Morphological and morphometrical description of the glochidia of Westralunio carteri Iredale, 1934 (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Hyriidae)

作者：Klunzinger Michael W^*; Thomson Gordon J; Beatty Stephen J; Morgan David L; Lymbery Alan J

来源：Molluscan Research, 2013, 33(2): 104-109.

DOI：10.1080/13235818.2013.782791

• larval tooth
• functional anatomy
• Carter%26apos
• s freshwater mussel
• Velesunioninae
• Palaeoheterodonta

Most freshwater mussel (Bivalvia: Unionoida) larvae (glochidia in Margaritiferidae, Hyriidae and Unionidae) are fish parasites. Knowledge of the larval morphology and the mechanism of release in freshwater mussels is useful in species systematics and ecology. Westralunio carteri is the only unionoid from south-western Australia. Little information is available on its biology and its glochidia have never been described. The aim of this study was to describe the glochidia of W. carteri and method of their release. Glochidia within vitelline membranes were embedded in mucus which extruded from exhalent siphons of females during spring/summer; they then hatched from vitelline membranes but remained tethered by a larval thread and began characteristically %26quot;winking%26quot;. Shells (n = 120) were subtriangular, 308 mu m long (+/- 0.83 SE), 251 mu m high (+/- 0.73 SE) and had a hinge length of 212 mu m (+/- 0.78 SE). Larval teeth were singular with interlocking cusps and convex or concave basal protuberances on opposing valves.

• 出版日期2013