MUSSELp

MUSSELpdb

Introduction

Browse

d'basing

Search the MUSSELpdb

Taxonomy

all genera

Unionidae

Margaritiferidae

Hyriidae

Etheriidae

Mycetopodidae

Iridinidae


Species & Genus Richness by
Taxonomy

Geography

Summary

North America

Central America

South America

Afrotropics

North Eurasia

East Asia

Australasia


Species Richness & Endemism by
Geography

Data last updated
Mon 1 Dec 2025

Bivalvia | Unionoida | Unionoidea | Unionidae | Ambleminae | Pleurobemini

genus Pleurobema Rafinesque, 1819: synonymy

22 Recent freshwater species (30 total species)

Synonymy

Pleurobema Rafinesque, 1819

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

Aximedia Rafinesque, 1820

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, 1887: 1000) = Pleurobema clava

Scalenaria Rafinesque, 1820

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

Sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820

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

Scatenaria Rafinesque, 1820

Rafinesque, 1820. Ann. Gén. Sci. Phys. 5 (13): 419.
(error for Scalenaria Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Scalenaria) scalenia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema clava

Syntoxia Agassiz, 1846

Agassiz, 1846. Nomencl. Zool. Index Univ.: 359.
(new name for Sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia

Syntonia Schaufuss, 1869

Schaufuss, 1869. Moll. Syst. Cat. Paetel 7: 21.
(error for Sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia

Sintoina Paetel, 1875

Paetel, 1875. Fam. Gatt. Moll.: 191.
(error for Sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia

Pleurobenea Salisbury, 1948

Salisbury, 1948. Zool. Rec. 82: 82.
(error for Pleurobema Rafinesque, 1819)
Type species: Unio clava Lamarck, 1819 = Pleurobema clava

Lintoxia Haas, 1969

‘Rafinesque’ Haas, 1969. Treatise on Invert. Paleo: N439.
(error for Sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia

Lyntoxia Haas, 1969

‘Rafinesque’ Haas, 1969. Treatise on Invert. Paleo: N439.
(error for Syntoxia Agassiz, 1846)
Type species: Obliquaria (Sintoxia) sintoxia Rafinesque, 1820 = Pleurobema sintoxia

Taxonomic History (since 1900)

The Taxonomic History lists the ways authors have classified the species currently assigned to Pleurobema, since 1900.

Quadrula (sec. Fusconaia)Simpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Pleurobema (s.s.)Simpson (1900), Simpson (1914), Frierson (1927), Haas (1930)
ObovariaSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Unio (sec. Elliptio)Simpson (1900)
UnioSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914), de Gregorio (1914), Henderson (1935), Branson (1935), Yen (1952), Good (2004)
Unio (s.s.)Call (1900)
PleurobemaSimpson (1900), Ortmann (1909), Ortmann (1909), Ortmann (1909), Ortmann (1910), ... Wu et al. (2024), Dai et al. (2025), Freeman et al. (2025), Chen et al. (2025), FMCS (2025)
QuadrulaOrtmann (1909), Ortmann (1909), Vanatta (1915)
ElliptioOrtmann (1912), ITIS (2012)
FusconaiaOrtmann & 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)
Quadrula (Pleuronaia)Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
Obovaria (s.s.)Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
Obovaria (Pseudoon)Frierson (1927), Haas (1969)
ObliquataModell (1957)
Dysnomia (Pilea)Modell (1957)
Elliptio (s.s.)Burch (1975)
ObliquariaBurch (1975)
“Unio”Evanoff et al. (1998)
PleuronaiaWilliams et al. (2008)
Pleurobema (Sintoxia)Campbell & Lydeard (2012), Campbell & Lydeard (2012), Burlakova et al. (2012)

 
NSF icon MUSSEL icon
"Making the world a better place, one mollusk at a time."