| Ouachita rock pocketbook | |
|---|---|
| |
| A live individual of Arcidens wheeleri | |
| Conservation status | |
 Endangered (IUCN 3.1) | |
 Critically Imperiled (NatureServe) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Unionida |
| Family: | Unionidae |
| Genus: | Arcidens |
| Species: | A. wheeleri |
| Binomial name | |
| Arcidens wheeleri Ortmann & Walker, 1912 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Arkansia wheeleri | |
Arcidens wheeleri is a species of freshwater mussels in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. Its common names are the Ouachita rock pocketbook and Wheeler's pearly mussel. The former monotypic genus of Arkansia was named for the state of Arkansas, where the mussel was first discovered.
This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Distribution
This species is native to Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas in the United States, which have only four or five small, isolated populations. Of the remaining populations, only the one located in the Kiamichi River in Oklahoma is viable.
Description
This mussel is not sexually dimorphic; the sexes appear the same. The shell is somewhat rounded or oval, up to 112 millimetres (4.4 in) long by 60 millimetres (2.4 in) wide by 87 millimetres (3.4 in) high. The shell is brown or black, lustrous and iridescent. The nacre is part pink and part white or bluish.
References
- ^ Cummings, K. & Cordeiro, J. (2011). "Arcidens wheeleri". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011. IUCN: e.T2114A9250119. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T2114A9250119.en. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ "Arcidens wheeleri". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ USFWS. Arkansia wheeleri Recovery Plan. March 2004.
- USFWS. Final rule to list the Ouachita rock-pocketbook (mussel) as an endangered species. Federal Register October 23, 1991.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Arcidens wheeleri | |
| Arkansia wheeleri | |
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