Recovery plan for freshwater mussels in southeast Kansas I. INTRODUCTION This recovery plan addresses the recovery needs viridis), snuffbox (Epioblasma triquetra), and winged of four freshwater mussel species native to the mapleleaf (Quadrula fragosa) (Couch 1997, Ober- Neosho, Spring, and Verdigris river basins (Arkansas meyer et al. 1997a, Bleam et al. 1998). River system) in southeast Kansas. These mussels are Reasons for protecting the state's rich diversity the Neosho mucket (Lampsilis rafinesqueana), of freshwater mussels are numerous. Because mussels Ouachita kidneyshell (Ptychobranchus occidentalis), are filter feeders, they contribute to water quality by rabbitsfoot (Quadrula cylindrica cylindrica), and removing suspended particles of sediment and detri- western fanshell (Cyprogenia aberti). Beginning in tus. According to Allen (1914), an average-sized 1986, these species received legal protection by mussel can filter over eight gallons of water during a KDWP under the authority of the state's Nongame 24 h period. In high-density mussel beds, the filtering and Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1975. effect of thousands of mussels is ecologically signifi- Their listing status was upgraded in 1992 from SINC cant. Let’s consider a high density mussel bed in the (species in need of conservation) to Threatened Verdigris River near Syracuse, Montgomery County, (Ouachita kidneyshell) and Endangered (Neosho which has been estimated to harbor from ~125,000 to mucket, rabbitsfoot, and western fanshell) (K.A.R. over 300,000 individuals in a 300 m stretch of riffle 115-15-1 and 115-15-2). habitat (Miller 1999a). Between 500,000 to This plan, as governed by K.A.R. 115-15-4, out- 1,000,000 gallons of water may be siphoned1 each day lines specific strategies and methods to recover and by mussels at this site, assuming optimal water tem- eventually delist these four mussel species. The plan peratures. During a typical summer-time flow of 50 also provides a process of conserving 14 additional cubic feet/sec, roughly 1.5 to 4% of the river’s flow state-listed mussel species (Table 1) that occur in may be filtered at any given moment by mussels at southeast Kansas. just this one site. Mussels are an important food source for aquatic A. OVERVIEW OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS and terrestrial animals. Furbearers such as the rac- The world's greatest diversity of freshwater mus- coon, muskrat, and otter feed extensively on mussels. sels (Unionoida) is concentrated in North America, Many fish species also benefit because filter-feeding with approximately 300 species and subspecies mussels discard undigested food in strands of mucus. (Turgeon et al. 1998). Freshwater bivalves have been This material is fed upon by other stream inverte- around for a long time, dating back to the late Devo- brates that are, in turn, fed upon by fishes. nian Period (Gray 1988). Unfortunately, the rich his- The shells of mussels are an economic resource. torical mussel fauna of North America has recently Currently, the monkeyface (Quadrula metanevra), become seriously jeopardized. In fact, freshwater threeridge (Amblema plicata), mapleleaf (Q. quad- mussels are now considered the most imperiled group rula), and bleufer (Potamilus purpuratus) are com- of animals in North America (Allan and Flecker mercially harvested in Kansas for the cultured pearl 1993). Sixty-one species are federally listed as endan- industry. During the early part of the century, most gered and eight as threatened (USFWS Box Score, 30 species in southeastern Kansas, especially in the April 1999). Thirty-six species are believed extinct in Neosho River, were harvested for use in the manufac- North America (Neves et al. 1997), and that number ture of buttons and other pearly products. According is expected to increase (Shannon et al. 1993). to a musseler active during the late 1920s (A.A. Fris- Unionids in Kansas have undergone a similar chenmeyer, Chanute resident, pers. comm.), the decline. Of the 48 species known to have occurred in mucket [Neosho mucket] was one of the most sought Kansas, five are now state-listed as endangered, four after species by the Iola shell-blank factory (also, see as threatened, and 12 as SINC. Additionally, at least Coker 1919). Over 17,000 tons of shells were col- five species are thought to be extirpated from the lected from the Neosho River during 1912, represent- state: the black sandshell (Ligumia recta), hickorynut ing approximately 17% of the nation's total pearly (Obovaria olivaria), slippershell (Alasmidonta 1 Estimate is based on a siphoning rate of 4 gallons of water per mussel during a 24 h period. 1 Recovery plan for freshwater mussels in southeast Kansas TABLE 1. Status, distribution, and potential hosts of state-listed mussel species that presently occur in south- east Kansas. Species Status Basin a Potential hosts found in southeast Kansas butterfly (Ellipsaria lineolata) Threatened N, V freshwater drum and green sunfish deertoe (Truncilla truncata) SINC N, V freshwater drum elktoe white sucker, northern hogsucker, shorthead redhorse, rock Endangered S (Alasmidonta marginata) bass, and warmouth banded sculpin, bluntnose minnow, fantail darter, greenside ellipse (bleedingtooth mussel) c (Venustaconcha ellipsiformis) Endangered S darter, Johnny darter, logperch, orangethroat darter , and redfin darter c black crappie, bluegill, bluntnose minnow, largemouth bass, fat mucket longear sunfish, orangespotted sunfish, rock bass, small- SINC N, S, V (Lampsilis siliquoidea) mouth bass, striped shiner, walleye, warmouth, white bass, white crappie, and white sucker fawnsfoot (Truncilla donaciformis) SINC N, V freshwater drum Flutedshell (Lasmigona costata) Threatened N, V banded darter, common carp, and northern hogsucker b Neosho mucket c (Lampsilis rafinesqueana) Endangered N, S, V largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass Ouachita kidneyshell b (Ptychobranchus occidentalis) Threatened N, S, V orangethroat darter and greenside darter rabbitsfoot b bigeye chub* and spotfin shiner (Quadrula cylindrica) Endangered N, S round pigtoe bluegill, bluntnose minnow, northern redbelly dace, small- SINC N, S, V (Pleurobema sintoxia) mouth bass, and spotfin shiner spike black crappie, flathead catfish, gizzard shad, and white SINC N, V (Elliptio dilatata) crappie banded darter, black bullhead, bluegill, bluntnose minnow, creeper (= squawfoot) creek chub, fantail darter, fathead minnow, golden shiner, SINC N, S, V (Strophitus undulatus) green sunfish, largemouth bass, sand shiner, spotfin shiner, walleye, yellow bullhead, and white crappie Wabash pigtoe (Fusconaia flava) SINC N, S, V black crappie, bluegill, creek chub, and white crappie American eel*, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, cen- tral stoneroller, channel catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater washboard (Megalonaias nervosa) SINC N, V drum, gizzard shad, green sunfish, highfin carpsucker, largemouth bass, logperch, longear sunfish, longnose gar, slenderhead darter, white bass, and white crappie wartyback black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, SINC N, V (Quadrula nodulata) largemouth bass, and white crappie western fanshell b (Cyprogenia aberti) Endangered S, V banded sculpin, fantail darter, and logperch black crappie, green sunfish, largemouth bass, longnose gar, yellow sandshell (Lampsilis teres) SINC N, S, V orangespotted sunfish, shortnose gar, warmouth, and white crappie a N = Neosho River basin, S = Spring River basin, V = Verdigris River basin; b Species targeted in the recovery plan; c Inferred host; * = presumed extirpated. products (Coker 1919, Murray and Leonard 1962). Leroy (Iola Register, 6 April 1918). By 1920, annual Coker (1919) estimated that a ton of shells taken from harvest yields had declined, with only 500 tons of virgin beds equaled 5,000 to 10,000 live mussels. shells processed at the Iola factory (Iola Register, 2 Based on this estimate, over 85 million mussels may September 1920). have been harvested from the Neosho River in this Mussel shells are valued by amateur and profes- one year. During 1918, a shell blank factory in Iola sional biologists, who find them aesthetically pleasing processed up to 30 tons of shells a week; most of these and educational. The shells provide a durable record shells were collected from the Neosho River near 2 Recovery plan for freshwater mussels in southeast Kansas of a species’ historical presence. They also provide a low spaces for this purpose. Fecundity varies among record of the history of each individual in the annual species, ranging from 75,000 to 3,000,000 larvae rings of growth, showing that some species live over a (Surber 1912, Coker et al. 1921). Mussel larvae, century. This record also documents changes in called glochidia, may be released soon after they are stream health through time because of the mussels’ mature, or may be retained in the gills for several sensitivity to pollution. Therefore, freshwater mus- months or until the next season (Ortmann 1911). sels, as important indicators of aquatic health, serve Species that release glochidia soon after they are ma- much the same purpose as canaries in a coal mine. ture are called short-term breeders (tachytictic), Perhaps the most fundamental reason for pro- whereas species that retain their glochidia for ex- tecting any endangered species is the concept of stew- tended periods of time are called long-term breeders ardship. Mussels are an integral part of nature, yet (bradytictic). Tachytictic species generally spawn in can be destroyed all too easily