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| Unio delphinus |
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| Western Painter's Mussel |
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ORDER: Unionoida
FAMILY: Unionidae
SIZE: 10 cm
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CHARACTERISTICS: variable shell colour, from yellow-green to brown; oval bivalve solid shell, usually elongated; dorsal margin descends steeply to the rear end; left valve with two pseudocardinal teeth and two lateral teeth, the lower being the most prominent.
DEVELOPMENT: indirect.
ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR: filter feeders; prefers calm waters and sandy or muddy substrates; after release, the glochids lodge in the gills of some fish species filtering the water that passes through it, and remaining there until they reach sufficient size to settle on the substrate.
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