52 



MUSSEL FAUNA OF MAUMEE EIVEE. 



plaitings. The female shells are more or less inflated and pro- 

 duced postero-ventrally, so that the ventral outline is somewhat 

 arched. 



Generally speaking, the color of the nacre is variable in this 

 species ; in some localities many of the shells are pink or purple. The 

 great majority of the shells in the Maumee Basin are white, though 

 the cardinal teeth may be pinkish, pinkish-purple, or purple. Coty- 

 laspis is a frequent, and At ax an occasional, parasite. In a number 

 of examples the nacre near the cardinal teeth was black and diseased. 

 L. rectus reaches quite a large size in this basin ; the largest example 

 was 172 millimeters long and the dry shell weighed 375 grams. 



On account of its relative scarcity the value of this species as now 

 occurring in the river would not amount to much. It is, however, the 

 most valuable indigenous species so far as price per ton of shell is 

 concerned. In luster it is not greatly inferior to L, anodontoides^ the 

 most valuable of the fresh-water mussels. Its elongate form makes 

 it as well suited to the manufacture of knife handles as L. anodon- 

 toides and for pocket knives the purple or pink nacred shells would 

 not be so objectionable as in the manufacture of buttons, so that the 

 advantage the other species has lies chiefly in the attractive color of 

 its skin. At Grand Rapids we were told that a price of $40 per ton 

 was offered for these shells. As this species lives under widely dif- 

 ferent conditions, such as rivers, canals, and even lakes and ponds 

 (though it is usually dwarfed in lakes) , it would be one of the most, 

 if not the most, promising species with which to attempt artificial 

 propagation in the Maumee. 



29. Lampsilis Ugamentinus (Lamarck). Mucket. This is by all 

 means the most common shell in the Maumee Basin, occurring so 

 frequently in the river that it would be both needless and tedious to 

 go into details. At Fort Wayne it was common in all three rivers — 

 the St. Marys, St. Joseph, and the Maumee — and in the bed of the 

 feeder canal. It formed the great mass of the 25 tons of shells col- 

 lected by the clammers at the head of the Maumee. At Fort Wayne 

 it reached its maximum development, and though not actually im- 

 mense, it was quite large and heavy, as heavy indeed as could be 

 worked up profitably. The shells decrease in size as we go down the 

 river, so that those in the middle portion are of only medium size. 

 Those in the Auglaize Eiver were fairly large. Although L. Uga- 

 mentinus was found at most of the points examined for the whole 

 length of the river, it became scarcer and showed a tendency to dis- 

 appear from the lower stretches. It was not conunon in the second 

 stretch of canal, though a few were seen in the canal bed below the 

 dam at the very end of the trip. Only a small portion of the great 

 number seen were taken ; however, we saved 282 examples. A number 

 of the shells were measured and weighed, of which the largest was 



