During recent survey work in the Black Warrior River Drainage, a colleague and
I found live specimens and shells of a freshwater mussel in the genus
Pleurobema that did not fit the concept of Pleurobema furvum, a species known
to inhabit several streams in the drainage.  During a trip to Washington, DC
we took shells with us to the US National Museum, Division of Mollusks to
compare with type specimens (we had a suspicion as to what we had found, but
not proof).  Comparing our specimens with the types of several species, our
suspicions were confirmed.  Our species was Pleurobema hagleri Freirson, 1900.
Great News indeed; not only fresh dead shells, but live specimens of a lost
species.  However,  the situation was not that simple.  Pleurobema hagleri was
not recognized as a valid species in the 1988 AFS Common and Scientific Names
list of mollusks.  The species was not synonomized with any other, just not
recognized.  To further complicate the situation, the species was recognized
as valid by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, but declared "extinct"  just two
years before our discovery.  A paper announcing this discovery is in final
draft and will be submitted for publication in the near future.
 
Doug Shelton
Alabama Malacological Research Center
Mobile, Alabama USA
 
 As a matter of post script:  several other unionid species have been
rediscovered in the past two years which were previously thought to be
extinct.  Other workers are writing papers regarding these discoveries.  They
are:  Pleurobema  hanleyanum, Pleurobema chattanoogaense, Pleurobema
murrayense, and Pleurobema troschelianum.