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The Cylindrical Papershell (Anodontoides ferussacianus), considered a “Species in Need of Conservation” in Kansas, historically occurred across much of the state; however, recent studies suggest that the species is currently restricted to the upper Smoky Hill-Saline River Basin, and a survey emphasizing the status of the Cylindrical Papershell conducted in 2011 suggested its conservation status be elevated to endangered. Continuing drought since the completion of the 2011 survey raised concerns regarding the status of the Cylindrical Papershell. The objectives of this study were to evaluate possible drought-related changes in Cylindrical Papershell populations and to evaluate the status of this species in Kansas. Timed, tactile searches were conducted at 19 sites on the Saline River and 21 sites on the Smoky Hill River between July and August 2015. Thirty of these sites were revisited from the 2011 survey. In 2011, 24 live Cylindrical Papershell were observed among 11 sites. Declines in Cylindrical Papershell abundance were observed in 2015, with 10 individuals observed at 3 sites. The species occurred at low abundances across a limited geographic range comprised of highly fragmented habitat. Abundance of Cylindrical Papershell per site declined significantly (t=5.19, df=10, p<0.001) between 2011 and 2015.

The Cylindrical Papershell (Anodontoides ferussacianus) is a fast-growing, short-lived freshwater mussel that occurs throughout the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada but appears to be declining in portions of its range. Its distribution in Kansas, once encompassing most of the Kansas and Missouri river basins, is now limited to the upper Saline and Smoky Hill rivers in the west-central portion of the state. We qualitatively surveyed freshwater mussels at 19 sites on both the Saline and Smoky Hill rivers, with emphasis on assessing the status of A. ferussacianus. We collected 28 live mussels in the Saline River, including eight A. ferussacianus, and 503 live mussels in the Smoky Hill River, including 12 A. ferussacianus. We also estimated mussel density at five sites with the highest relative abundances of A. ferussacianus. Densities of A. ferussacianus ranged from 0.01 to 0.03 individuals per m2. Most A. ferussacianus were collected in run habitats near riffles, beaver dams, and lowhead dams. In addition to A. ferussacianus, we collected three other mussel species in the Saline River, and six other species in the Smoky Hill River. Total mussel density ranged from 0.08 to 0.13 individuals per m2 at sites in the Saline River, and 0.48 to 2.00 individuals per m2 at sites in the Smoky Hill River.

Levels of environmental protection vary among watersheds, and assessing how well conservation efforts protect threatened faunal groups is a critical need for management. Almost the entire 114 km of the Chagrin River is designated as scenic by the state of Ohio, which implies good water quality and community efforts to maintain and improve water resource integrity. We examined mussel diversity and abundance across 30 sites. The mussels present remained largely restricted to the upper reaches. One species, Lampsilis radiata luteola, dominated the assemblage of the upper Chagrin, which now includes only six additional species, none of which are very abundant: Lasmigona costata, Lasmigona compressa, Pyganodon grandis, Strophitus undulatus, Utterbackia imbecillis, and Anodontoides ferussacianus. One additional species, Lampsilis cardium, was the only species found living in the lower Chagrin. Applying the Shannon index of diversity indicated that the Chagrin River has a more depauperate fauna than neighboring watersheds, and therefore, the current passive conservation efforts may be insufficient to protect these small isolated populations of remaining species.

A qualitative mussel survey was performed on Muddy Creek, a tributary to French Creek in Crawford County, PA, within the boundaries of the Erie National Wildlife Refuge. Riffle-run-pool sequences were sampled at 20 locations in the study area using visual and tactile timed-search techniques. Live specimens represented by 22 species were encountered at a rate of 54 individuals per person-hour and included the federally-endangered Pleurobema clava (clubshell) and Epioblasma torulosa rangiana (northern riffleshell) as well as four Pennsylvania state-imperiled species. Evidence of recruitment in the clubshell population was found in excavated quadrats and by hand-collecting. Brillouin diversity indices ranged from 0.35–2.88 over the study area, with a mean (SD) of 1.67 (0.59). The three most abundant species were Actinonaias ligamentina, Amblema plicata, and Lasmigona costata, while the three most rare were Anodontoides ferussacianus, E. torulosa rangiana, and Villosa fabalis. The high diversity of mussels along with the presence of federally listed and state-imperiled species warrants a pro-active approach to future protection of the aquatic resources of Muddy Creek.