Malacology Collection
Approximately 75,000 marine and freshwater shell specimens. The term Malacology is the branch of Invertebrate Zoology that deals with mollusks, including mussels, clams, snails, limpets, and other related organisms.
Interested in visiting the collection, obtaining more information on our holdings, or making a loan request? Contact the Collections Manager of Invertebrate Zoology.
Freshwater Mollusks
Due to loss of habitat, over-harvesting, and the invasion of non-native species (including the zebra mussel), freshwater mussels (Unionidae) are one of the most threatened groups of animals in North America. Our collection contains many specimens that represent an historical record of unionid mussels in the United States. Some specimens are over 100 years old, and represent a time when human impacts to the environment were far less than what we see today.
A listing of Unionoida at the Museum can be found in: Heiser, J. D., R. Bowers, and J. B. Keiper. 2002. List of freshwater mussels (Unionoida) at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Kirtlandia 53: 27-34.
The following list represents the species of freshwater mussels in the Museum collection.
Taxa held in the collection:
MARGARITIFERIDAE (MARGARITIFERINAE)
Margaritifera falcata (Gould, 1850)
M. margaritifera (Linneaus,1758)
M. marrianae (Johnson, 1983)
UNIONIDAE (ANODONTINAE)
Alasmidonta heterodon (Lea, 1830)
A. marginata (Say, 1818)
A. undulata (Say, 1817)
A. varicosa (Lamarck, 1819)
A. viridis (Rafinesque, 1820)
Anodonta californiensis (Lea, 1852)
A. nuttalliana (Lea, 1838)
A. suborbiculata (Say, 1831)
Anodontoides ferussacianus (Lea, 1834)
Arcidens confragosus (Say, 1829)
Lasmigona complanata (Barnes, 1823)
L. compressa (Lea, 1829)
L. costata (Rafinesque, 1820)
L. subviridis (Conrad, 1835)
Pyganodon cataracta cataracta (Say, 1817)
P. c. marginata (Say, 1817)
P. grandis grandis (Say, 1829)
Simpsonaias ambigua (Say, 1825)
Strophitis undulatus tennesseensis (Frierson, 1927)
S. u. undulatus (Say, 1817)
Utterbackia imbecillis (Say, 1829)
AMBLEMIDAE (AMBLEMINAE)
Amblema plicata plicata (Say, 1817)
Canthyria collina (Conrad, 1837)
C. spinosa (Lea, 1836)
Cyclonaias tuberculata (Rafinesque, 1820)
Elliptio buckleyi complex (Lea, 1843)
E. complanata (Lightfoot, 1786)
E. congarea (Lea, 1831)
E. crassidens crassidens (Lamarck, 1819)
E. dilatata (Rafinesque, 1820)
E. downlei (Lea, 1858)
E. fisheriana (Lea, 1838)
E. fisheriana complex (Lea, 1838)
E. hopetonensis (Lea, 1838)
E. lanceolata (Lea, 1828)
Fusconaia ebena (Lea, 1831)
F. flava (Rafinesque, 1820)
F. maculata maculata (Rafinesque, 1820)
Gonidea angulata (Lea, 1838)
Hemistena lata (Rafinesque, 1820)
Lexingtonia dolabelloides (Lea, 1840)
Megalonaias boykiniana (Lea, 1840)
M. nervosa (Rafinesque, 1820)
Plectomerus dombeyana (Valenciennes, 1827)
Plethobasus cicatricosus (Say, 1829)
P. cyphus (Rafinesque, 1820)
P. striatus (Rafinesque, 1820)
Pleurobema clava (Lamarck, 1819)
P. cordatum (Rafinesque, 1820)
P. plenum (Lea, 1840)
P. rubrum (Rafinesque, 1820)
P. sintoxia (Rafinesque, 1820)
Quadrula apiculata apiculata (Say, 1829)
Q. asperata asperata (Lea, 1861)
Q. cylindrica cylindrica (Say, 1817)
Q. metanevra (Rafinesque, 1820)
Q. nodulata (Rafinesque, 1820)
Q. pustulosa pustulosa (Lea, 1831)
Q. quadrula (Rafinesque, 1820)
Tritogonia verrucosa (Rafinesque, 1820)
Uniomerus tetralasmus (Say, 1831)
AMBLEMIDAE (LAMPSILINAE)
Actinonaias ligamentina ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819)
A. l. orbis (Morrison, 1942)
Cyprogenia aberti (Conrad, 1850)
C. stegaria (Rafinesque, 1820)
Ellipsaria lineolata (Rafinesque, 1820)
Epioblasma biemarginata (Lea, 1857)
E. brevidens (Lea, 1831)
E. rangiana (Lea, 1838)
E. torulosa torulosa (Rafinesque, 1820)
E. triquetra (Rafinesque, 1820)
Glebula rotundata (Lamarck, 1819)
Lampsilis cariosa (Say, 1817)
L. dolabraeformis (Lea, 1830)
L. fasciola (Rafinesque, 1820)
L. ovata (Say, 1817)
L. radiata hydiana (Lea, 1838)
L. r. luteola (Lamarck, 1819)
L. r. radiata (Gmelin, 1791)
L. satura (Lea, 1852)
L. splendida (Lea, 1838)
L. teres teres (Rafinesque, 1820)
L. ventricosa (Barnes, 1823)
Leptodea fragilis (Rafinesque, 1820)
L. leptodon (Rafinesque, 1820)
L. ochracea (Say, 1817)
Ligumia nasuta (Say, 1817)
L. recta (Lamarck, 1819)
Obliquaria reflexa (Rafinesque, 1820)
Obovaria olivaria (Rafinesque, 1820)
O. retusa (Lamarck, 1819)
O. subrotunda (Rafinesque, 1820)
Potamilus alatus (Say, 1817)
P. amphichaenus (Frierson, 1898)
P. purpuratus (Lamarck, 1819)
Ptychobranchus fasciolaris (Rafinesque, 1820)
P. greeni (Conrad, 1834)
P. occidentalis (Conrad, 1836)
P. subtentum (Say, 1825)
Toxolasma paulus (Lea, 1840)
T. parvus (Barnes, 1823)
Truncilla donaciformis (Lea, 1828)
T. truncata (Rafinesque, 1820)
Villosa amygdala (Lea, 1843)
V. fabalis (Lea, 1831)
V. iris iris (Lea, 1829)
HYRIIDAE (HYRIINAE)
Diplodon charruanus (d'Orbigny, 1835)
The late Museum Associate John D. Heiser and volunteers Nancy Heiser and Les Hileman systematically arranged and computer databased more than 50,000 specimens. They conducted these efforts from 1992 to 2004 – The Museum greatly appreciates their commitment to building an important accessible collection!