Distribution and Status of Freshwater Mussels in the Bear Creek Watershed, Mississippi

Bear Creek is a tributary of the Tennessee River in northwestern Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. The watershed supports a diverse freshwater mussel assemblage including several species of conservation concern. We conducted a mussel survey at 55 sites in the Mississippi portions of Bear Creek and its largest tributary, Cedar Creek, during September and October 2020. We found a total of 30 species, of which 25 were represented by live individuals. The invasive Asian Clam, Corbicula fluminea, was widespread in the watershed, but we found no evidence of Zebra Mussel, Dreissena polymorpha. Notable species found live included two federally endangered species, Cumberlandian Combshell, Epioblasma brevidens and Slabside Pearlymussel, Pleuronaia dolabelloides; one federally threatened species, Rabbitsfoot, Theliderma cylindrica; and two state endangered species. In addition, we report the first documented occurrence of the Mountain Creekshell, Villosa vanuxemensis, in Mississippi. Mussel abundance and species richness were low at most sites in the watershed, but the upper portion of Bear Creek had the highest mussel abundance and species richness. We compare our results with previous surveys in the watershed and discuss conservation issues pertinent to the Bear Creek mussel fauna.