Lampsilis cardium is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of freshwater mussel, an 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 mollusk in the family Unionidae

Unionidae

Unionidae is a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionoida, the bivalve mollusks sometimes known as river mussels, naiads, or simply as unionids.The range of distribution for this family is world-wide...

, the river mussels.

Distribution

This species is widespread in eastern North America. It is native to much of the drainage if the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

 drainage system, and other smaller lake systems in the north.

Reproduction

All Unionidae are known to use the gills, fins, or skin of a host fish for nutrients during the larval glochidia stage. Lampsilis cardium accomplishes this by having the inner sides of its mantle flaps marked with longitudinal stripes, resembling a Notropis

Notropis

Notropis, commonly known as the eastern shiners or simply "shiners", is a genus of cyprinid fish found in North America, and is the second largest genus of freshwater fish on the continent. Most small minnows found in North American belong to Notropis. Not all small cyprinids commonly referred...

shiner. When these are attacked and ruptured by a striking predator fish, the Lampsilis cardium larvae is released into the gills of the host fish where they will feed until development.