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Species Richness & Endemism by Geography
 
 

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!

South America

South American subregionsThe region is inhabited by 115 species (19 genera) in three families: Hyriidae, Mycetopodidae and Etheriidae.

South America is composed of six subregions. The Magdalena-Pacific Subregion (SA1; 5 gen., 13 spp., 5 endemic) is the area between the Isthmus of Panama and the Andes Mountains in the northwest. The Orinoco-Guayana Subregion (SA2; 10 gen., 33 spp., 18 endemic) includes the Orinoco basin east to the Guayanas. These basins are north of the Amazon Subregion (SA3; 16 gen., 37 spp., 12 endemic), composed of the whole Amazon Basin. The Atlantic coastal streams (including the São Francisco) in eastern Brazil comprise the São Francisco-Atlantic Subregion (SA4; 5 gen., 17 spp., 4 endemic). The Paraná-Paraguay Subregion (SA5; 11 gen., 63 spp., 42 endemic) is composed of all the rivers draining via the Rio de la Plata and the coastal streams of Uruguay and southern Brazil. Finally, the Patagonia Subregion (SA6; 2 gen., 3 spp., 2 endemic) includes southern Argentina and Chile.

Endemic species are marked with an asterisk (*).

Magdalena-Pacific (SA1)
  1. Anodontites carinata
  2. Anodontites colombiensis*
  3. Anodontites crispata
  4. Anodontites elongata
  5. Anodontites tortilis
  6. Anodontites trapesialis
  7. Anodontites trigona
  1. Castalia ecarinata*
  2. Diplodontites cookei
  3. Diplodontites olssoni*
  4. Diplodontites pilsbryana*
  5. Mulleria rivoli*
  6. Mycetopoda siliquosa
Orinoco-Guayana (SA2)
  1. Anodontites aroana*
  2. Anodontites carinata
  3. Anodontites crispata
  4. Anodontites guanarensis*
  5. Anodontites infossa*
  6. Anodontites leotaudi*
  7. Anodontites pittieri*
  8. Anodontites schomburgiana*
  9. Anodontites tortilis
  10. Anodontites trapesialis
  11. Anodontites trigona
  12. Castalia ambigua
  13. Castalia cordata*
  14. Castalia orinocensis*
  15. Castalia stevensi*
  16. Castaliella quadrata*
  17. Castaliella schombergiana*
  1. Castaliella sulcata*
  2. Diplodon granosus*
  3. Diplodon losadae*
  4. Diplodon obsolescens
  5. Diplodon suavidicus
  6. Diplodon voltzi*
  7. Lamproscapha ensiformis
  8. Lamproscapha falsa*
  9. Mycetopoda pittieri*
  10. Mycetopoda siliquosa
  11. Mycetopoda soleniformis
  12. Mycetopodella falcata
  13. Prisodon obliquus
  14. Prisodon syrmatophorus
  15. Tamsiella tamsiana*
  16. Triplodon corrugatus
Amazon (SA3)
  1. Anodontites crispata
  2. Anodontites elongata
  3. Anodontites obtusa
  4. Anodontites tenebricosa
  5. Anodontites trapesialis
  6. Anodontites trapezea
  7. Anodontites trigona
  8. Bartlettia stefanensis
  9. Callonaia duprei*
  10. Castalia ambigua
  11. Castalia crosseana*
  12. Castalia orbignyi*
  13. Diplodon guaporensis*
  14. Diplodon guaranianus
  15. Diplodon hylaeus
  16. Diplodon obsolescens
  17. Diplodon rhombeus
  18. Diplodon suavidicus
  19. Diplodontites cookei
  1. Fossula fossiculifera
  2. Iheringella semisulcata*
  3. Lamproscapha ensiformis
  4. Leila blainvilliana
  5. Leila esula*
  6. Monocondylaea corrientesensis
  7. Monocondylaea costulata*
  8. Monocondylaea guarayana*
  9. Monocondylaea jaspidea*
  10. Mycetopoda siliquosa
  11. Mycetopoda soleniformis
  12. Mycetopodella falcata
  13. Prisodon obliquus
  14. Prisodon syrmatophorus
  15. Tamsiella amazonica*
  16. Tamsiella schroeteriana*
  17. Triplodon chodo*
  18. Triplodon corrugatus
São Francisco-Atlantic (SA4)
  1. Anodontites moricandii*
  2. Anodontites obtusa
  3. Anodontites solenidea
  4. Anodontites trapesialis
  5. Anodontites trapezea
  6. Diplodon ellipticus
  7. Diplodon fontainianus
  8. Diplodon garbei*
  9. Diplodon multistriatus
  1. Diplodon pfeifferi*
  2. Diplodon rhombeus
  3. Diplodon rotundus
  4. Diplodon suavidicus
  5. Fossula fossiculifera
  6. Monocondylaea corrientesensis
  7. Monocondylaea franciscana*
  8. Mycetopoda siliquosa
Paraná-Paraguay (SA5)
  1. Anodontites elongata
  2. Anodontites ferrarisii*
  3. Anodontites iheringi*
  4. Anodontites lucida*
  5. Anodontites obtusa
  6. Anodontites patagonica*
  7. Anodontites solenidea
  8. Anodontites tenebricosa
  9. Anodontites trapesialis
  10. Anodontites trapezea
  11. Anodontites trigona
  12. Bartlettia stefanensis
  13. Castalia ambigua
  14. Castalia inflata*
  15. Castalia martensi*
  16. Castalia multisulcata*
  17. Castalia nehringi*
  18. Castalia psammoica*
  19. Castalia undosa*
  20. Diplodon aethiops*
  21. Diplodon berthae*
  22. Diplodon burroughianus*
  23. Diplodon caipira*
  24. Diplodon charruanus*
  25. Diplodon delodontus*
  26. Diplodon ellipticus
  27. Diplodon fontainianus
  28. Diplodon funebralis*
  29. Diplodon gratus*
  30. Diplodon greeffeanus*
  31. Diplodon guaranianus
  32. Diplodon hildae*
  1. Diplodon hylaeus
  2. Diplodon iheringi*
  3. Diplodon imitator*
  4. Diplodon koseritzi*
  5. Diplodon martensi*
  6. Diplodon multistriatus
  7. Diplodon parallelopipedon*
  8. Diplodon paranensis*
  9. Diplodon parodizi*
  10. Diplodon paulistus*
  11. Diplodon peraeformis*
  12. Diplodon piceus*
  13. Diplodon rhuacoicus*
  14. Diplodon rotundus
  15. Diplodon solisianus*
  16. Diplodon uruguayensis*
  17. Diplodon variabilis*
  18. Diplodon vicarius*
  19. Diplodon wymanii*
  20. Fossula fossiculifera
  21. Haasica balzani*
  22. Iheringella isocardiodes*
  23. Lamproscapha ensiformis
  24. Leila blainvilliana
  25. Monocondylaea corrientesensis
  26. Monocondylaea minuana*
  27. Monocondylaea paraguayana*
  28. Monocondylaea parchappii*
  29. Mycetopoda legumen*
  30. Mycetopoda siliquosa
  31. Mycetopoda soleniformis
Patagonia (SA6)
  1. Anodontites trigona
  2. Diplodon chilensis*
  1. Diplodon solidulus*
 
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