Utterbackia imbecillis

Utterbackia imbecillis, commonly called the paper pondshell, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.

Utterbackia imbecillis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Secure  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Unionida
Family:	Unionidae
Genus:	Utterbackia
Species:	U. imbecillis
Binomial name
Utterbackia imbecillis (Say, 1829)
Synonyms[3]
Anodon horda Gould, 1855 Anodonta (Lastena) ohiensis horda (Gould, 1855) Anodonta (Utterbackia) imbecilis (Say, 1829) Anodonta henryana Lea, 1860 Anodonta henryiana Lea, 1857 Anodonta imbecillis Say, 1829 Anodonta incerta Lea, 1834 Anodonta phalena De Gregorio, 1914 Margarita (Anodonta) incerta (Lea, 1834) Margaron (Anodonta) henryana (Lea, 1857) Margaron (Anodonta) imbecillis (Say, 1829) Utterbackia henryana (Lea, 1857) Utterbackia imbecilis (Say, 1829) Utterbackia imbecillis var. fusca Baker, 1927

Description

It is characterized by its unusually thin shell.^{[citation needed]}

Distribution and habitat

Utterbackia imbecillis has a large range, including the provinces of Quebec and Ontario in Canada and the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin and the District of Columbia in the United States.^[1][2] It is a freshwater species that inhabits both natural and artificial lakes, ponds, creeks, rivers, and reservoirs, preferring a sandy or muddy substrate.^[2]