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Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science
(2013) Volume 106, pp. 1-2
received 12/12/12
accepted 5/7/13
First Occurrence of the Bankclimber Plectomerus dombeyanus (Valenciennes, 1827)
(Mollusca: Unionidae) in Illinois
Jeremy S. Tiemann1*, Kevin S. Cummings1, and John E. Schwegman2
1Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, 1816 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820
22626 Riverpoint Lane, Metropolis, IL 62960
*Correspondence: jtiemann@illinois.edu
ABSTRACT
Fresh-dead specimens of the freshwater mussel Bankclimber Plectomerus dombeyanus (Valenciennes, 1827) were discovered in the Il-
linois portion of the Ohio River near America, Pulaski County, Illinois, at river mile 970 (37.12104N, 89.11468W) during the summer
of 2012. e specimens were deposited in the Illinois Natural History Survey Mollusk Collection, Champaign (INHS 42354 and INHS
42977). While reported from elsewhere in the Ohio River basin, these specimens represent the rst time the species has been recorded
in Illinois.
e Bankclimber Plectomerus dombeyanus
(Valenciennes, 1827) is a freshwater mussel
(Mollusca: Unionidae) that typically has a
thick, rhomboidal shaped, moderately in-
ated shell and obtains lengths up to 150-
mm (Parmalee and Bogan, 1998; Williams
et al., 2008). Its periostracum is greenish
brown to brown and darkens to black with
age, and its nacre is usually deep purple
(Parmalee and Bogan, 1998; Williams et
al., 2008). Plectomerus dombeyanus has
been described as a “mud-loving” species
that “delights in sluggish owing water”
(Call, 1895). e animal inhabits medium
to large rivers, oxbow lakes, and lowland
ditches, and is found in clay, mud, sand or
rocky substrates (Oesch, 1984; Williams
et al., 2008). It occurs along channel mar-
gins in sluggish to moderate current, but
can be found buried in steep slopes a con-
siderable distance from the main channel
(Oesch, 1984; Williams et al., 2008).
Plectomerus dombeyanus is commonly
found in Gulf drainage streams from the
Alabama River west to eastern Texas, in-
cluding the lower Mississippi River to its
conuence with the Ohio River (Parmalee
and Bogan, 1998; Williams et al., 2008).
e species was rst reported from the
Ohio River basin in 1981, when two live
individuals were discovered in Kentucky
Lake, Trigg County, Kentucky (Pharris et
al., 1984). Since then, P. dombeyanus has
expanded its range throughout the lake
(Parmalee and Bogan, 1998; Cicerello
and Schuster, 2003), and has been found
downstream of the Kentucky Dam in the
Tennessee River (JES pers. obs). e Bank-
climber also has been collected at three
locations in the Kentucky portion of the
Ohio River mainstem: 1) in 1982, a relict
specimen at river mile 944, near Paducah,
McCracken County (Ron Cicerello, Ken-
tucky State Nature Preserves Commission,
retired, pers. comm.); 2) in 1996, a fresh-
dead specimen at river mile 784, which
is at its conuence with the Green River,
Henderson County (Watters and Myers
Flaute, 2010; Ohio State University Divi-
sion of Molluscs, Columbus, Bivalve Col-
lection #58992), and 3) in 2012, two live
individuals at river mile 935 (Heidi Dunn,
Ecological Specialists, Inc., pers. comm.).
However, the animal has not been listed
as part of Illinois’ native mollusk fauna
(e.g., Cummings, 1991; Cummings and
Mayer, 1992; Cummings and Mayer, 1997;
Tiemann et al., 2007) until now. One
fresh-dead 48-mm specimen was discov-
ered in the Ohio River at river mile 970
(37.12104N, 89.11468W) near America,
Pulaski County, Illinois, on 27 June 2012
by JES (Figure 1). Another fresh-dead
specimen (44-mm) was recorded from the
Figure 1. Bankclimber Plectomerus dombeyanus (INHS 42354) from the Ohio River at
river mile 970 (37.12104N, 89.11468W) near America, Pulaski County, Illinois.
same site on 15 August 2012 by JST and
KSC. ese specimens represent the rst
time P. dombeyanus has been recorded in
Illinois. e specimens were deposited in
the Illinois Natural History Survey Mol-
lusk Collection, Champaign (INHS 42354
and INHS 42977).
e means by which the animal is expand-
ing its known range is unknown. Pharris
et al. (1984) suggested that P. dombeyanus
might be expanding its range by either ar-
ticial transportation (e.g., sh stockings)
or as a result of habitat alterations from
impoundment construction. e sh host
for P. dombeyanus is unknown at this time.
Pharris et al. (1984) also pointed out that
their discovery of P. dombeyanus in the
Tennessee River occurred before the Ten-
nessee-Tombigbee connection occurred.
Watters and Myers Flaute (2010) stated
the Meyers Pool of the Ohio River proba-
bly represents the northernmost extent of
the species. Given that the Ohio River is at
the extreme northern limits of the species’
range, and Williams et al. (1993) listed the
species as currently stable throughout its
range, we do not recommend Plectomerus
dombeyanus for state-listing in Illinois.
LITERATURE CITED
Call, R.E. 1895. A study of the Unionidae of
Arkansas, with incidental reference to their
distribution in the Mississippi Valley. Transac-
tions of the Academy of Sciences of St. Louis
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Cicerello, R.R. and G.A. Schuster. 2003. A guide
to the freshwater mussels of Kentucky. Ken-
tucky State Nature Preserves Commission Sci-
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Cummings, K.S. 1991. e aquatic Mollusca of
Illinois. pp. 429-439 in L.M. Page and M.R.
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First Occurrence of the Bankclimber Plectomerus dombeyanus (Valenciennes, 1827) Mollusca: Unionidae) in Illinois
Jeremy S. Tiemann, Kevin S. Cummings, and John E. Schwegman
2
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