Margaritiferidae
Encyclopedia
Margaritiferidae is a family
of medium-sized freshwater mussels, aquatic
bivalve mollusks in the order Unionoida
. They are known as freshwater pearl mussels, because they are capable of producing pearl
s.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of medium-sized freshwater mussels, aquatic
Aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
bivalve mollusks in the order Unionoida
Unionoida
Unionoida is an order of freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve mollusks. The order includes most of the larger freshwater mussels, including the freshwater pearl mussels...
. They are known as freshwater pearl mussels, because they are capable of producing pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
s.
Genera within the family Margaritiferidae
- CumberlandiaCumberlandiaCumberlandia is a genus of bivalve in the Margaritiferidae family.It contains the following species:* spectacle case pearly mussel...
Ortmann, 1912 - MargaritiferaMargaritiferaMargaritifera is a genus of freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the family Margaritiferidae, the freshwater pearl mussels.-Species:Species within the genus Margaritifera include:...
Schumacher, 1816 - Pseudunio
- Ptychorhynchus
- Heudeana
- Margaritanopsis
- Shepmania
- Ctenodesma