Western Pearlshell

Margaritifera falcata
Kristin Hall
 General Info

Average life span is 60-70

years
Indicator of good water
quality
Sedentary/sensitive to
environmental changes
Historical food for Native
Americans
 Important Ecological Roll

Mussels are filter feeders

Natural water purifiers
suspended solids, excess
nutrients, contaminants
 Habitat

Cold creeks & Rivers

A sand/rock mixture
Rivers need to have sea-run
salmon or native trout
Clean water!
Historically Ranges from Alaska
to California (west of Rockies)
Broadly distributed across the
Western US
Is endemic to the US (unique)
Reproduction
 Requires a host fish to reproduce
Host fish moves juvenile mussels away
from parents
Good for competition
Glochidia attach to host fish for
weeks to months
Drop off once metamorphosed
Host Fish

Rainbow/Steelhead Trout
Cutthroat Trout
Chinook Salmon
Brown trout (non-native)
Vulnerable

No immediate risk of extinction

One of the most common freshwater mussel in the West Coast
It has declined in some of historical regions
Most notably in Western Montana, Utah, Nevada
Lack of historical data makes it hard to determine their status
Idaho

Eliminated from Middle

Snake River
Still found in Clearwater,
Salmon, Little Salmon,
Blackfoot, Coeur
dAlene, and many
others
Threats

Loss of host fish

Dams have negatively impacted fish
populations which in turn impacts mussel
populations
Channel modification
Dredging, mining
Livestock grazing near streams
Increased water temperatures
Non-native
Zebra mussels/quagga mussels out compete
and dont require host fish to reproduce