Page 174 - The Freshwater Mussels of Oklahoma

Partial Synonymy:
Quadrula lachrymosa (Lea, 1828), Simpson 1914; Isely 1925
Quadrula quadrula (Rafinesque, 1820), Isely 1925; Murray and Leonard
1962; Johnson 1980; Branson 1982; Oesch 1984; Turgeon and
others 1988; Vidrine 1993; Howells and others 1996
Description:
“Shell subrhomboid, subinflated, solid, somewhat inequilateral; beaks high and
full, their sculpture doubly looped or zigzagged bars, with radial threads behind them;
posterior ridge well developed, generally somewhat double, ending at the base of the
shell in a feeble biangulation; in front of and behind it there is a wide, radial depression;
anterior end rounded; base line incurved in front of the posterior ridge; posterior end
squarely or somewhat obliquely truncated, with a sinus in the middle; at the middle of the
shell or a little in front of it there is usually a wide radial swelling; surface generally more
or less covered with tubercles, excepting in front of this ridge; the sculpture on this and
the posterior ridge often stronger than elsewhere; epidermis greenish in young shells,
greenish-brown, brown or tawny in old ones, usually somewhat shining, sometimes
feebly rayed; pseudocardinals very strong, triangular, ragged; lateral of the right valve
somewhat double; anterior scars well impressed; beak cavities moderately deep; nacre
white, thinner and iridescent behind; pallial line deep, roughened, remote in front”
(Simpson 1914, p 841).
Hosts for Glochidia:
Flathead Catfish (Watters, 1994).

Table 33. Summary of Q. quadrula shell characters.

Mean H/L Maximum Mean W/L
H/L Range Length W/L Range
Location N (%) (%) (mm) (%) (%) Remarks
Arkansas River System
Chickaskia River 10 78.2 75.0-81.5 106 43.3 38.3-46.7
Lake Carl Blackwell 10 81.0 75.6-85.0 67 53.3 50.0-57.9
(Cimarron R. dr.)
North Canadian River 1 - 78.7 61 - - fossil/subfossil
South Canadian River 1 - 66.7 18 - - fossil/subfossil
McAlester City Lake 1 - 85.7 35 - 54.3
(S. Canadian R. dr.)
Caney River 36 82.7 74.8-90.7 135 46.6 38.3-54.5
Verdigris River 12 82.7 77.3-86.2 110 46.7 42.4-52.2
Lake Oolagah 2 90.0 89.3-90.6 32 50.0 50.0
(Verdigris R. dr.)
Neosho River 11 81.0 79.3-85.7 104 49.4 46.5-53.2
Fort Gibson
Reservoir
(Neosho R. dr.) 25 81.2 78.2-85.0 106 54.2 48.8-60.2
Arkansas River 7 82.8 76.7-87.1 86 57.8 54.2-61.3
Poteau River 1 - 81.0 84 - 54.8
Red River System
Washita River 2 79.3 77.8-80.7 90 - - fossil/subfossil
(Garvin Co.)

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