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Page last updated
Thu 17 July 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!


Bivalvia

Class BIVALVIA

order UNIONOIDA: 1020 Recent species.
2 genera, 1 family, 5 superfamilies
These are the freshwater mussels. There are six modern families, restricted entirely to fresh waters. In addition, there are several fossil families.

order ADAPEDONTA: 17 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order ARCOIDA: 5 Recent species.
1 superfamily
Arcoids are primarily marine. However, one family is represented in fresh waters.

order CARDIOIDA: 48 Recent species.
3 superfamilies
Cardioids are mostly marine, with a minor radition into freshened waters.

order LUCINOIDA: 16 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order MYOIDA: 53 Recent species.
3 superfamilies
Myoids are also primarily marine bivalves, but there are freshwater species as well, including species of the Dreissenidae.

order MYTILOIDA: 38 Recent species.
1 superfamily
There are a few secondarily freshwater species in this order, but otherwise mytiloids are primarily marine.

order SPHAERIOIDA: 272 Recent species.
1 superfamily
The Sphaeriidae is the second-most species-rich radition of bivalves into inland habitats.

order TRIGONIOIDA: 8 Recent species.
2 superfamilies
Trigonioids are the marine sister-group to freshwater mussels.

order VENEROIDA: 162 Recent species.
5 superfamilies
The Cyrenidae represents the most significant radition of veneroids into fresh waters, but there are also a number of freshwater species in primarily marine families.

order ARCHANODONTIDAE: fossil only.
2 genera

order MODIOMORPHOIDA: fossil only.
1 superfamily

order PECTINOIDA: fossil only.
1 superfamily
An order of bivalves that has freshwater species or at least species attributed to freshwater clades.

order PTERIOIDA: fossil only.
1 superfamily
There are not really any freshwater pterioids, but at least one fossil family has been assigned to a freshwater clade.

 
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