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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 | Etherioidea | Etheriidae | Etheria

species Etheria elliptica Lamarck, 1807: synonymy
     593 specimens

Etheria elliptica Lamarck, 1807
Lamarck, 1807. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. 10: 401, pls. 29; pl. 31, fig. 1.
Lamarck, 1819. Hist. Natur. Anim. sans Vert. 6: 99, sp. 1.
(renamed Etheria lamarckii Férussac, 1824)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE MNHN_21209, Habite..... la mer des grandes Indes?

Ætheria ellipticaE.A. Smith (1904), E.A. Smith (1906), Germain (1907), Germain (1918)
Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907), Germain (1925)
Aetheria ellipticaPallary (1909), Kobelt (1910), Thiele (1934), Dartevelle & Schwetz (1937), Dartevelle (1939), Franc (1949)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1936), Modell (1942), Leloup (1950), Pain & Woodward (1961), ... Graf & Cummings (2021), Smith (2021), Wu et al. (2021), Bolotov et al. (2024), Chen et al. (2025)

Etheria semilunata Lamarck, 1807
Lamarck, 1807. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. 10: 404, pl. 32, figs. 1-2 [as ‘semi-lunata’].
Lamarck, 1819. Hist. Natur. Anim. sans Vert. 6: 100, sp. 3.
(renamed Etheria plumbea Férussac, 1824)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE MHNG_XXX, Madagascar.

Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907), Germain (1925)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Haas (1969), Heard & Vail (1976), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2006), Graf & Cummings (2007), Graf & Cummings (2009), IUCN (2011), Graf & Cummings (2021)

Etheria transversa Lamarck, 1807
Lamarck, 1807. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. 10: 406, pl. 32, figs. 3-4.
Lamarck, 1819. Hist. Natur. Anim. sans Vert. 6: 100, sp. 4.
(renamed Etheria plumbea Férussac, 1824)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE MNHG_XXXX, Madagascar.

Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907), Germain (1925)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2006), Graf & Cummings (2009), IUCN (2011)

Etheria trigonula Lamarck, 1807
Lamarck, 1807. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. 10: 403, pl. 30; pl. 31, fig. 2.
Lamarck, 1819. Hist. Natur. Anim. sans Vert. 6: 99, sp. 2.
(renamed Etheria lamarckii Férussac, 1824)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE MNHN_21210, [no locality available - Africa].

Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907), Germain (1925)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2009), IUCN (2011)

Etheria caillaudi Cuvier, 1817
‘Ferussac’ of Authors.
Cuvier, 1817. Règne Animal 2: 130.
Hanley, 1843. Illustr. Descr. Cat. Rec. Bivalve Shells: 230.
Jickeli, 1874. Nova Acta Dtsch. Akad. Naturf. 37(1): 281.
Bourguignat, 1880. Mater. Moll. Acécphales Syst. Europ. 1: 64.
Westerlund, 1890. Fauna Paläarct. Binnenconch. 2(7): 316.
Servain, 1890. Bull. Soc. Malac. France 7: 320.
(error for Aetheria cailliaudi Férussac, 1824)

Etheria ellipticaFischer-Piette & Métivier (1974), Daget (1998)

Aetheria cailliaudi Férussac, 1824
Férussac, 1824. Mém. Soc. Hist. Nat. 1: 359.
Ferussac in Sowerby, 1825. Zool. Jour. 1: 522.
Type(s): UNKNOWN MCZ_72888, Blue Nile, Egypt.

Aetheria cailliaudiPallary (1903), Kobelt (1904)
Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907)
Aetheria elliptica var. cailliaudiPallary (1909)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998), IUCN (2011), Elderkin et al. (2016)
Etheria elliptica var. cailliaudiYonge (1962), Yonge (1978)

Etheria lamarckii Férussac, 1824
Férussac, 1824. Mém. Soc. Hist. Nat. 1: 359.
Ferussac in Sowerby, 1825. Zool. Jour. 1: 522 [as ‘Ætheria’].
(new name for Etheria elliptica Lamarck, 1807; new name for Etheria trigonula Lamarck, 1807)

Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998), IUCN (2011)

Etheria plumbea Férussac, 1824
Férussac, 1824. Mém. Soc. Hist. Nat. 1: 359.
Ferussac in Sowerby, 1825. Zool. Jour. 1: 522 [as ‘Ætheria’].
(new name for Etheria semilunata Lamarck, 1807; new name for Etheria transversa Lamarck, 1807)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE MNHG_XXXX, Madagascar.

Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907), Germain (1925)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Fischer-Piette & Métivier (1974), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2006), IUCN (2011)

Aetheria tubifera Sowerby, 1825
Sowerby, 1825. Zool. Jour. 1: 523, pl. 19.

Aetheria cailliaudiPallary (1903)
Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907)
Aetheria elliptica var. tubiferaPallary (1909)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Mandahl-Barth (1968), Haas (1969), Van Damme (1984), Daget (1998), IUCN (2011), Elderkin et al. (2016)
Etheria elliptica var. tubiferaYonge (1962), Yonge (1978)

Aetheria denhami Koenig, 1826
Koenig, 1826. [in] Denham & Clapperton, Narr. Travels Africa, Appendix: 254.

Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998)

Etheria carteroni Michelin, 1830
Michelin, 1830. unknown publication: 1.
Michelin, 1831. Mag. Zool. 1: 1, pl. 1, fig. 1.
Type(s): UNKNOWN MNHN_MP_1541, ... Faleme, Senegambia.

Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998)

Aetheria chambardi Bourguignat, 1880
Bourguignat, 1880. Mater. Moll. Acécphales Syst. Europ. 1: 56, 69.

Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998)

Aetheria letourneuxi Bourguignat, 1880
Bourguignat, 1880. Mater. Moll. Acécphales Syst. Europ. 1: 55, 70.
Type(s): SYNTYPE MNHN_MP_0193, Le Nil, dans les conaux du Fayoum, Egypt.

Aetheria cailliaudiPallary (1903)
Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2011)

Aetheria nilotica Bourguignat, 1880
‘Letourneux, mss.’ Bourguignat, 1880. Mater. Moll. Acécphales Syst. Europ. 1: 58.

Aetheria cailliaudiPallary (1903)
Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998)

Aetheria petrettinii Bourguignat, 1880
Bourguignat, 1880. Mater. Moll. Acécphales Syst. Europ. 1: 53, 70.
Type(s): SYNTYPES MNHN_MP_0264, dans le Ramlé à Hagueret de fente de Ramali, canal Mahmoudieh.

Aetheria cailliaudiPallary (1903)
Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907)
Aetheria elliptica var. petrettiniiPallary (1909)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998), IUCN (2011), Graf & Cummings (2011)

Aetheria senegalica Bourguignat, 1880
Bourguignat, 1880. Mater. Moll. Acécphales Syst. Europ. 1: 68.

Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998)

Aetheria bourguignati Rochebrune, 1886
Rochebrune, 1886. Bull. Soc. Malac. France 3: 14.
Type(s): SYNTYPE MNHN_MP_0171, Gancini (Congo).

Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2011)

Etheria plombea Jousseaume, 1886
‘Férussac’ Jousseaume, 1886. Bull. Soc. Zool. France 11: 501.
(error for Etheria plumbea Férussac, 1824)

Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Daget (1998)

Aetheria tanganikana Bourguignat, 1889
‘Lamarck’ E.A. Smith, 1880. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1880: 352 [as ‘Aetheria elliptica’].
Bourguignat, 1889. Bull. Soc. Malac. France 6: 65.

Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Leloup (1950), Daget (1998)

Aetheria heteromorpha Simroth, 1894
Simroth, 1894. Abh. Senckenb. Naturf. Ges. 18: 287.
Type(s): TYPE SMF_5685, Kongo Falle.

Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Daget (1998)

Aetheria elliptica var. typica R. Anthony, 1907
‘Germain’ R. Anthony, 1907. Ann. Soc. Roy. Zool. Malac. Belgique 41: 372.
(intro'd as intra-sp. of Etheria elliptica Lamarck, 1807)

Aetheria elliptica var. typicaPallary (1909)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Daget (1998)
Etheria elliptica var. typicaYonge (1978)

Margaritifera margaritifera Akindele et al., 2018
‘Linneaus’ of Authors.
Akindele & Olutona, 2015. Water Env. J. 29: 543 [as ‘Margaritifera sp.’].
Akindele et al., 2018. African J. Ecol. 56(3): 488, figs. S1-S2.
Ukam et al., 2018. Adv. in Res. 15(2): 1.
(misidentified reference to Mya margaritifera Linnaeus, 1758)

Aspatharia dahomeyensisAkindele et al. (2023)
Etheria ellipticaBolotov et al. (2024)

Etheria semilunata Sowerby & Sowerby, 1821
Sowerby & Sowerby, 1821. Genera of Shells 2: 1, pl. 94.
(reference to Etheria semilunata Lamarck, 1807)

Etheria cailliaudi Sowerby, 1872
Sowerby, 1872. Conch. Icon. 18: pl. 2. sp. 2, fig. 2a. [in part]
(reference to Aetheria cailliaudi Férussac, 1824)

Etheria semilunaris Sowerby, 1872
‘Lamarck’ Sowerby, 1872. Conch. Icon. 18: pl. 1, sp. 1.
(error for Etheria semilunata Lamarck, 1807)

Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Daget (1998)

Aetheria elliptica E.A. Smith, 1880
‘Lamarck’ E.A. Smith, 1880. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1880: 352.
(reference to Etheria elliptica Lamarck, 1807)

Aetheria caillaudi [sic] var. elongata Bourguignat, 1880
Bourguignat, 1880. Mater. Moll. Acécphales Syst. Europ. 1: 66.
(intro'd as syn of Aetheria nilotica Bourguignat, 1880)

Aetheria caillaudi [sic] var. rotundata Bourguignat, 1880
Bourguignat, 1880. Mater. Moll. Acécphales Syst. Europ. 1: 66.
(intro'd as syn of Aetheria tubifera Sowerby, 1825)

Aetheria africana Paetel, 1890
‘Caill.’ Paetel, 1890. Cat. Conch.-Samml. 3: 190. [nomen nudum]

Etheria ellipticaDaget (1998)

Aetheria electrina Paetel, 1890
Paetel, 1890. Cat. Conch.-Samml. 3: 164. [nomen nudum]

Etheria ellipticaDaget (1998)

Aetheria nidus hirundinis Simroth, 1890
Simroth, 1890. Zool. Anz. Leipzig. 13: 662. [non-binomial]
Simroth, 1894. Abh. Senckenb. Naturf. Ges. 18: 288, pl. 1, figs. 8-10.
Type(s): LECTOTYPE SMF_5687, Kongo Falle.

Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Daget (1998)

Aetheria tubulosa Simroth, 1894
‘Bk.’ Simroth, 1894. Abh. Senckenb. Naturf. Ges. 18: 277.
(error for Aetheria tubifera Sowerby, 1825)

Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Daget (1998)

Aetheria hetermorpha mutatio tubulifera Simroth, 1894
Simroth, 1894. Abh. Senckenb. Naturf. Ges. 18: 288, pl. 1, figs. 1-7. [infra-subsp.]
(intro'd as intra-sp. of Aetheria heteromorpha Simroth, 1894)

Etheria ellipticaDaget (1998)

Aetheria elliptica Form-Varietät globosa Martens, 1897
Martens, 1897. Besch. Weich. Deutsch Ost Afr. 4: 218. [infra-subsp.]
(intro'd as intra-sp. of Etheria elliptica Lamarck, 1807)

Etheria ellipticaDaget (1998)

Margaritifera cardiidae Gabriel et al., 2017
Gabriel et al., 2017. Intern. J. Fauna Biol. Stud. 4(2A): 44.
(error for Margaritifera margaritifera Akindele et al., 2018)

Bolotov et al. (2024)

Aspatharia dahomeyensis Akindele et al., 2023
Akindele et al., 2023. Environ. Pollution 326, 121470: 7, graphical abstract.
(misidentified reference to Anodonta dahomeyensis Lea, 1859)

Etheria ellipticaBolotov et al. (2024)

Taxonomic History (since 1900)

Aetheria cailliaudiPallary (1903), Kobelt (1904)
Ætheria ellipticaE.A. Smith (1904), E.A. Smith (1906), Germain (1907), Germain (1918)
Aetheria [sic] ellipticaGermain (1907), Germain (1925)
Aetheria ellipticaPallary (1909), Kobelt (1910), Thiele (1934), Dartevelle & Schwetz (1937), Dartevelle (1939), Franc (1949)
Aetheria elliptica var. cailliaudiPallary (1909)
Aetheria elliptica var. tubiferaPallary (1909)
Aetheria elliptica var. petrettiniiPallary (1909)
Aetheria elliptica var. typicaPallary (1909)
Etheria ellipticaPilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Haas (1936), Modell (1942), Leloup (1950), Pain & Woodward (1961), ... Graf & Cummings (2021), Smith (2021), Wu et al. (2021), Bolotov et al. (2024), Chen et al. (2025)
Etheria elliptica var. cailliaudiYonge (1962), Yonge (1978)
Etheria elliptica var. tubiferaYonge (1962), Yonge (1978)
Etheria elliptica var. typicaYonge (1978)
Aspatharia dahomeyensisAkindele et al. (2023)
Bolotov et al. (2024)

 
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