species Potamilus purpuratus (Lamarck, 1819): synonymy

Unio purpurata Lamarck, 1819

Lister, 1685. Conch.: pl. 155, fig. 10 [?]. [pre-linnaean]
Lamarck, 1819. Hist. Natur. Anim. sans Vert. 6: 71, sp. 6.
Type(s): LECTOTYPE [AS HOLOTYPE] MHNG_UNKNOWN (by R.I. Johnson, 1953: 92), Habite... Je la crois des grandes rivières de l’ Afrique.

Lampsilis (Proptera) purpuratus — Simpson (1900)
Proptera purpurata — Ortmann (1912), Utterback (1916), Ortmann (1925), Frierson (1927), Murray & Leonard (1962), Haas (1969), Burch (1975), Gordon et al. (1979), R.I. Johnson (1980), Davis & Fuller (1981)
Lampsilis (Proptera) (Group of Lampsilis alata) purpurata — Simpson (1914)
Potamilus purpuratus — Oesch (1984), Turgeon et al. (1988), Cummings & Mayer (1992), Williams et al. (1993), Howells et al. (1996), ... Hopper et al. (2023), Hauck et al. (2023), FMCS (2025), Cummings et al. (2025), Campbell & Lydeard (2026)
Potamilus purpurata — Vidrine (1993), R.I. Johnson (1998)

Unio ater Lea, 1829

(renamed Unio lugubris Say, 1832; homonym of Unio ater Nilsson, 1822)
Lea, 1829. Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. 3 [O. 1]: 426, pl. 7, fig. 9.
Type(s): SYNTYPE USNM_86108, Port Gibson, Miss.

Lampsilis (Proptera) purpuratus — Simpson (1900)
Lampsilis (Proptera) (Group of Lampsilis alata) purpurata — Simpson (1914)
Unio ater — de Gregorio (1914)
Proptera purpurata — Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
Potamilus purpuratus — Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Williams et al. (2008)

Unio lugubris Say, 1832

(new name for Unio ater Lea, 1829)
Say, 1832. Amer. Conch. 5: pl. 43.

Lampsilis (Proptera) purpuratus — Simpson (1900)
Lampsilis (Proptera) (Group of Lampsilis alata) purpurata — Simpson (1914)
Proptera purpurata — Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
Potamilus purpuratus — Williams et al. (2008)

Unio poulsoni Conrad, 1834

Conrad, 1834. New Fresh-Water Shells: 25, pl. 1.

Lampsilis (Proptera) alatus var. poulsoni — Simpson (1900)
Lampsilis (Proptera) (Group of Lampsilis alata) alata var. poulsoni — Simpson (1914)
Proptera purpurata-poulsoni — Frierson (1927)
Proptera purpurata — Haas (1969)
Potamilus alatus — Parmalee & Bogan (1998)
Potamilus purpuratus — Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Williams et al. (2008)

Unio coloradoensis Lea, 1856

Lea, 1856. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 8: 103.
Lea, 1857. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 3 [O. 6]: 314 [34], pl. 31, fig. 29.
Type(s): LECTOTYPE [AS HOLOTYPE] USNM_84845 (by R.I. Johnson, 1974: 32), Colorado R., Texas.

Lampsilis (Proptera) coloradoensis — Simpson (1900)
Lampsilis (Proptera) (Group of Lampsilis alata) coloradoensis — Simpson (1914)
Proptera purpurata — Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
Potamilus purpuratus — Howells et al. (1996), Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Williams et al. (2008), Cummings et al. (2025)
Potamilus purpuratus coloradoensis — Roe & Lydeard (1998)
Potamilus purpurata — R.I. Johnson (1998)

Unio permiscens Lea, 1859

Lea, 1859. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 11: 112.
Lea, 1862. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 5 [O. 8]: 102 [106], pl. 17, fig. 251.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE USNM_86118, Columbus, Miss.

Lampsilis (Proptera) permiscens — Simpson (1900)
Lampsilis (Proptera) (Group of Lampsilis alata) permiscens — Simpson (1914)
Proptera purpurata — Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
Potamilus purpuratus — Parmalee & Bogan (1998)
Leptodea fragilis — Williams et al. (2008)

Unio dolosus Lea, 1860

Lea, 1860. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 12: 307.
Lea, 1862. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 5 [O. 8]: 75 [79], pl. 9, fig. 224.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE USNM_86119, Claiborne, Ala.

Lampsilis (Proptera) purpuratus — Simpson (1900)
Lampsilis (Proptera) (Group of Lampsilis alata) purpurata — Simpson (1914)
Lasmonos fragilis — Utterback (1916)
Proptera purpurata-poulsoni — Frierson (1927)
Proptera purpurata — Haas (1969)
Leptodea fragilis — Oesch (1984), Howells et al. (1996)
Potamilus purpuratus — Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Williams et al. (2008)

Unio dolosus Sowerby, 1866

(reference to Unio dolosus Lea, 1860)
‘Lea’ Sowerby, 1866. Conch. Icon. 16: pl. 41, sp. 228.

Lampsilis (Proptera) purpuratus — Simpson (1900)
Proptera purpurata — Frierson (1927)

Unio poulsoni Sowerby, 1866

(reference to Unio poulsoni Conrad, 1834)
‘Conrad’ Sowerby, 1866. Conch. Icon. 16: pl. 51, sp. 270.

Lampsilis (Proptera) purpuratus — Simpson (1900)
Lampsilis (Proptera) (Group of Lampsilis alata) purpurata — Simpson (1914)

Mya ventricosa Humphrey, 1797

(intro'd as syn of Unio purpurata Lamarck, 1819)
‘Solander’ Humphrey, 1797. Mus. Col.: 56.
‘Solander’ Ferussac, 1835. Mag. Zool. 5(59-60): 26 [as ‘U.ventricosa’].

Unio atra Deshayes, 1832

(reference to Unio ater Lea, 1829)
‘Lea’ Deshayes, 1832. Enc. Méth. 2 (Deuxième partie): 582.

Lampsilis (Proptera) purpuratus — Simpson (1900)
Lampsilis (Proptera) (Group of Lampsilis alata) purpurata — Simpson (1914)
Potamilus purpuratus — Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Williams et al. (2008)