Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Plethobasus cyphyus (Plethobasus cyphyus), recorded as Endangered
Plethobasus cyphyus (Plethobasus cyphyus). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Plethobasus cyphyus

Plethobasus cyphyus

Plethobasus cyphyus is a bivalve in the family Unionidae (order Unionida), recorded as Endangered.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Plethobasus cyphyus
Taxonomy
Bivalvia · Unionida · Unionidae · Plethobasus

Range and habitat

Plethobasus cyphyus, the sheepnose mussel, is a freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This species is endemic to the Midwest and Southeast United States. Fish and Wildlife Service, and it is no longer present in two-thirds of the waterways in that it was historically found.

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

It is currently listed as endangered by the U.S.

Plethobasus cyphyus is 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 Plethobasus cyphyus, Wikidata item Q3015387. 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 Orange-footed pimpleback mussel (Plethobasus cooperianus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Orange-footed pimpleback mussel

Plethobasus cooperianus
Photograph of White warty-back pearly mussel (Plethobasus cicatricosus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

White warty-back pearly mussel

Plethobasus cicatricosus
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus

Quick answers

What is Plethobasus cyphyus?
Plethobasus cyphyus is a bivalve in the family Unionidae (order Unionida).
What is the conservation status of Plethobasus cyphyus?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Plethobasus cyphyus. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Plethobasus cyphyus live?
Plethobasus cyphyus, the sheepnose mussel, is a freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.
Why is Plethobasus cyphyus in crisis?
It is currently listed as endangered by the U.S.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Plethobasus cyphyus?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Plethobasus cyphyus a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.