Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Cumberland pigtoe (Pleurobema gibberum), recorded as Critically Endangered
Cumberland pigtoe (Pleurobema gibberum). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Cumberland pigtoe

Pleurobema gibberum

Cumberland pigtoe is a bivalve in the family Unionidae (order Unionida) — Pleurobema gibberum, recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Pleurobema gibberum
Taxonomy
Bivalvia · Unionida · Unionidae · Pleuronaia

The bivalve

Freshwater mussels sit in the bed of a river and filter water. A larva must hitch a ride on a host fish; a dam can break that cycle.

Freshwater mussels bury in river sediment and can live for decades if the host fish and the current remain.

Range and habitat

This species is endemic to the United States. The Cumberland pigtoe is a freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Breeding

Freshwater mussels bury in the bed and live for decades if the river still runs and the host fish still spawn.

In crisis

Cumberland pigtoe is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Cumberland pigtoe — often a short stub, Wikidata item Q3016794. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Club naiad (Pleurobema clava), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Club naiad

Pleurobema clava
Photograph of Rough pigtoe pearly mussel (Pleurobema plenum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Rough pigtoe pearly mussel

Pleurobema plenum
Photograph of Southern pigtoe (Pleurobema georgianum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Southern pigtoe

Pleurobema georgianum
Photograph of Oval pigtoe (Pleurobema pyriforme), recorded as EndangeredEN

Oval pigtoe

Pleurobema pyriforme

Quick answers

What is Cumberland pigtoe?
Cumberland pigtoe is a bivalve in the family Unionidae (order Unionida) — Pleurobema gibberum.
What is the conservation status of Cumberland pigtoe?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Pleurobema gibberum. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Cumberland pigtoe live?
This species is endemic to the United States.
Why is Cumberland pigtoe in crisis?
It is Critically Endangered on Wikidata. Read the official Red List assessment for the criteria.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Pleurobema gibberum?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Cumberland pigtoe a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.