>"Lampsilis claibornensis (Lea 1838) is probably the same species as L.
>straminea (Conrad 1834).  In the original description, the latter was recorded
>from 'small streams in South Alabama,' and was described as having 'concentric
>lines remarkably coarse and prominent'.  This shell surface characteristic is
>also found to some extent on various specimens of L. claibornensis, and is
>probably ecologically produced.  It would seem that L. straminea is an extreme
>example of such a surface pattern."
 
The two subspecies are distinct, both in shell characteristics and in mantle
morphology. Lampsilis straminea straminea occurs along the Fall Line and is
rather rare, while L. s. claibornensis is much more widely distributed and
often common. There are probably two other unrecognized subspecies in this
complex.
 
>
>I can't find "Utterbakia" in any of my N.A. references, but there is:
>Anodonta imbecilis  Say, 1829
 
This species is now placed in Utterbackia, and the correct spelling is
imbecillis. "Imbecillis" refers to weak (thin), which is the original
meaning of 'imbecile,' before it was applied to the mental condition of
certain high-ranking US elected officials.
 
*  G Thomas Watters               *
*  Ohio Biological Survey &       *
*  Aquatic Ecology Laboratory     *
*  Ohio State University          *
*  1315 Kinnear Rd.               *
*  Columbus, OH 43212 USA         *
*  v:614-292-6170 f:614-292-0181  *
 
"The world is my oyster, except for months with an "R" in them" - Firesign
Theater
 
"A paranoid is a man who knows a little of what's going on" - William Burroughs