Winged Mapleleaf Mussel (Quadrula fragosa) Recovery Plan

摘要

The winged mapleleaf mussel is an endangered species. Endangered species are animals and plants that are in danger of becoming extinct. Threatened species are animals and plants that are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. Identifying, protecting and restoring endangered and threatened species is the primary objective of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's endangered species program. Winged mapleleaf mussels grow up to four inches long. They have thick shells that are greenish brown, chestnut, or dark brown in color. Their shell, like that of a few other native freshwater mussel species, has several rows of bumps running from the hinge (umbo) to the edge of the shell. The patterns of these rows of bumps, or tubercles, help biologists differentiate this from other, similar mussel species. Faint rays are visible in small shells. The range of the winged mapleleaf once included 13 states where it was found in large rivers and streams that flow into the Mississippi River and in one river that flows into the Missouri River. Today it is only found in the St. Croix River on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin.