Butterfly
Ellipsaria lineolata (Raf.)

Status: State Endangered (August 1, 1989).

Occurence: Occurs in the Mississippi, lower Wisconsin and St.Croix Rivers.

Aid to ID: Yellowish brown shell with broken brown rays is smooth, triangular, and flattened, with a sharply angled posterior ridge. The anterior end is broadly rounded, and the posterior end pointed. The beak sculpture has a few fine, double-looped ridges. Old shells have faint brown rays and are up to 4 inches (10.2 cm) long. The beak cavity is shallow to moderately deep. The nacre is white.

Habitat: Inhabits large rivers in sand or gravel substrates.

Management Considerations: Habitat destruction and river pollution have resulted in mussel declines. Protection of habitat and improvements in water quality along with restriction of dredging, impoundments, sand and gravel mining, and navigational improvements would benefit this species. The development of fish runways to facilitate the movement of host species through or around dams could help to protect this species.

The content for this page was originally presented in the Endangered and Threatened Invertebrates of Wisconsin, a free publication available by contacting the Endangered Resources Program.