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Pink papershell, Potamilus ohiensis
Description: The Pink papershell is a
larger, oval shaped mussel with a dark
brown exterior. There may be a small
wing on the posterior slope though
this is often gone. The nacre will be
pink. The shell is very thin. The
pseudocardinal teeth (one in each
valve) are thin ridges and the lateral
teeth are also very thin. There is no
beak sculpture evident
Similar species: The Fragile
papershell is the same general shape
but has a tan exterior and white
nacre. The Pink heelsplitter has a
thicker shell that gets thicker still at
the anterior end. The hinge teeth of
the Pink papershell are small thin
ridges whereas those of the Pink
heelsplitter are thicker and larger.
Juvenile Pink papershells will have
wings on both posterior and anterior
ends. Pink heelsplitters will only have
one on the posterior end.
Conservation status: G5, N5, S5.
The Pink papershell is quite
widespread in Nebraska, perhaps
because it does quite well in reservoirs
and has a large variety of host fishes.
Hosts: Black crappie, common carp,
gizzard shad, green sunfish,
largemouth bass, longnose gar,
orangespotted sunfish, sauger, white
crappie.
Habitats used: Pools or sluggish
streams with mud, sand, or fine gravel
bottom (Cummings and Mayer 1992).
Creeks to large rivers in soft or coarse
substrate (Seitman 2003). Rivers that
are sluggish and turbid with mud or
mud-gravel bottoms (Oesch 1995).
Quiet water with mud or fine sand
substrate (Parmalee and Bogan 1998).
Creeks, rivers and lakes with in
sluggish water in sandy mud and silt
(Watters et.al. 2009).
Distribution: The Mississippi River
basin from Oklahoma and Tennessee
north to the Great Lakes and North
Dakota. Great Lakes tributaries from
Erie to Superior. Manitoba and
Saskatchewan in Canada.
Collection notes: This species is
widespread in the eastern half of
Nebraska.
Comments: This one has found
reservoir habitats to its liking as it
prefers quiet waters with soft bottoms
and uses sunfishes as hosts. They are
doing fine in streams and reservoirs.
The Pink papershell and Fragile
papershell are often found in the same
waterbodies.
