MUSSELp
 
MUSSELpdb
 
 
Taxonomy
 
 
Geography
 
 
 

Page last updated
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!

Search the database pages:

For each taxon, information is provided regarding habitat, horizon (Recent unless otherwise listed), and diversity. We are actively working on the Recent freshwater mussels, and those are the taxa for which the data are most complete. For other Recent freshwater bivalves, the information largely follows Graf (2013). For other taxa (e.g., marine, fossil), any content is largely incidental.

Bivalvia

Class BIVALVIA

order ADAPEDONTA: 41 Recent species.
2 superfamilies

order ANOMALODESMATA: 24 Recent species.
8 superfamilies

order ARCIDA: 17 Recent species.
2 superfamilies

order CARDIIDA: 90 Recent species.
3 superfamilies

order CARDITIDA: 14 Recent species.
2 superfamilies

superfamily CYAMIOIDEA Sars, 1878: 3 Recent species.
synonymy (2 nomina) | 2 families

order GALEOMMATIDA: 18 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order GASTROCHAENIDA: 3 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order LIMIDA: 7 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order LUCINIDA: 29 Recent species.
2 superfamilies

order MANZANELLIDA: 2 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order MYIDA: 102 Recent species.
3 superfamilies

order MYTILIDA: 54 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order NUCULANIDA: 23 Recent species.
2 superfamilies

order NUCULIDA: 6 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order OSTREIDA: 18 Recent species.
3 superfamilies

order PECTINIDA: 22 Recent species.
5 superfamilies

order SOLEMYIDA: 5 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order SPHAERIIDA: 278 Recent species.
1 superfamily

order TRIGONIIDA: 8 Recent species.
2 superfamilies

order UNIONIDA: 1005 Recent species.
2 genera, 1 family, 5 superfamilies

order VENERIDA: 253 Recent species.
8 superfamilies

order ACTINODONTIDA: fossil only.
1 superfamily

order MODIOMORPHIDA: fossil only.
1 superfamily

order MYALINIDA: fossil only.
1 superfamily

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