Bivalvia | Unionida | Unionoidea | Unionidae | Ambleminae | Pleurobemini
23 Recent freshwater species (31 total species)
Rafinesque, 1819. Jour. Phys. Chim. Hist. Nat. 88: 427.
Rafinesque, 1820. Ann. Gén. Sci. Phys. 5 (13): 313 [as ‘Pleurobema’].
Rafinesque, 1864. [in] Binney & Tryon, reprint: 29, 56.
(intro'd as sub-gen. of Unio Retzius, 1788)
Type species: Pleurobema mytiloides Rafinesque, 1820 (sub. desig. by Herrmannsen, 1847: 291) = Pleurobema clava
Rafinesque, 1820. Ann. Gén. Sci. Phys. 5 (13): 296.
Rafinesque, 1831. Continuation: 3.
Rafinesque, 1864. [in] Binney & Tryon, reprint: 41, 75.
(intro'd as sub-gen. of Unio Retzius, 1788)
Type species: Unio (Aximedia) elliptica Rafinesque, 1820 (sub. desig. by Fischer, 1886: 1000) = Pleurobema clava
Rafinesque, 1820. Ann. Gén. Sci. Phys. 5 (13): 309.
Rafinesque, 1831. Continuation: 3.
Rafinesque, 1864. [in] Binney & Tryon, reprint: 52, 76.
(intro'd as sub-gen. of Obliquaria Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Scalenaria) scalenia Rafinesque, 1820 (sub. desig. by Herrmannsen, 1848: 422) = Pleurobema clava
Rafinesque, 1820. Ann. Gén. Sci. Phys. 5 (13): 310.
Rafinesque, 1831. Continuation: 3.
Rafinesque, 1864. [in] Binney & Tryon, reprint: 53, 75.
(intro'd as sub-gen. of Obliquaria Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 (tautonomy) = Pleurobema sintoxia
Rafinesque, 1820. Ann. Gén. Sci. Phys. 5 (13): 419.
(error for Scalenaria Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Scalenaria) scalenia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema clava
Agassiz, 1846. Nomencl. Zool. Index Univ.: 359.
(new name for Sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia
Schaufuss, 1869. Moll. Syst. Cat. Paetel 7: 21.
(error for Sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia
Paetel, 1875. Fam. Gatt. Moll.: 191.
(error for Sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia
Salisbury, 1948. Zool. Rec. 82: 82.
(error for Pleurobema Rafinesque, 1819)
Type species: Unio clava Lamarck, 1819 = Pleurobema clava
‘Rafinesque’ Haas, 1969. Treatise on Invert. Paleo 1: N439.
(error for Sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia
‘Rafinesque’ Haas, 1969. Treatise on Invert. Paleo 1: N439.
(error for Syntoxia Agassiz, 1846)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia
The Taxonomic History lists the ways authors have classified the species currently assigned to Pleurobema, since 1900.
Pleurobema (s.s.) — Simpson (1900), Simpson (1914), Frierson (1927), Haas (1930)
Unio (s.s.) — Call (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Fusconaia) — Simpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Obovaria — Simpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Unio — Simpson (1900), de Gregorio (1914), Simpson (1914), Henderson (1935), Branson (1935), Yen (1952), Good (2004)
Unio (sec. Elliptio) — Simpson (1900)
Pleurobema — Simpson (1900), Ortmann (1909), Ortmann (1909), Ortmann (1909), Ortmann (1910), ... Freeman et al. (2025), Dai et al. (2025), Chen et al. (2025), Schilling et al. (2025), Campbell & Lydeard (2026)
Quadrula — Ortmann (1909), Ortmann (1909), Vanatta (1915)
Elliptio — Ortmann (1912), ITIS (2012)
Fusconaia — Ortmann & Walker (1922), Russell (1934), Modell (1957), Haas (1969), Burch (1975), R.I. Johnson (1980), Parmalee & Bogan (1998)
Quadrula (Obliquata) — Frierson (1927), Haas (1930), Haas (1969)
Quadrula (Fusconia [sic]) — Frierson (1927)
Obovaria (s.s.) — Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
Quadrula (Pleuronaia) — Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
Obovaria (Pseudoon) — Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
Obliquata — Modell (1957)
Dysnomia (Pilea) — Modell (1957)
Obliquaria — Burch (1975)
Elliptio (s.s.) — Burch (1975)
“Unio” — Evanoff et al. (1998)
Pleuronaia — Williams et al. (2008)
Pleurobema (Sintoxia) — Campbell & Lydeard (2012), Burlakova et al. (2012), Campbell & Lydeard (2012)