Surprisingly, we observed males of E. brevidens displaying mantle lures that were anatomically complex and closely resembled the female mantle lure. The mantle lure of E. brevidens appears to mimic four distinct characteristics of the reproductive anatomy of the underside (ventral) of a gravid female crayfish, to include: (1) the external apertures of the oviducts located on the base of the third pair of walking legs, (2) crayfish larvae still encased in the egg membrane, (3) pleopods or claws, and (4) postembryonic eggs. The mantle lure is morphologically specialized mantle tissue that mimics prey items of the host fish. We conducted mask and snorkel surveys in May and June of 20 to locate, observe, photograph, and video female E. brevidens to document their unique mantle lures at sites in the Clinch River in Tennessee and Virginia.
The Cumberlandian Combshell ( Epioblasma brevidens) is an endangered freshwater mussel endemic to the Tennessee and Cumberland River drainages, major tributaries of the Ohio River of the eastern United States.
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