Bivalvia | Unionida | Unionoidea | Unionidae | Ambleminae | Quadrulini | Megalonaias

species Megalonaias nervosa (Rafinesque, 1820): synonymy

19 specimens + 5 GenBank vouchers

Synonymy

Unio (Leptodea) nervosa Rafinesque, 1820

Rafinesque, 1818. Amer. Mon. Mag. 3: 355 [as ‘Potamilus nervosus’]. [nomen nudum]
Rafinesque, 1820. Ann. Gén. Sci. Phys. 5 (13): 296, pl. 80, figs. 8-10 [also as ‘Elliptio nervosa’].
Rafinesque, 1864. [in] Binney & Tryon, reprint: 22, 41.
TYPE LOST XXX_UNKNOWN, aux rapides de l’Ohio.

Truncilla donaciformis — Ortmann & Walker (1922)
“Lampsilis (Ligumia) nervosa” ** — Frierson (1927)
“Ligumia nervosa” ** — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias nervosa — Morrison (1969), Oesch (1984), Turgeon et al. (1988), Cummings & Mayer (1992), Williams et al. (1993), ... Hauck et al. (2023), Ma et al. (2024), FMCS (2025), Cummings et al. (2025), Campbell & Lydeard (2026)
Megalonaias gigantea — Mathiak (1979), R.I. Johnson (1980)
Tritogonia nervosa — ITIS (2012)
M. nervosa — Marshall et al. (2018)

Unio crassus var. giganteus Barnes, 1823

(intro'd as intra-sp. of Unio crassus Say, 1817)
Barnes, 1823. Amer. J. Sci. 6 (1-2): 119.

Megalonaias gigantea — Ortmann & Walker (1922), Ortmann (1924), Ortmann (1925), F.C. Baker (1928), Murray & Leonard (1962), ... Burch (1975), Gordon et al. (1979), Mathiak (1979), R.I. Johnson (1980), ITIS (2012)
Amblema (Megalonaias) gigantea — Frierson (1927), Haas (1930)
Megalonaias gigantea gigantea — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias nervosa — Morrison (1969), Oesch (1984), Vidrine (1993), Howells et al. (1996), Parmalee & Bogan (1998), R.I. Johnson (1999), Brim Box & Williams (2000), Contreras-Arquieta (2000), Williams et al. (2008), Watters et al. (2009), IUCN (2011), Pfeiffer et al. (2018)
Amblema gigantea — Davis & Fuller (1981)

Unio heros Say, 1829

Say, 1829. New Harm. Dissem. 2(19): 291, sp. 1.
Say, 1858. [in] Binney, Compl. Writings T. Say: 165, 225.
TYPE LOST XXX_UNKNOWN, Fox River of the Wabash.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) heros — Simpson (1900)
Unio (s.s.) multiplicatus — Call (1900)
Quadrula heros — Ortmann (1909)
Crenodonta heros — Ortmann (1912)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) heros — Simpson (1914)
Megalonaias heros — Utterback (1915), Ortmann (1923)
Megalonaias gigantea — Ortmann & Walker (1922), F.C. Baker (1928), Murray & Leonard (1962), Morrison (1966), Haas (1969), Burch (1975), R.I. Johnson (1980)
Amblema (Megalonaias) gigantea — Frierson (1927), Haas (1930)
Amblema (sec. Megalonaias) heros — Thiele (1934)
Megalonaias gigantea gigantea — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias nervosa — Oesch (1984), Vidrine (1993), Howells et al. (1996), Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Brim Box & Williams (2000), ... Williams et al. (2014), Pfeiffer et al. (2018), Pfeiffer et al. (2019), Graf & Cummings (2021), Cummings et al. (2025)

Unio multiplicatus Lea, 1831

specimen image from publicationLea, 1831. Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. 4 [O. 1]: 70, pl. 4, fig. 2.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) heros — Simpson (1900)
Unio (s.s.) multiplicatus — Call (1900)
Quadrula heros — Ortmann (1909)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) heros — Simpson (1914)
Megalonaias heros — Utterback (1915)
Megalonaias gigantea — Ortmann & Walker (1922), F.C. Baker (1928), Burch (1975)
Amblema (Megalonaias) gigantea — Frierson (1927)
Megalonaias gigantea gigantea — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias nervosa — Oesch (1984), Howells et al. (1996), Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Brim Box & Williams (2000), Williams et al. (2008), Watters et al. (2009), Pfeiffer et al. (2018)

Unio undulatus Say, 1831

(misidentified reference to Unio undulatus Barnes, 1823)
‘Barnes’ Say, 1831. Amer. Conch. 2: pl. 16.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) heros — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) heros — Simpson (1914)
Megalonaias nervosa — Parmalee & Bogan (1998)

image of type lot

Unio boykinianus Lea, 1840

Lea, 1840. Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc. 1: 288.
specimen image from publicationLea, 1842. Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. 8 [O. 3]: 208 [46], pl. 13, fig. 22.
TOPOTYPE USNM_83903, Columbus, Georgia.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) boykiniana — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) boykiniana — Simpson (1914)
Amblema (Megalonaias) gigantea-boykiniana — Frierson (1927)
Crenodonta boykiniana — Clench & Turner (1956)
Megalonaias gigantea boykiniana — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias gigantea — Burch (1975)
Megalonaias boykiniana — Davis (1984), Turgeon et al. (1988), Williams et al. (1993), Rosenberg et al. (1994), Rosenberg et al. (1997), Graf & Cummings (2007), Cummings & Graf (2010), ITIS (2012)
Amblema plicata — Vidrine (1993)
Megalonaias nervosa — Mulvey et al. (1997), Brim Box & Williams (2000), Williams et al. (2008), IUCN (2011), Williams et al. (2011), Williams et al. (2014), Pfeiffer et al. (2018), Graf & Cummings (2021)

image of type lot

Unio eightsii Lea, 1860

Lea, 1860. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 12: 306.
Lea, 1860. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 4 [O. 8]: 367 [49], pl. 64, fig. 192.
HOLOTYPE (MONOTYPY) USNM_83991 (by R.I. Johnson, 1974: 51), Sabinas R., Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) heros — Simpson (1900)
Unio (Crenodonta) digitatus — Martens (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) heros — Simpson (1914)
Amblema (Megalonaias) gigantea — Frierson (1927)
Megalonaias gigantea gigantea — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias nervosa — Howells et al. (1996), Parmalee & Bogan (1998), R.I. Johnson (1999), Williams et al. (2008), Watters et al. (2009), Pfeiffer et al. (2018), Cummings et al. (2025)

Unio baykinianus ‘Lea’ of Authors

(error for Unio boykinianus Lea, 1840)
‘Lea’ of Authors.
Küster, 1861. Conchyl. Cab. 9(2): 181.
Paetel, 1890. Cat. Conch.-Samml. 3: 145.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) boykiniana — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) boykiniana — Simpson (1914)

image of type lot

Unio triumphans B.H. Wright, 1898

B.H. Wright, 1898. Nautilus 11(9): 101.
HOLOTYPE USNM_150554, Coosa Riv., St. Clair Co., Ala.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) triumphans — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula triumphans — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) triumphans — Simpson (1914)
Megalonaias triumphans — Ortmann (1923), Haas (1969)
Amblema (Megalonaias) triumphans — Frierson (1927)
Megalonaias nervosa — Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Brim Box & Williams (2000), Williams et al. (2008), Watters et al. (2009), Pfeiffer et al. (2018)

Unio undulata Valenciennes, 1827

(misidentified reference to Unio undulatus Barnes, 1823)
Valenciennes, 1827. Receuil Observ. Zool. 2(11-12): 229, pl. 54, figs. 3-3b.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) undulata — Simpson (1900)
Megalonaias nervosa — Watters et al. (2009)

Plectomerus boykianus Conrad, 1853

(error for Unio boykinianus Lea, 1840)
‘Lea’ Conrad, 1853. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 6: 260.

Unio atrocostatus Reeve, 1864

(error for Unio heros Say, 1829; misidentified reference to Unio atrocostatus Lea, 1845)
specimen image from publication‘Lea’ Reeve, 1864. Conch. Icon. 16: pl. 4, sp. 13; errata [changed to ‘U. heros, Say’].

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) heros — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) heros — Simpson (1914)
Amblema (Megalonaias) gigantea — Frierson (1927)
Megalonaias gigantea gigantea — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias nervosa — Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Watters et al. (2009)

Unio atrocostatus Sowerby, 1868

(misidentified reference to Unio atrocostatus Lea, 1845)
specimen image from publication‘Lea’ Sowerby, 1868. Conch. Icon. 16: pl. 77, sp. 404.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) undulata — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) undulata — Simpson (1914)
Amblema (s.s.) plicata-costata — Frierson (1927)

Unio eighti Paetel, 1890

(error for Unio eightsii Lea, 1860)
‘Lea’ Paetel, 1890. Cat. Conch.-Samml. 3: 151.

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) heros — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) heros — Simpson (1914)
Megalonaias nervosa — Parmalee & Bogan (1998), Watters et al. (2009)

Taxonomic History (since 1900)

Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) undulata — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) triumphans — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) boykiniana — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) heros — Simpson (1900)
Unio (Crenodonta) digitatus — Martens (1900)
Unio (s.s.) multiplicatus — Call (1900)
Quadrula triumphans — Simpson (1900)
Quadrula heros — Ortmann (1909)
Crenodonta heros — Ortmann (1912)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) undulata — Simpson (1914)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) triumphans — Simpson (1914)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) boykiniana — Simpson (1914)
Quadrula (sec. Crenodonta) (Group of Q. plicata) heros — Simpson (1914)
Megalonaias heros — Utterback (1915), Ortmann (1923)
Megalonaias gigantea — Ortmann & Walker (1922), Ortmann (1924), Ortmann (1925), F.C. Baker (1928), Murray & Leonard (1962), ... Burch (1975), Gordon et al. (1979), Mathiak (1979), R.I. Johnson (1980), ITIS (2012)
Truncilla donaciformis — Ortmann & Walker (1922)
Megalonaias triumphans — Ortmann (1923), Haas (1969)
Amblema (s.s.) plicata-costata — Frierson (1927)
Amblema (Megalonaias) gigantea — Frierson (1927), Haas (1930)
Amblema (Megalonaias) gigantea-boykiniana — Frierson (1927)
Amblema (Megalonaias) triumphans — Frierson (1927)
“Lampsilis (Ligumia) nervosa” ** — Frierson (1927)
Amblema (sec. Megalonaias) heros — Thiele (1934)
Crenodonta boykiniana — Clench & Turner (1956)
“Ligumia nervosa” ** — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias gigantea gigantea — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias gigantea boykiniana — Haas (1969)
Megalonaias nervosa — Morrison (1969), Oesch (1984), Turgeon et al. (1988), Cummings & Mayer (1992), Williams et al. (1993), ... Hauck et al. (2023), Ma et al. (2024), FMCS (2025), Cummings et al. (2025), Campbell & Lydeard (2026)
Amblema gigantea — Davis & Fuller (1981)
Megalonaias boykiniana — Davis (1984), Turgeon et al. (1988), Williams et al. (1993), Rosenberg et al. (1994), Rosenberg et al. (1997), Graf & Cummings (2007), Cummings & Graf (2010), ITIS (2012)
Amblema plicata — Vidrine (1993)
Tritogonia nervosa — ITIS (2012)
M. nervosa — Marshall et al. (2018)