Lampsilis ovata

Not to be confused with Fat pocketbook pearly mussel.

Lampsilis ovata, or pocketbook mussel, is a species of freshwater mussel, a bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This species is endemic to eastern North America.^[1]

Lampsilis ovata
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Unionida
Family:	Unionidae
Genus:	Lampsilis
Species:	L. ovata
Binomial name
Lampsilis ovata Say, 1817

This species uses aggressive mimicry to lure large predatory fish such as the large-mouth bass, using their mantle, which resembles a fish, as a lure and ejecting larvae into the mouth of the fish when they strike. The larvae attach to the gills, using the fish's blood as food for several weeks, without apparent harm to the fish, and then drop off and start the cycle again.^[2][3]