The following lists were compiled by Kevin Cummings, Alison Stodola, Jeremy Tiemann, and Rachel Vinsel. Distributional data taken from Cummings (1991), Cummings and Mayer (1992), Cummings et al. (1997), Sneen et al. (2009), Tiemann et al. (2013), Stodola et al. (2014), Tiemann et al. (2017), and Stodola et al. (2021). Taxonomy for Unionoida follows Williams et al. (2017), except for most taxonomic updates since the publication.
Special status includes:
- ST – State Threatened
- SE – State Endangered
- FT – Federally Threatened
- FE – Federally Endangered
- X – Extirpated
- (†) – Extinct
- SGCN – Species in Greatest Conservation Need (Illinois Wildlife Action Plan)
- W – Watch Llist (Illinois Wildlife Action Plan)
- I – introduced/non-native
Class Bivalvia
Order Unionoida – Freshwater Mussels (82 species)
Family Margaritiferidae (1 species)
Family Unionidae (81 species)
Alasmidonta viridis (Rafinesque, 1820) – Slippershell SGCN
Anodontoides ferussacianus (Lea, 1834) – Cylindrical Papershell
Amblema plicata (Say, 1817) – Threeridge
Arcidens confragosus (Say, 1829) – Rock Pocketbook SGCN
Epioblasma rangiana (Lea, 1838) – Northern Riffleshell SE, FE
Epioblasma sampsonii (Lea, 1861) – Wabash Riffleshell (†), X
Epioblasma torulosa (Rafinesque, 1820) – Tubercled Blossom FE, X
Epioblasma triquetra (Rafinesque, 1820) – Snuffbox SE, FE
Eurynia dilatata Rafinesque, 1820 – Spike SE
Fusconaia flava (Rafinesque, 1820) – Wabash Pigtoe
Fusconaia subrotunda (Lea, 1831) – Longsolid X
Hemistena lata (Rafinesque, 1820) – Cracking Pearlymussel FE, X
Lampsilis abrupta (Say, 1831) – Pink Mucket SE, FE
Lampsilis cardium Rafinesque, 1820 – Plain Pocketbook
Lampsilis fasciola Rafinesque, 1820 – Wavyrayed Lampmussel SE
Lampsilis higginsii (Lea, 1857) – Higgin’s Eye SE, FE
Lampsilis hydiana (Lea, 1838) – Louisiana Fatmucket SGCN
Lampsilis ovata (Say, 1817) – Pocketbook SGCN
Lampsilis siliquoidea (Barnes, 1823) – Fatmucket
Lampsilis teres (Rafinesque, 1820) – Yellow Sandshell
Lasmigona complanata (Barnes, 1823) – White Heelsplitter
Lasmigona compressa (Lea, 1829) – Creek Heelsplitter SGCN
Lasmigona costata (Rafinesque, 1820) – Flutedshell SGCN
Leaunio lienosa (Conrad, 1834) – Little Spectaclecase SGCN
Leptodea fragilis (Rafinesque, 1820) – Fragile Papershell
Leptodea leptodon (Rafinesque, 1820) – Scaleshell SE FE
Ligumia recta (Lamarck, 1819) – Black Sandshell SGCN
Megalonaias nervosa (Rafinesque, 1820) – Washboard
Obliquaria reflexa Rafinesque, 1820 – Threehorn Wartyback
Obovaria olivaria (Rafinesque, 1820) – Hickorynut
Obovaria retusa (Lamarck, 1819) – Ring Pink FE, X
Obovaria subrotunda (Rafinesque, 1820) – Round Hickorynut X
Order Venerioda
Family Sphaeriidae – Fingernail Clams (27 species)
Pisidium adamsi Prime, 1852 – Adam Peaclam
Pisidium casertanum (Poli, 1791) – Ubiquitous Peaclam
Pisidium compressum Prime, 1852 – Ridged-beak Peaclam
Pisidium conventus Clessin, 1877 – Alpine Peaclam
Pisidium cruciatum Sterki, 1895 – Ornamented Peaclam
Pisidium dubium (Say, 1817) – Greater Eastern Peaclam
Pisidium equilaterale Prime, 1852 – Round Peaclam
Pisidium fallax Sterki, 1896 – River Peaclam
Pisidium ferrugineum Prime, 1852 – Rusty Peaclam
Pisidium idahoense Roper, 1890 – Giant Northern Peaclam
Pisidium lilljeborgi (Clessin, 1886) – Lilljeborg Peaclam
Pisidium nitidum Jenyns, 1832 – Shiny Peaclam
Pisidium punctatum Sterki, 1895 – Perforated Peaclam
Pisidium punctiferum (Guppy, 1867) – Striate Peaclam
Pisidium rotundatum Prime, 1852 – Fat Peaclam
Pisidium variabile Prime, 1852 – Triangular Peaclam
Pisidium walkeri Sterki, 1895 – Walker Peaclam
Sphaerium fabale (Prime, 1852) – River Fingernail Clam
Sphaerium lacustre (Müller, 1774) – Lake Fingernail Clam
Sphaerium occidentale (Lewis, 1856) – Herrington Fingernail Clam
Sphaerium partumeium (Say, 1822) – Swamp Fingernail Clam
Sphaerium rhomboideum (Say, 1822) – Rhomboid Fingernail Clam
Sphaerium securis (Prime, 1852) – Pond Fingernail Clam
Sphaerium simile (Say, 1817) – Grooved Fingernail Clam
Sphaerium striatinum (Lamarck, 1818) – Striated Fingernail Clam
Sphaerium transversum (Say, 1829) – Long Fingernail Clam
Family Corbiculidae (3 species)
Corbicula largillierti (Phillipi, 1844) / Form B I
Corbicula sp. / (Form D) I
Family Dreissenidae (2 species)
Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771) – Zebra Mussel I
Literature Cited
Cummings, K.S. 1991. The aquatic Mollusca of Illinois. Pp. 429-439 in L.M. Page and M.R. Jeffords, eds. Our living heritage: The biological resources of Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 34(4):357-477.
Cummings, K.S. and C.A. Mayer. 1992. Field guide to freshwater mussels of the Midwest. Illinois Natural History Survey, Manual 5. 194 pp.
Cummings, K.S., and C.A. Mayer. 1997. Distributional checklist and status of Illinois freshwater mussels (Mollusca: Unionacea). Pp. 129-145 in K.S. Cummings, A.C. Buchanan, C.A. Mayer, and T.J. Naimo, eds. Conservation and management of freshwater mussels II: Initiatives for the future. Proceedings of a UMRCC Symposium, 16-18 October 1995, St. Louis Missouri. Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois. 293 pp.
Sneen, M. E., K. S. Cummings, T. Minarik, Jr., and J. Wasik. 2009. The discovery of the nonindigenous, Mottled Fingernail Clam, Eupera cubensis (Prime, 1865) (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae) in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (Illinois River Drainage), Cook County, Illinois. Journal of Great Lakes Research 35:627-629.
Stodola, A.P., S.A. Douglass, and D.K. Shasteen. 2014. Historical and current distributions of freshwater mussels in Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Technical Report 2014(37). 82 pp.
Sodola, A.P., C. Lydeard, J.T. Lamer, S.A. Douglass, K.S. Cummings, and D. Campbell. 2021. Hiding in plain sight: genetic confirmation of putative Louisiana Fatmucket Lampsilis hydiana (Mollusca: Unionidae) in Illinois. Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation 24:59-86.
Tiemann, J.S., K.S. Cummings, and J.E. Schwegman. 2013. First occurrence of the Bankclimber Plectomerus dombeyanus (Valenciennes, 1827) (Mollusca: Unionidae) in Illinois. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 106:1-2.
Tiemann, J.S., A.E. Haponski, S.A. Douglass, T. Lee, K.S. Cummings, M.A. Davis, and D. ÓFoighil. 2017. First record of a putative novel invasive Corbicula lineage discovered in the Illinois River, Illinois, USA. BioInvasions Records 6:159-166.
Williams, J.D., A.E. Bogan, R.S. Butler, K.S. Cummings, J.T. Garner, J.L. Harris. N.A. Johnson, and G.T. Watters. 2017. A Revised List of the Freshwater Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionida) of the United States and Canada. Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation 20: 33-58.