Host fishes and host-attracting behavior of Lampsilis altilis and Villosa vibex (Bivalvia : Unionidae)

Suitable host fishes were identified for two species of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) from the Coosa River drainage, Mobile Basin: Lampsilis altilis, the fine-lined pocketbook and Villosa vibex the southern rainbow. Suitable hosts are defined as fishes that pl produce juvenile mussels from glochidi al infestations in the laboratory. Larvae of both L. altilis and V. vibex t ransformed successfully on four species of sunfishes (Centrarchidae): Lepom is cyanellus, Micropterus coosae, M. punctulatus and M. salmoides. For both mussel species transformation success on L. cyanellus was highly variable and generally lower than on Micropterus spp. Gravid female L. altilis and I : vibex display highly modified mantle margin lures in the early spring. In addition to displaying mantle lures, L. altilis produce superconglutinates , similar to those recently described for three other species of Lampsilis in the southeastern U.S.