To Reproduce, This Mussel Lures a Fish

Female plain pocketbook mussel, Lampsilis cardium, luring a fish in the Potomac River (photo from Wikimedia Commons) 17 June 2026 Now that western Pennsylvania’s rivers are warming up for the summer, female plain pocketbook mussels (Lampsilis cardium) are ready to complete last year’s reproductive cycle by luring a fish. As soon as it strikes she’ll release her larvae into the fish’s gills where they’ll feed and mature and fall off as tiny mussels. Amazingly both sides of this parasitic relationship are unharmed. Here’s how it works. Plain pocketbook mussell, Lampsilis cardium, museum specimen (photo from Wikimedia Commons) The mantle in mussels is a fleshy sheet-like tissue that lines the inside of the shell and uses minerals from the water to build and repair the shell. Because she needs a fish lure, the plain pocketbook mussel (member of the Unionidae family) has fancy flaps on the edge of her mantle that stick out in the water. Wikipedia explains: All Unionidae are known to use…