FRESH-WATER MUSSELS (BIVALVIA, UNIONIDAE) OF THE HIWASSEE RIVER IN EAST TENNESSEE

Thirteen native species of freshwater mussels are reported from a 20 km stretch of the Hiwassee River, Polk County, Tennessee. Fusconaia barnesiana (Lea, 1838), Elliptio dilatata (Rafinesque, 1820), Villosa iris (Lea, 1829), and V. trabalis (Conrad, 1834) are the most abundant species present; the last taxon is included on the United States federal list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. Epioblasma florentina walkeri (Wilson and Clark, 1914), also included on the federal list and previously unreported from the Hiwassee River, is present but rare. This section of the Hiwassee is unaffected by a power generating dam and appears free of pollutants, thus serving as a refugium for viable populations of several mussel taxa. Inference is made to late prehistoric-early historic Hiwassee River mussel assemblages based on shell samples from aboriginal sites.