Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Shiny pigtoe (Fusconaia cor), recorded as Critically Endangered
Shiny pigtoe (Fusconaia cor). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Shiny pigtoe

Fusconaia cor

Shiny pigtoe is a bivalve in the family Unionidae (order Unionida) — Fusconaia cor, recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Fusconaia cor
Taxonomy
Bivalvia · Unionida · Unionidae · Fusconaia

Appearance

It has a smooth and shiny oval-shaped shell with distinguishing dark green to blackish rays on a yellow to brown background. Younger specimens have a bolder ray color patterning. Known glochidial hosts include the common (Luxilus cornutus), warpaint (Luxilus coccogenis), telescope (Notropis telescopus) and whitetail (Cyprinella galactura) shiners.

It is a medium-sized mussel that is about 2.5 inches (64 mm) in size.

Range and habitat

It is endemic to the United States. The shiny pigtoe has been eliminated from most of its historic range. Populations currently exist in the North Fork of the Holston River, Clinch, Powell and Paint Rock river systems in Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia.

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

Habits

The shiny pigtoe is tachytichtic, spawning between late May and early June.

In crisis

Threats to the species include habitat alteration and fragmentation, hydroelectric dams, wastewater discharge, water withdrawal, non-native species, and runoff of silt and other pollutants.

Shiny 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 Shiny pigtoe, Wikidata item Q309011. 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 Fine-rayed pigtoe pearly mussel (Fusconaia cuneolus), recorded as EndangeredEN

Fine-rayed pigtoe pearly mussel

Fusconaia cuneolus
Photograph of Narrow pigtoe (Fusconaia escambia), recorded as EndangeredEN

Narrow pigtoe

Fusconaia escambia
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 Shiny pigtoe?
Shiny pigtoe is a bivalve in the family Unionidae (order Unionida) — Fusconaia cor.
What is the conservation status of Shiny pigtoe?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Fusconaia cor. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Shiny pigtoe live?
Threats to the species include habitat alteration and fragmentation, hydroelectric dams, wastewater discharge, water withdrawal, non-native species, and runoff of silt and other pollutants.
Why is Shiny pigtoe in crisis?
Populations currently exist in the North Fork of the Holston River, Clinch, Powell and Paint Rock river systems in Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Fusconaia cor?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Shiny pigtoe a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.