Glochidial metamorphosis of the freshwater mussel Lampsilis cardium (Bivalvia: Unionidae) on larval tiger salamanders, Ambystoma tigrinum ssp. (Amphibia: Ambystomidae)

Abstract

Larval tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum ssp.) were infected with glochidia of the freshwater mussel Lampsilis cardium in laboratory experiments. At 20–21 °C, metamorphosis occurred from 9 to 39 days, primarily between 9 and 17 days. The percentage of attached glochidia that metamorphosed varied from 0.27 to 15.7%. Metamorphosis on the salamanders occurred more quickly than on a known piscine host, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), but a smaller percentage of the total attached glochidia metamorphosed. The role of amphibians as hosts of freshwater mussels in North America has not been addressed. Recognizing such a relationship could have important consequences for our understanding of mussel zoogeography.