 Status: Formerly common in the Hackensack River and known from the
Delaware River watershed, M. margaritifera today may be extirpated from the
Hackensack River and is rare everywhere else in the metro area; it is apparently
extirpated from New York State within the metro area, although still present in
several other NY localities. It may remain common in restricted mountain stream habitats in
the Appalachians (Strayer, 1994).
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Species Summary
 Margaritifera margaritifera (Linneaus, 1758)
eastern pearlshell
Features:
size:150mm
beak: coarse, concentric sculpture
color patterns: no color rays
shape: elongate, sub-elliptical, ventral margin often arched dorsally
shell features: periostracum dark brown to black, series of small muscle attachment
scars across a broad area of interior nacre
teeth: strong pseudocardinals, laterals absent
Status:
abundance: rare
status: US, NY, NJ: not legally protected; CT: special concern
IUCN: endangered
Distribution:
N.A. distribution: New England maritimes to Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania
present metro distribution: NY: not known; NJ: Hackensack River (lower Hudson
River watershed); CT: Housatonic River watershed, Southwest coast watershed Map
other regional localities: NY: Hudson River watershed, Southern Adirondacks,
northeastern Lake Ontario watershed, Oswego watershed, St Lawrence River watershed;
NJ: not present; CT: lower Connecticut River watershed
historical localities: NY: Richelieu River watershed, upper Delaware River watershed;
CT: Thames River watershed, South central and Southeast coast watersheds
Life History:
habitat: cold, nutrient-poor, soft-water streams with moderate to fast flow; substrate fine,
firm sand, gravel or cobble Habitat Photo
hosts: Hucho hucho (Linneaus, 1758) huchen; Oncorhynchus clarki (Richardson, 1836)
cuthroat trout; Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792) coho salmon; Onchorynchus nerka
(Walbaum, 1792) sockeye salmon; Onchorynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum, 1792) chinook
salmon; Onchorynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792) rainbow trout; Phoxinus phoxinus
(Linneaus, 1758) Eurasian minnow; Rhodeus sericeus (Pallas, 1776) bitterling; Salmo salar
(Linnaeus, 1758) Atlantic salmon; Salmo trutta (Linnaeus, 1758) brown trout; Salvelinus
fontinalis (Mitchill, 1814) brook trout
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New York Metropolitan Region and New Jersey
Freshwater Mussel Identification Handbook
