TOOTH IS PARTLY DOUBLED, ADDUCTOR MUSCLE SCARS ARE IMPRESSED AND THE PALLIAL LINE IS ONLY DISTINCT ANTERIORLY, BEAK CAVITY IS MODERATELY DEEP, BEING SLIGHTLY SHALLOWER THAN IN F. EDGARIANA, COLOR OF THE NACRE IS WHITE *TN5587* REPRODUCTION: TACHYTICTIC, BREEDS FROM MAY TO JULY, ALL 4 GILLS ARE MARSUPIAL, IN YOUNG SPECIMENS MARSUPIAL PART OF THE INNER PAIR OF GILLS IS OFTEN RESTRICTED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE INNER GILL, GLOCHIDEA SUBELLIPTICAL, ALMOST AS LONG AS HIGH *TN5587*
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References for Life History Codes
573, 4272, TN5587
Comments on Life History Codes