About Lampsilis cardium Rafinesque, 1820
Lampsilis cardium Rafinesque, 1820 is a species of freshwater mussel in the Unionidae family, which is the group commonly called river mussels. Its common name is the plain pocketbook. The species is native and widespread across eastern North America, occurring in the Mississippi River and Great Lakes drainage systems. All mussels in the Unionidae family rely on the gills, fins, or skin of host fish to obtain nutrients during their larval glochidia stage. In Lampsilis cardium, the inner surfaces of the mussel's mantle flaps have longitudinal stripes that make the flaps resemble small fish of the genus Notropis. When a striking predatory fish, especially Micropterus coosae, attacks and ruptures these mimetic flaps, the mussel's larvae are released into the host fish's gills. There, the larvae feed and complete their development.
