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Page last updated
Thu 3 September 2025

The Freshwater Mussels (Unionoida) of the World (and other less consequential bivalves)

FM(U)otW(aolcb) is the web version of the MUSSEL Project Database. Follow the links to browse the data or use the custom Google search field. Either way, you win!

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Bivalvia | Unionoida | Unionoidea | Unionidae | Parreysiinae | Coelaturini | Nyassunio

species Nyassunio nyassaensis (Lea, 1864): synonymy
     91 specimens + 4 Genbank vouchers

Unio aferula Lea, 1864
Lea, 1864. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 16: 109.
Lea, 1866. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 6 [O. 11]: 34 [38], pl. 13, fig. 34 [as ‘aferulus’].
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (MONOTYPY) USNM_84058, L. Nyassa, Africa.

Parreysia (s.s.) aferulaSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Parreyssia [sic] aferulaKobelt (1910)
Unio aferulaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Nyassunio nyassaensisHaas (1936), Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)
Nyassunio nyassaensis aferulaCrowley et al. (1964)
Coelatura nyassaensisScholz & Glaubrecht (2004)

Unio kirkii Lea, 1864
Lea, 1864. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 16: 108.
Lea, 1866. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 6 [O. 11]: 32 [36], pl. 12, fig. 30.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (MONOTYPY) USNM_84056, L. Nyassa, Central Africa.

Parreysia (s.s.) kirkiiSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Parreyssia [sic] kirkiiKobelt (1910)
Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Nyassunio nyassaensisHaas (1936), Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)
Nyassunio nyassaensis nyassaensisCrowley et al. (1964)
Coelatura nyassaensisScholz & Glaubrecht (2004)

Unio nyassaensis Lea, 1864
Lea, 1864. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 16: 108.
Lea, 1866. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 6 [O. 11]: 33 [37], pl. 12, fig. 32.
(renamed Unio nyassanus Bourguignat, 1889)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (MONOTYPY) USNM_84057, L. Nyassa, Africa.

Parreysia (s.s.) nyassaensisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Parreyssia [sic] nyassaënsisKobelt (1910)
Unio nyassaensisPilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Nyassunio nyassaensisHaas (1936), Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2007), IUCN (2010), Bogan (2010), Graf & Cummings (2011), Ortiz-Sepulveda et al. (2020), Graf & Cummings (2021), Bolotov et al. (2022), Bolotov et al. (2022), Bolotov et al. (2024)
Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)
Nyassunio nyassaensis nyassaensisCrowley et al. (1964)
Parreysia (Nyassunio) nyassaensisHaas (1969)
Caelatura [sic] nyassaensisAppleton (1979), Mandahl-Barth (1988)
Coelatura nyassaensisScholz & Glaubrecht (2004)

Unio nyassae Sowerby, 1866
Sowerby, 1866. Conch. Icon. 16: pl. 41, sp. 224, figs. 224a-b [changed in errata to ‘nyssensis’].

Parreysia (s.s.) nyassaensisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Unio nyassaensisPilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)
Nyassunio nyassaensis nyassaensisCrowley et al. (1964)

Unio nyassensis Sowerby, 1868
‘Lea’ of Authors.
Sowerby, 1868. Conch. Icon. 16: Errata.
Lea, 1870. Synopsis Fam. Naiades: 30.
(error for Unio nyassaensis Lea, 1864)

Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)

Unio hermosus Bourguignat, 1889
‘Lea’ E.A. Smith, 1881. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1881: pl. 34, fig. 34b. [in part]
Bourguignat, 1889. Bull. Soc. Malac. France 6: 38.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE BMNH_1880-12-20-130, Lake Nyassa.

Parreysia (s.s.) nyassaensisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Unio hermosusPilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Nyassunio nyassaensisHaas (1936), Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)
Nyassunio nyassaensis nyassaensisCrowley et al. (1964)

Unio nyassanus Bourguignat, 1889
Bourguignat, 1889. Bull. Soc. Malac. France 6: 38.
(new name for Unio nyassaensis Lea, 1864)

Parreysia (s.s.) nyassaensisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Unio nyassaensisPilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)
Nyassunio nyassaensis nyassaensisCrowley et al. (1964)
Nyassunio nyassaensisDaget (1998)

Unio (Nodularia) caesariana Preston, 1913
Preston, 1913. Rev. Zool. Afr. 3(1): 60, pl. 4, fig. 9.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (MONOTYPY) MRAC_56588, Lac Nyassa.

Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Mandahl-Barth (1988)
Nyassunio nyassaensisHaas (1936), Haas (1969)
Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)
Indonaia mossambicensisCrowley et al. (1964)
Coelatura hypsiprymnaDaget (1998)

Unio nyassanus [sic] var. hercules Preston, 1913
Preston, 1913. Rev. Zool. Afr. 3(1): 59, pl. 4, fig. 10.
(intro'd as intra-sp. of Unio nyassaensis Lea, 1864)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (MONOTYPY) MRAC_56413, Riv. Shire, ... Lac Nyassa.

Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Nyassunio nyassaensisHaas (1936), Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)
Nyassunio nyassaensis herculesCrowley et al. (1964)

Nyassunio ecclesi Crowley et al., 1964
Woodward in Crowley et al., 1964. Annals Mus. R. Afr. Cent. 131: 52, pl. 6, figs. 39-40.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE MRAC_793224, Nyassaland: Lac Nyassa.

Nyassunio ecclesiCrowley et al. (1964)
Nyassunio nyassaensisDaget (1998)
Coelatura nyassaensisScholz & Glaubrecht (2004)

Unio afferulus R.I. Johnson, 1974
‘Lea’ R.I. Johnson, 1974. Spec. Occ. Publ. (2): 11.
(error for Unio aferula Lea, 1864)

Nyassunio nyassaensisDaget (1998)

Unio nyassaensis E.A. Smith, 1881
‘Lea’ E.A. Smith, 1881. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1881: pl. 34, fig. 34b. [in part]
(reference to Unio nyassaensis Lea, 1864)

Unio hermosusPilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Nyassunio nyassaensis nyassaensisCrowley et al. (1964)

Unio nyassanus Preston, 1913
‘Lea’ Preston, 1913. Rev. Zool. Afr. 3(1): 59.
(error for Unio nyassaensis Lea, 1864)

Taxonomic History (since 1900)

Parreysia (s.s.) aferulaSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Parreysia (s.s.) kirkiiSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Parreysia (s.s.) nyassaensisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Parreyssia [sic] aferulaKobelt (1910)
Parreyssia [sic] kirkiiKobelt (1910)
Parreyssia [sic] nyassaënsisKobelt (1910)
Unio aferulaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Mandahl-Barth (1988)
Unio nyassaensisPilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio hermosusPilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Nyassunio nyassaensisHaas (1936), Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2007), IUCN (2010), Bogan (2010), Graf & Cummings (2011), Ortiz-Sepulveda et al. (2020), Graf & Cummings (2021), Bolotov et al. (2022), Bolotov et al. (2022), Bolotov et al. (2024)
Parreysia nyassaensisLeloup (1950)
Nyassunio nyassaensis aferulaCrowley et al. (1964)
Nyassunio nyassaensis nyassaensisCrowley et al. (1964)
Indonaia mossambicensisCrowley et al. (1964)
Nyassunio nyassaensis herculesCrowley et al. (1964)
Nyassunio ecclesiCrowley et al. (1964)
Parreysia (Nyassunio) nyassaensisHaas (1969)
Caelatura [sic] nyassaensisAppleton (1979), Mandahl-Barth (1988)
Coelatura hypsiprymnaDaget (1998)
Coelatura nyassaensisScholz & Glaubrecht (2004)

 
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