Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel Glochidium
Gonidea angulata (glochidium)
This microscopic larva is released into freshwater and must attach to the gills or fins of a suitable fish host. It clamps onto the host and remains enclosed in a small cyst while drawing nutrients from host tissues. After several weeks, it metamorphoses into a tiny juvenile mussel and drops to the streambed.
- Type
- Shell
- Conservation status
- VU
Growth chain
- Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel Glochidium
- ?
- ?