Range extension and review of the conservation status of the freshwater mussel Alasmidonta mccordi Athearn, 1964 (Bivalvia, Unionidae) in the Coosa River drainage of Alabama and Georgia

Abstract

The Coosa Elktoe, Alasmidonta mccordi Athearn, 1964, was previously known only from the type specimen collected in the Coosa River, St. Clair County, Alabama. Based on the discovery of five previously misidentified specimens in three museum lots, we extend the distribution of A. mccordi into the Etowah and Conasauga Rivers, tributaries of the Coosa River in northwest Georgia. Shell morphology of these museum specimens compare favorably with the only known specimen of the species. The conservation status of A. mccordi is examined in light of its wider historical distribution in the Coosa River drainage. We include recommendations for future research to detect extant populations of this presumed extinct freshwater mussel.