Anodontoides ferussacianus

The cylindrical papershell is up to 7.6 cm (3 inches) long , and is elongate and elliptical. The shell is usually fairly thin and inflated. The anterior end is rounded, the posterior end bluntly pointed. The dorsal margin is straight to slightly curved and the ventral margin is slightly rounded, a slight arch, or “pinch” in the middle. Umbos are low, raised only slightly above the hinge line. The beak sculpture has three or four very fine V shaped ridges. The periostracum (outer shell layer) is light green to yellowish-brown. Beaks are generally lighter. Older specimens tend to be more brown. On the inner shell, both the left and right valve lack pseudocardinal teeth but have swellings on the hinge line beneath the beaks. Lateral teeth are also absent. The beak cavity is shallow. The nacre is silvery or bluish white and iridescent at the posterior end. In Michigan, this species can be confused with the creeper , paper pondshell or giant floater . In general, A. ferussacianus is more cylindrical than the other species, and has a “pinch” in the middle of the ventral margin. The paper pondshell has distinctly flat umbos. The creeper in general is larger, has a slightly more blunt posterior end, and is slightly more compressed.

No narrative description available for this taxon yet.