The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that five Central Texas mussel species warrant inclusion under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, but at this time their listing is precluded by higher priority actions.
After a thorough evaluation, the federal agency determined there is evidence the five mussels are threatened "throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges." Those mussels are the Texas fatmucket (Lampsilis bracteata), Texas pimpleback (Quadrula petrina), Golden orb (Quadrula aurea), Texas fawnsfoot (Truncilla macrodon), and Smooth pimpleback (Quadrula houstonensis.) The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has recently added these species to its state threatened list. The five protected mussels are found in river basins in Central Texas including the Nueces, San Antonio, Guadalupe, Colorado and Brazos river systems. Over 50 mussel species are found throughout Texas.
To read the findings from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's report go to www.regulations.gov and search docket number FWS-R2-ES-2011-0079. For more information on these and other mussels, visit the FWS information site at www.fws.gov/southwest/es/AustinTexas/ESA_sp_mussels.html.
