File:American malacological bulletin (1988) (18156414795).jpg

Title: American malacological bulletin
Identifier: americanmal6719881990amer (find matches)
Year: 1983 (1980s)
Authors: American Malacological Union
Subjects: Mollusks; Mollusks
Publisher: (Hattiesburg, Miss. ?) : (American Malacological Union)
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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170 AMER. MALAC. BULL. 6(2) (1988) rivers like the Cumberland and Tennessee and in small- to medium-sized rivers like the middle Duck and the upper Powell and Clinch. Ahlstedt (1984) noted that it "...is an ex- tremely common species in the upper Clinch in Tennessee and Virginia." Judging by certain extant unmodified stretches of the West Prong Little Pigeon River (Fig. 2), assuming them to be not unlike prehistoric conditions, it would seem this river would have provided favorable habitat for L. costata. However, only eight valves were recovered at the McMahan site. L. holstonia (Lea, 1831), the Tennessee Heelsplitter, a species often found locally abundant in small and/or headwater streams, was also poorly represented at the site (5 valves, 3 individuals). All three were juveniles, the largest measur- ing 35.5 mm total length. Ortmann (1918) recorded it for the Little Pigeon River, Sevier County. Actinonaias ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819): Prehistorically the Mucket was widely distributed and common throughout the major rivers in Tennessee such as the Clinch, Holston, Tennessee, French Broad, and Cumberland. At present, however, except for local populations in these rivers (primari- ly the Holston), populations of A. ligmentina are restricted mainly to the unimpounded upper stretches of the Clinch and Powell rivers in East Tennessee. In archaeological context, the percentage of shells of the Mucket varied from 7.5% of those recovered in 15 sites in the Chickamauga Reservoir (Tennessee River) (Parmalee ef a/., 1982), and 13.5% at the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant site (Parmalee and Bogan, 1986), to nearly 16% in two sites along the middle Cumberland River (Parmalee ef a/., 1980). The total of 148 valves, representing 3.8% of all identified shells recovered at the McMahan site, suggests a former viable population of this mussel in the West Prong Little Pigeon River. A right valve of a mature individual exhibited a high degree of polish on its external surface; this modification possibly resulted from its use as some form of shaping or smoothing tool in the manufacture of ceramic vessels. Toxolasma lividus (Rafinesque, 1831): A total of 131 shells belonging to the genus Toxolasma were assigned to the species T. lividus, the Little Purple. With respect to the Toxolasma complex in this region, the comments of Ortmann (1918) are appropriate: "What Lea has described as U. moestus (from French Broad River, Tenn.) undoubtedly is this (T. lividus): I have specimens from Little Pigeon River (tributary to French Broad), which are fully identical with moestus. U. (Toxolasma) cylindrellus Lea (Duck River, TN.) is in shape ab- solutely identical with T. lividium; however, it differs by paler color of epidermis and nacre." In light of these comments, it is possible that some of the specimens from the McMahan site are T. cylindrellus (Lea, 1868), assuming it is a good species. Many valves of Toxolasma from the site still exhibited a faded but uniform purple nacre. This small naiad appears to have been fairly common prehistorically in the West Prong Little Pigeon River. Epioblasma Rafinesque, 1831: Seven species belong- ing to this genus were represented in the molluscan sample from the McMahan site, but combined the number of shells totaled only 106, 3.0% of all identified valves. Three of these species, Epioblasma arcaeformis (Lea, 1831), the Sugar Spoon; E. haysiana (Lea, 1833), the Acornshell; and E. stewardsoni (Lea, 1852), the Cumberland Leafshell, are now considered extinct (Stansbery, 1971). The Yellow Blossom E. florentina (Lea, 1857), represented at the McMahan site by a single right valve of a male and identified as probably E. f. form florentina based on the descriptions of Ortmann (1918) and Bogan and Parmalee (1983), is probably close to extinc- tion. The large river, nodular form of the Tubercled Blossom
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Fig. 2. View of West Prong Little Pigeon River, north edge of Pigeon Forge, TN. Unmodified stretch of river, but at present poor mussel habitat.

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