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

Critically Endangered

Southern pigtoe

Pleurobema georgianum

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

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Pleurobema georgianum
Taxonomy
Bivalvia · Unionida · Unionidae · Pleurobema

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

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

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

Southern 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 Southern pigtoe — often a short stub, Wikidata item Q3016852. 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 Oval pigtoe (Pleurobema pyriforme), recorded as EndangeredEN

Oval pigtoe

Pleurobema pyriforme
Photograph of Southern clubshell (Pleurobema decisum), recorded as EndangeredEN

Southern clubshell

Pleurobema decisum

Quick answers

What is Southern pigtoe?
Southern pigtoe is a bivalve in the family Unionidae (order Unionida) — Pleurobema georgianum.
What is the conservation status of Southern pigtoe?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Pleurobema georgianum. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Southern pigtoe live?
The southern pigtoe is a freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.
Why is Southern 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 georgianum?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Southern pigtoe a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.