| Page last updated
Wed 1 October 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 family MARGARITIFERIDAE Henderson, 1929
synonyms (5 nomina) | cladomics 
Global Distribution of the Margaritiferidae.
The thin purple wedge of the pie depicts the relative Recent species
diversity of the family in the order Unionoida (16 of
997).
The Margaritiferidae consists of only 16 Recent
species, and although the distribution of the family is patchy, it is
found in North America,
North Eurasia and
East Asia. Various genus-level
classifications have been used over the years, and until recently
we have regarded the family to represent a single genus. New phylogenetic
information now divides the species among 4 Recent genera
in two subfamilies.  subfamily GIBBOSULINAE Bogan, Bolotov, Froufe & Lopes-Lima in Lopes-Lima et al., 2018: 5 Recent species.
synonymy (1
nomen) | 1 genus
Distribution: East Asia
|  subfamily MARGARITIFERINAE Henderson, 1929: 11 Recent species.
synonymy (4
nomina) | 3 genera
Distribution: North America, East Asia, North Eurasia
| genus Asturianaia Delevene, Munt, Piñuela & García-Ramos, 2016: fossil only.
synonymy (1 available
nomina) | 2 species
Distribution: North Eurasia | genus Discunio Starobogatov, 1970: fossil only.
synonymy (1 available
nomina) | 1 species | genus Martinsoniconcha Starobogatov, 1970: fossil only.
synonymy (1 available
nomina) | 1 species | genus Mengyinaia Chen, 1984: fossil only.
synonymy (1 available
nomina) | 1 species
Distribution: East Asia | genus Proarcidopsis Starobogatov, 1970: fossil only.
synonymy (1 available
nomina) | 1 species | genus Shifangella Liu & Luo in Liu, 1981: fossil only.
synonymy (3 available
nomina) | 3 species
Distribution: East Asia |
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