Home/Species/ Grooved Fingernailclam

Sphaerium simile

(Say, 1817)

Grooved Fingernailclam

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

LowThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.916952

Element CodeIMBIV52070

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryInvertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumMollusca

ClassBivalvia

OrderVeneroida

FamilySphaeriidae

GenusSphaerium

Concept Reference

Mackie, G.L. 2007. Biology of Freshwater Corbiculid and Sphaeriid Clams of North America. Ohio Biological Survey Bulletin New Series, 15(3):ix-436.

Taxonomic Comments

Sphaerium sulcatum was recognized as distinct by Henderson (1924), but current treatments include it with Sphaerium simile (Turgeon et al. 1998, Mackie 2007, Graf and Cummings 2013, Bogan 2013). Other common synonyms are solida, lineatum, and crassum (Mackie 2007).

Conservation Status

Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x

Review Date2015-01-19

Change Date2004-06-07

Edition Date2015-01-19

Edition AuthorsMackie, G.L.

Threat ImpactLow

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

This is a widespread species, with many occurrences in a variety of habitats, and no significant threats at a global level.

Range Extent Comments

This species ranges from Quebec south to Virginia and west to British Columbia and Wyoming (Herrington 1962, Mackie 2007). Herrington (1962) notes that it does not extend south of the area once covered by the glaciers. Mackie and Huggins (1983) show the distribution of 14 occurrences in Kansas that range from counties in the west to those in the east and from counties in the south to those in north of the state,

Occurrences Comments

This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations). Lysne and Clark (2009) found it in the Bruneau River (survey area from Snake River confluence upstream to Hot Creek- 41 km) in Idaho. Athearn (1971) documented it for the first time in Tennessee in Grassy Cove, Cumberland Co. This ubiquitous species has >300 occurrences in each of Canada and the United States.

Threat Impact Comments

No major threats exist at the present time or for the foreseeable future. Pollution and habitat modification such as drainage are potential, but not immediate, problems. It can tolerate some organic enrichment.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs in depositional substrates in lakes and eddies of permanent rivers and creeks. In lakes, it occurs in mud, sand, or mud and sand substrates, often with submersed macrophytes such as Ceratophyllum, Myriophyllum or Potamogeton, usually at depths of 1-2 m, but sometimes down to 6 m deep; in creeks and rivers, the substrate is typically organic ooze, with or without vegetation (Mackie 2007).

Other Nations (2)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
New York	SNR	Yes
North Carolina	SU	Yes
Wyoming	SNR	Yes
Michigan	SNR	Yes
Vermont	SNR	Yes
Idaho	S4	Yes
Montana	SNR	Yes
Wisconsin	SNR	Yes
Massachusetts	SNR	Yes
Ohio	SNR	Yes
Virginia	S5	Yes
Colorado	SNR	Yes
Kentucky	SU	Yes
Tennessee	SNR	Yes

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Alberta	S4	Yes
Prince Edward Island	SU	Yes
Saskatchewan	S4	Yes
British Columbia	S5	Yes
Ontario	S5	Yes
Nova Scotia	SU	Yes
New Brunswick	SU	Yes
Manitoba	S3	Yes
Quebec	S4	Yes

Roadless Areas (4)

Minnesota (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Baker - Homer - Brule Lakes	Superior National Forest	6,712

Montana (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - Swan	Lewis and Clark National Forest	344,022
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - Swan	Lolo National Forest	118,485
North Siegel	Lolo National Forest	9,208

References (10)

Athearn, H.D. 1971. <i>Sphaerium simile</i> (Say) in Tennessee. The Nautilus 85(1):59.
Bogan, A. 2013. World checklist of freshwater Bivalvia species. World Wide Web electronic publication. Version 2013 January 24. Available online at http://fada.biodiversity.be/group/show/14. Accessed 11 July 2014.
Graf, D.L. and K.S. Cummings. 2014. MUSSELp: the freshwater mussels (Unionoida) of the world (and other less consequential bivalves), updated 14 January 2014. MUSSEL Project Web Site, http://www.mussel-project.net/.
Henderson, J. 1924. Mollusca of Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. University of Colorado Studies 13(2): 65-223.
Herrington, H.B. 1962. A revision of the Sphaeriidae of North America (Mollusca: Pelecypoda). Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, No. 118. 74 pp.
Korniushin, A.V. and M. Glaubrecht. 2002. Phylogenetic analysis based on morphology of viviparous freshwater clams of the family Sphaeriidae (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Veneroida). Zoologica Scripta 31:415-459.
Lysne, S.J. and W.H. Clark. 2009. Mollusc survey of the lower Bruneau River, Owyhee County, Idaho, U.S.A. American Malacological Bulletin 27:167-172.
Mackie, G.L. 2007. Biology of Freshwater Corbiculid and Sphaeriid Clams of North America. Ohio Biological Survey Bulletin New Series, 15(3):ix-436.
Mackie, G.L. and D.G. Huggins. 1983. Sphaeriacean clams of Kansas. Technical Publications of the State Biological Survey of Kansas, The University of Kansas. No.14, 91 pp.
Turgeon, D. D., J. F. Quinn, Jr., A. E. Bogan, E. V. Coan, F. G. Hochberg, W. G. Lyons, P. M. Mikkelsen, R. J. Neves, C. F. E. Roper, G. Rosenberg, B. Roth, A. Scheltema, F. G. Thompson, M. Vecchione, and J. D. Williams. 1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks. 2nd Edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26, Bethesda, Maryland. 526 pp.