Little known, but hauntingly beautiful and valuable to the environment as well, clams and mussels inhabit many Nebraska lakes and rivers. In the first survey of the entire Platte River, the authors found 11 species. We surveyed mollusks (clams and snails) of the Platte River during the summers of 1990 and 1991. With the exception of the Big Bend reach of the river in Dawson, Buffalo, and Hall counties, no mussels were found in the river\u27s main channel. But in backwaters, lakes and sand-pits along the river, we found 11 species of mussels at 49 different sites from east to west across the state. Among them we found the Asiatic clam, a non-native, pest species, for the first time in the state, placing it several hundred miles west of the present eastern population of eastern Iowa and Missour

Freeman, Patricia W.

Perkins, Keith

English

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska State Museum Museum, University of Nebraska State April 1994 Water-Nymphs of the Platte Patricia W. Freeman University of Nebraska-Lincoln, pfreeman1@unl.edu Keith Perkins Sioux Falls College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/museummammalogy  Part of the Zoology Commons Freeman, Patricia W. and Perkins, Keith, "Water-Nymphs of the Platte" (1994). Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska State Museum. 35. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/museummammalogy/35 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Museum, University of Nebraska State at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska State Museum by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. WATER-NYMPHS OF THE PLATTE Little known, but hauntingly bewut2bl and valuabk to the eauironmmt as well, clams and mussels inhabit many Nebrash lakes and rdvem. In the first survey of the entire Phtte Rivw, the authors found I 1  species. T he ancient Greeks and Rmans believed that water-nymphs, deities they called naiads, lived in, gave life to and paphated springs, rivers and lakes. Scientists later gave the name "water-nymph" or "naiad" to the freshwater clams called mussels, since like the mythological water-nymphs, they protect the water in which they live, Mussels, as it hrms out, ate excellent indicators of a body of water's health because they filter and clean the water, so keeping track of how many mussels are present and where they are is inprtmt. We surveyed mollusks (clams and snails) of the PMe River during the sum- mers of 1990 m d  1991. With the exception of the Big B d  reach of the river in Dawson, Buffalo d Hall counties, no mussels were found in the river's main chamel. But in backwaters, lakes and sandpits along the river, we found 11 species of mussels at 49 diEerent sites from east to west across the state. Among hem we found the Asiatic clam, a non-native, pest species, fur the fmt time in the state, placing it several hundred miles west of the present eastern population of eastern Iowa and Missouri Nonnally there is greater diversity of naiad species towad the mouth of a river, but this is not the case in the Plattc. We believe there art at least two reasons for this. first, there are fewer k k w m  and generally less diversity of habitat in the Plane from the mouth upstream to the Big Bend reach in Hall County. Second, them is more human activity east of Hidl County, e.spe&lly from Columbus and Fremont on to the mouth. Human activities increase the mud, toxins and organic compwtds accumulating in the river, and the water has less distance in which to cleanse itself before it reaches fhe mouth. Other msons might include a sampling bias since it was difficult to get permission to sample private Iakes and sandpits near the river on the eastern section. The clase asissociation between naiads and fish might offer a third explanation for the lack of diversity. Althougb lam$ naiads can be free-swimming, most requiire a b e -  to six-week parasitic atmchent on tbe gills, skin or fins of a host fish, probably for tmqmt. Some spies of naiads will parasitize only specific species of fish (with little hann to the host), but o t h s  attach to my number of dif- ferent host fish. Naiads may not be present in a particular part of a river because a suitable host fish is not present. Phk heel-splitter { P W u s  okicllsk) A Ithough there is scant information on early survey- ing of mussels on the Platte, it does appear that Samuel Aughey collected snails on the Platte for a report in 1877 to the U.S. Department of the Interior. He reported no mussels cuming fm the Platte but did list certain species in '*all streams in Nebraska," "all tributaries of the Missouri in Nebraska," "all streams in eastern Nebraska" and "all the Nebraska Rivers." We have no idea of the abundance or rarity of mussels in the Platte then, but we assume at least some of the 11 species we see today were present. AIl specimens we found are being cwated and housed ~t the University of Nebraska State Museum and wiIl serve as the benchmark study against which f u t u ~  surveys and monitoring of the mollusks of the Platte can be compared. For comparison, we surveyed a stretch of the Missouri from Child's Point in Bellevue downstream to Plattsmouth. The Child's Wit site is a historically important Native American site where mollusks were abundant and regularly consumed. No mussels were found in this stretch of the Missouri. The Big Bend reach has greater diversity of habitat with its channels, backwaters and sandpits. West of this m a  we may be seeing the natural decrease of diversity as we move away from the mouth of the river as well as the western extent of known ranges for many of these animals, which have an eastern continental distribution. Clams feed by filtering particles such as algae, protozoans and detritus out of the water with their gills. They clean our water and are food for furbearers such as minks, muskrats and raccoons. Surely they are an impor- tant part of our biodiversity. Can we afford to lose these hard-shelled water-nymphs from our springs, lakes and rivers because of pollutants or siltation? Pink W-sptitter, PoWdus olriends (below and page 14). Les than seven inches across. Giant floater,Asordortfa gm& gm& (above right). Up to seven inches across. W e  divided the 11 qecfes of nutadr into two gmu@ based on abundance. Fjm are consihed uridqpread and abundant, and the remining six are mrer. In the widfisp'ead cutegoty ape the giant floater {Anodonta grandis grandis) and the white bed-splitter (Lasmigona compIanata), both wry tolevant of a d m e  envCmnmenlal conditions and substrates. lBey can ke as lave as- inches a c m .  WVma it iprhabits rim, the gfantjlouterprefeers quiet mter witb a mud or mud-and-gravel subshwte. It also will adapt to l a b  mvimnmmts and k common in Lake McConutiRhy. Th wbite W-splitter b t~$&ally found in &IS with large-t$w chamcterfstiics, ~ m e f y  rfvers that are siuggish and turbid witb mud w mud-andtgmd bottoms. Almost as large is tbepid kl-splitter Poturnttus obiemis), which is e-nding its rwnge and increasing in n u m k .  It is a known colonizer of nhw sections that baw been ddged. i%isspecies ptyfm sbalkw water wirb a good c u m t  but tbriues in a ~ & t y  of subshwtes. All tbm $nixies bate broad cowinentaZ dtsMbutions and an? abundant. White heekpWer, Losdgomz eoaAplaAolo. Up to seven in- acmes, In conmh the maple-Iedf m-2 (Quadnrb quadrula), the most abundant mussel in tbe Pkatteproper, & a a s p  on tbe western e&e of a more eastern continental dfsMbution. B is  a thick-shelled mussel and one ofpottenticJ commercial wlue fwpearls and buttons. It crm grow t m  i n c k  A, MWWmuseti fauor lavge rim and with latlge- rim cbaracmistfcs, bza it a h  can adapt to 1- whew conditions a m  a p p r e e .  It  inhabits clear or turbid nbem with substrates ranging from small to medium gmml or m b  with or without mud in betwen. Maple-leaf m u d  (Qdmla qua&ukr). Up to live inches across. Cylindrical paper shell (Anodontu&s~&ud). Up to four inches acmss. firtding tbe @indtidp@er sbd (Anodontoides femcsacdanus) soas some wbat of a su-e becaw it was not e @ e c t e d t o b e a s ~ d ~ U f s .  lBts species is d e r  (up to four fncbss) and fs  &ly an inbabftant of smaU wkq par- ticulady of clean, baadmzter stmams, small streurns or clear, unpoUuted hes. ThP specias is  abundant in :be Big Bend reacb parffculady tbe south cbannel in Hall Cmn- ty, l?asswy St?@ in Bt&lalo County and the Willow Island a m .  I n  tbe mrer ciabegmy are six species #5atJor one reawn or another- substrate, CdWbutiolaal extreme, antic specks- are taot us c o m m .  fiepond horn shell (Unhwms tetrahams), wbicb gmm tojbur incbes, is a trtdepmirle spacfes mthund broadly o w  the United States. As a pi& gwcies it is&qwnt& found in tbe lalaes a d  streams in the eastern part oftbe sure, and m found it in tbe mutb channel of the Pltatte. A I t k g b  not sburadant, it &probably boIding its o m  as a species typkal of tkis area. It bus been listed by at least one autbor in Mhoun' as mdcangered. Its p r e f d  kabituts are mud- Worn  lakes or tbe quiet water of doughs a d  oxbows and the pooh of d m  and streams. Anotk four-incbq &ebeprperpod s b e ~  { ~ n h h  imbecil&) i s  a tbin-shelled rn-1 that thrives in so3 substmte wbere it d i r y  a&p& to apond or lake environment. Ifa rivers itfamts qukt backwaters with a mbstmte rangingjhrn sajady to muddy. Along the Platte It b d  to reach greater numbas in l a b  but bfbund fn backwaters almg tbe Big W reach. gtbere is a rnuss~t that cranes could ea& it muki be this speciq because of its thin sbeIi, In lakoes it curs be dug up by the band$dsfirrm the mud. Pond horn shell (Unbwrus tetr&mm). Up to four la&= Paper pond &ell (AnodoRta ibsdlfr). Up to four iuches amass. APRIL 1994 Asiotie Clam (Codiicdu-). Onetotwofnchesacn#& Fr*k beel-splitkr (Lsptodeafrrr~) .  Up to six inches across A tough-sbellea, -8 mtcssel, tk Aslatic clbm (Co&c&fltlmi~) foundfir tbefitst time in tbe state in lakes irt Lumater COU* and in C o d  Canal irz &won County. lBis one- to two-inch naiad is an intmducedpest species known to clog pipes and injgution canals, and it grows abundaPrtty In thertnalplumes assodated witb powerpkanrs. ?Be Asiatic clam i s  e d y  tmqorted in minnow buck& in tbe~9-w-swimming karualstage and hes not nesd to rely on a bwtj%b. Itsjlesb is is bp bubumanrjtw food andjish hit. It tbrim in a wide wrisry of habitats, but seems to prefm a suktmte of small to medium-size, sta& g n w l  i~ swip water. It also dim well in Wes. Neb+& qei3men.s are the westemmt of the eusfempopktion, wbase chest members are in astern l o w  and centmZMkouri. N* w i ~  a r e p d ~ b l y  too co,idJbr tbis gwcies, but i t s p m e  sboutd be monitomd. we a h  eapxted tom tbe Lagc (up to sewn incbes8, htfficlputp& beI-splitw (Potatnilus akatscs) in putw numbers tban we did. mtpk beel-splitter is mrmsUy found in medium to large rim and, akbough &m abundant, it i s  ~ e t y  udthpwd. Purpk hee-@itrerp'efim a l m t  any subshwte in slow to sq@y m ' n g  wter  a~rd will &pt to kak or riw-&ake conditions. Contimnkaily, its d M W n  is  north, sot& and east of N*. Our only record t s h m  Sebmmm AquWumponds in Satpy County, iactuuUy an a r i i i l  sUuation. Wby tbfs spe&s was notJbsrvad In the Platte should be inmt$gated. PcmMm W; F f w m &  curator uf zoology ~xl at Urtiwrm 4 ? f M  State k m m ,  d RcM k & ~ I # & t c ~ ~ ~ ~  S i m  Pa& CdIegein ShmFa&, Swrtlr D d m .  wish fonhank #kc US. Fbk d>-S-'cc a d  US. Smtw Mkmyir r  ~ a ~ ~ ~ t h k s ~ ~ ~ w f s ~  in thestwe. w i i l h m , ~ &  khniepd MSf at rk m w ~ i s n o w ~ n a l l c a d i a n A k g ~ p r ~ r g m i A  & i r l t ~ d  a tk I& #@bu U n i d   in ~ ~ M , M ~ *  

Water-Nymphs of the Platte

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Water-Nymphs of the Platte

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