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THE VELIGER The Veliger49(3);129-131 (October 1, 2007) © CMS, Inc., 2006 Freshwater Mussel (Bivalvia: Unionidae) Causes Incidental Fish Mortality JAMES (JAY) R. CORDEIRO MA NatureServe, 11 Avenue de Lafayette, 5th Floor, Boston. 02111 and Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum ofNatural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA (e-mail:[email protected]) Abstract. A rare observation ofincidental fish mortality caused by a native Atlantic slope freshwater mussel is herein reported from a small pond in Middleboro, Massachusetts, and the resulting mortality ofthe fish is discussed in the context ofother vertebrate mortalities induced by aquatic invertebrates as reported in the literature. On 14 August 2003, while surveying the south side of invertebrates, especiallyupon adult aquaticvertebrates, Tispaquin Pond (at the boat launch) in Middleboro is extremely rare. Predation of hatchling or juvenile (Plymouth Co.), Massachusetts, for specimens of the reptiles, particularly turtles, is known for decapod invasiveAsiaticclam, CorbiculaJlumineaCMuWer, 1774) crustaceans (Stancyk, 1982) and hemipterans (Gotte, (Bivalvia: Corbiculidae), a single living specimen ofthe 1992). Active predation by aquatic invertebrates is eastern Elliptio mussel, Elliptio complanata (Lightfoot, known for diving beetles {Dytiscus sp.) and dragonfly 1786) (Bivalvia: Unionidae), was hand-collected in nymphs (Anax sp., and others) on various amphibians sandy substrate at one meter depth. Upon extracting (e.g., salamanders, tadpoles) (Smith & Van Buskirk, the specimen for examination, a dead, juvenile yellow 1995; Storfer & White, 2004; Van Buskirk & Schmidt, perch, Perca flavescens (Mitchill, 1814), about 5 cm 2000). Recently, Mueller et al. (2006) documented long, was found lodged tightly between the valves significant predation on eggs and larvae of the (Figure 1). Both specimens were immediately retained, endangered razorback sucker, Xyauchen texcmus (Ab- narcotized with Epsom salts, fixed in an ethyl alcohol bott, 1860), by the introduced red swamp crayfish, series, preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol, and retained in Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852). Back in 1894, J.H. the author's personal collection. Sage (1895: 49, unnumbered fig.) published a short The yellow perch appeared to have died recently, as observation near Portland, Connecticut, of a living evidenced by the lack ofglossing over its eyes and the sora, Porzana Carolina (Linnaeus, 1758), with a living relatively good condition of scales and fins. No adult freshwater mussel (later identified as Elliptio evidence of decomposition was evident whatsoever. complanata) clamped tightly to its left foot. The bird Cause ofdeath appeared to be from the trauma caused was unable to fly and was hopping about with its toe bythemussel valveclosure around the body ofthefish. nearly severed. Frierson (1899: 139-140) reported twice The eastern Elliptio was 8.3 cm long with valves kilhng ducks with freshwater mussels attached to their clamped tightly around the body of the fish at right toes and postulated this as a means of long-distance angles to themidline and directly through the region of dispersal. Carbine (1942) documented attachment of the dorsal fin. The mussel valves remained clamped the fingernail clam, Musculium securis (Prime, 1852), to throughout the fixation and preservation process and thejaws oftwo live individuals ofnorthern pike, Esox the fully preserved fish continues to remain clamped liicius Linnaeus, 1758, in Houghton Lake, Michigan. between the valves ofthe preserved mussel at the time DeGroot (1927) reports the introduced ribbed mussel, of submittal of this manuscript (October 2006). The Geukensia demissa (Dillwyn, 1817) (Bivalvia: Mytili- mussel did not appear adversely affected by the dae), trapping its valves onto the toes and beaks of presence ofthe yellow perch, although the valves could foraging clapper rails, Ralliis longirostris Boddaert, not close completely and remained agape even after 1783, in San Francisco Bay, California. In addition to retrieval from the substrate. Although numerous personally removing a mussel from a nesting chick's (hundreds) other specimens were collected from the toe, the author estimated 75% ofthe rails in the region site at that time and subsequently, no other specimens had lost one or more toes to ribbed mussels and have ever been found with valves clamped around inferred frequent mortality, especially for rail chicks. juvenile fishes. Plummer and Goy (1997: 88, fig. 1) documented, in Incidents of mortality in fish and other aquatic graphic detail, a living adult pondmussel, Ligumia vertebrates are commonly attributed to predation by subrostrata (Say, 1831), causingmortality ofa common other vertebrates. Vertebrate mortality caused by musk turtle, Sternotherus odoratiis (Latrielle, 1802), in Page 130 The Veliger, Vol. 49, No. 3 Figure 1. Yellow perch {Percaflavescens) (5.0 cm) trapped within eastern Elliptic {Ellipiio complanata) (8.3 cm). a similar fashion in Salado Creek, near Floral (In- with seven other common freshwater fish species dependence Co.). Arkansas, in 1996. The mussel was (Lefevre & Curtis, 1912; Matteson, 1948, 1955; Tedla found to be a 73.2 mm gravid adult female that had & Fernando, 1969; Weir, 1977), nearly all ofwhich are apparently closed its valves upon the turtle's neck just present in Massachusetts waters (Hartel et al., 2002). ventral to the siphons laterally compressing it to The collected specimen was not found to be gravid and mm 2.4 causing mortality either by drowning or no encysted glochidia were found on the trapped fish. suffocation. Although speculative, it is unlikely the trapped yellow Freshwatermusselsare known to feed on a varietyof perch was attracted to any sort ofdisplay behavior. particles including bacteria, protozoans, and phyto- The combination of wide habitat preference, large plankton (Coker et al., 1921; Gatenby et al., 1996; scale distribution, high densities, and glochidial trans- Nichols & Garling, 2000; Paterson, 1986; Yeager et al., formation capability on multiple, common fish hosts 1994). Active feeding by mussels on fish, hosts or indicates Elliptio complanata is an ecological generalist. otherwise, has never been documented, however, nor is Themortality ofthe yellow perch in this case mayhave it implied here. been incidental. Although speculative, it is not likely Mantle displays by various species of freshwater themussel wasattemptingto feed onthe fishnorluring mussels have been shown to elicit attacks by various the fish in order to infect it with glochidia. The mussel fish resulting in gill and body infestations ofthe fish by may have been filtering with its valves agape and the mussel glochidia (Haag & Warren, 1999; Kat, 1984), fish somehow managed to find itselfin the wrongplace but have not been demonstrated for eastern Elliptio at the wrong time. A paucity ofsimilar observations in despite extensive morphological study of this species the literature despite numerous, long-term studies of (Downing et al., 1993; Kesler & Bailey, 1993; freshwater mussels in the past century indicates the Matteson, 1948, 1955; Watters et al., 2005; Weir, observation presented here is a randomized, rare event 1977; Wiles, 1975a, b; Young, 1911). Yellow perch is that is not part ofthe typical life history offreshwater a confirmed glochidial host for eastern EUipfio along mussels. J. R. Cordeiro, 2006 Page 131 LITERATURE CITED trophic-level interactions in a multispecies community of freshwater unionids. Canadian Journal of Zoology 78: Carbine, W. F. 1942. Sphariid clams attached to the mouth 871-882. COKEoRf,yoR.unEg.,pAik.e.F.CSohpieriaa,3H:1.87W.. Clark & A. D. Howard. Patefrrseoshnw,ateCr.biGv.alve198E6U.iptiPoartcioclmep-lsaizneatasel(eLcitgihvtiftoyot)i.n Tthhee 1921. Natural history and propagation of fresh-water Veliger 29(2):235-237. DeGrmoufosoFstiesl,hse.Dr.iBeusSl.lDe1to9ic2nu7.omfeTnthhtee3CB7aul(ri1ef9ao1ru9n-io1af92cF0li)sah:pe7pre5ir-e1sr8,a1ilU:.+Sit.1s7Bneupsirste.ianug PlumsHtmeererpnreo,ttohelMro.igiisVc.aold&oRreJa.vtiuWes.w(G2co8o(y2m.)m:8o189n.97.muNsakturtaulrtlhei)stmoorrytanloitteys.: Downhaibnitgs,, eJ.neAm.i,esY.anRdochahboitna,t.MC.onPdeorrus2s9e:25&9-H2.70.Harvey. Sage, J. H. 1895. A sora caught by a mussel. The Nautilus 9(5):49. s1u9c9c3e.ssSpaitniatlheaggfrreegsahtwiaotne,r bmoudssyelsizEe,Uipatnido rceopmrpoldauncattiav.e Smith, D. C. & J. Van Buskirk. 1995. Phenotypic design, Journal of the North American Benthological Society plasticity, and ecological performance in two tadpole species. American Naturalist 145:211-233. 12(2):148-156. Frierson, L. S. 1899. How uniones emigrate. The Nautilus Stancyk, S. E. 1982. Non-humanpredatorsofseaturtlesand 12(12):139-140. their controls. Pp. 139-152 in K. A. Bjorndal (ed.). Gatenby, C. M., R. J. Neves & B. C. Parker. 1996. 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