Purple Wartyback
Cyclonaias tuberculata (Raf.)
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Status: State Endangered (August 1, 1989).
Occurence: Occurs in the following rivers: Black, Chippewa, Flambeau, Rock, Jump, Mississippi, Namekagon and St. Croix.
Aid to ID: The shell is subrectangular, brown or black and heavy. The beak is low with a wing-like depression behind it. Beak sculpture consists of fine, irregular, broken concentric corrugations. Pseudocardinal teeth are massive and lateral teeth short and heavy. The surface of the shell is yellowish-brown to dark brown and covered with numerous rounded or elongated pustules. Nacre is purple. Length to 5 inches (12.7 cm).
Habitat: Inhabits medium sized rivers with water ranging up to five feet in slow to moderate current. Found in rocky areas with gravel and cobble substrate.
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 also help to protect the purple wartyback.
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.
