Pyganodon cataracta

Hoeh (1990) split Anodonta cataracta cataracta and Anodonta cataracta fragilis into distinct species (elevating Pyganodon to genus level in the process). Also Hoeh and Burch (1989) separated Anodonta lacustris as a valid species from Anodonta grandis and Anodonta cataracta and Hoeh (1990) placed them in Pyganodon as Anodonta marginata sensu strictu, is considered a nomen dubium (see Hoeh and Burch, 1989). This species was placed in the newly elevated genus Pyganodon by Hoeh (1990). Recently, Zanatta et al. (2007) supported the monophyly of both Pyganodon and Utterbackia using mutation coding of allozyme data, but also resolved the Eurasian Anodonta cygnea to Pyganodon, Utterbackia, and North American Anodonta; indicating futher phylogenetic analysis of the Anodontinae is required including both North American and Eurasian species. Recently, Cyr et al. (2007) found male and female mitochondrial genomes as well as mophology support the distinction between Pyganodon fragilis and Pyganodon cataracta (with likely a recent and possibly incomplete separation) although separation of the species morphologically is difficult due to hybridization, plastic shell characters, and morphological features not always present (such as beak sculpture).

This species is common and wide ranging in the Atlantic drainages from the Lower St. Lawrence River basin south to the Altamaha River basin, Georgia, and in the Alabama-Coosa River drainage, and the Apalachicola and Choctawhatchee River basins, Georgia.

This species is common and wide ranging in the Atlantic dranages from the Lower St. Lawrence River basin south to the Altamaha River basin and west to the Great Lakes, Georgia, and in the Alabama-Coosa River drainage, and the Apalachicola and Choctawhatchee River basins, Georgia. In the Apalachicola Basin (ACF basin = formed by Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint Rivers) of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, this species is historically known from 21 records from 12 sites from the ACF system including the main channel of the Apalachicola River and mainstem and tributaries of the Chipola and Chattahoochee Rivers (but not the Flint River) (Brim Box and Williams, 2000). In the ACF basin, it was recently collected from 4 of 324 sites in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia the lower main channel of the Chipola River in Florida (first state record) and three tributaries of the Flint River (the first records from this system) (Brim-Box and Williams, 2000).

In Maine, this is the second most common mussel species occurring in every major watershed in every county (Nedeau et al., 2000). It is found throughout much of Rhode Island (Raithel and Hartenstein, 2006). In Massachusetts, it is very common occurring in every drainage system in every county (Smith, 2000) and is similarly common in Vermont (Fichtel and Smith, 1995) and Connecticut (Nedeau and Victoria, 2003). In New York, records are from the freshwater tidal Hudson River from Dutchess Co. north to the confluence with the Mohawk River at Waterford, and the lower Delaware and Neversink Rivers (see Strayer and Jirka, 1997); also rediscovered in 2000 in large numbers in the upper Delaware River system between Hancock and Port Jervis, including the Neversink River tributary (Lellis, 2001). It likely occurs in ponds in Westchester, Queens, Bronx, and perhaps Nassau and Suffolk Cos., New York; and Fairfield Co., Connecticut. In the Delaware River basin, it has been recorded in the Middle Delaware- Mongaup- Broadhead drainage in New York to bordering Pennsylvania (Strayer and Ralley, 1991). In the Delmarva peninsula, this species was found in the Susquehanna, Bohemia, Sassafras, Chester, Choptank, Nanticoke, Wicomico, Appoquiniminik, Leipsic, St. Jones, Murderkill, Mispillion, Cedar Creek, and Indian River systems in Delaware and Maryland (Counts et al., 1991); recently in Williams Pond (Nanticoke system) in Sussex Co., Delaware (Blaine, 2010). Watters et al. (2009) lists P. cataracta marginata historically from NE Lake Erie drainages (Cuyahoga, Little Cuyahoga, Chagrin, Grand Rivers, Tinkers Creek) and Mahoning River. In Maryland, it is known from the Upper Potomac, Washington Metro, Gunpowder, Susquehanna, Elk, Choptank, Chester, and Naticoke River drainages (Bogan and Proch, 1995; Ashton, 2009), but may be extirpated from the upper Potomac in West Virginia (Taylor, 1987). It is found throughout much of eastern Virginia including the James (Burch, 2002), Potomac (Bogan and Proch, 1995), Chowan (Alderman and Alderman, 2009) and Roanoke (Bogan, 2002). Johnson (1970) cites the Dan, James, Rapidan, and Roanoke drainages in Virginia. Recently, this species was found in 3 sites in Great Pee Dee River and Lynches River in South Carolina (Catena Group, 2006). In South Carolina, it is wide ranging from the Savannah, Cooper-Santee, Pee Dee, and Waccamaw River basins (Bogan and Alderman, 2004); incl. Lake Murray (Alderman, 2006). In Alabama, it is restricted to the Chattahoochee and possibly Chipola River systems but has not been reported since the 1970s (Mirarchi, 2004). It has since been collected in the Uchee Creek, Russell Co. and Lake Martin (Tallapoosa River) specimens are this species (Williams et al., 2008). In North Carolina, it is wide-ranging from the Broad River basin north to the Pasquotank River basin (Bogan, 2002). It was recently documented in Georgia in the Lower Ogeechee/ Canoochee drainages (Sukkestad et al., 2006). In the ACF basin, it was recently collected from 4 of 324 sites in Alabama, Florida (a new state record), and Georgia the lower main channel of the Chipola River in Florida and three tributaries of the Flint River (the first records from this system) (Brim-Box and Williams, 2000). Johnson (1970) also lists it for the Altamaha, Ocmulgee, and Savannah River systems in Georgia and South Carolina. In Canada, this species is secure throughout most of its range; peripheral in Ontario (Ottawa River only), widespread and abundant in Nova Scotia (Athearn and Clarke, 1962; Clarke and Rick, 1964), Quebec, New Brunswick (Athearn, 1961) where it is stable in Petitcodiac (Hanson and Locke, 2001), Prince Edward Island (Metcalfe-Smith and Cudmore-Vokey, 2004; Davis, 1999).