Obovaria retusa is a rare species of freshwater mussel in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. Its common names include golf stick pearly mussel
This mussel was native to Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia. By 1991 it was thought that there were about five populations remaining in Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. It is now thought to be extirpated from West Virginia, as the population there was a misidentification. Only a few specimens of the species have been observed recently. If any viable populations remain, they will be located in the Green River of Kentucky.
The Ring Pink mussel is found in medium to large rivers. They inhabit the silt, sand, and gravel substrate of these rivers. The Ring Pink does not frequent habitats deeper than about one meter.
Historically, the Ring Pink mussel is native to the Ohio River and its tributaries in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. Its range has decreased due to damming. The Ring Pink mussel is currently found or believed to be found in Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
Little is known about the Ring Pink’s reproductive behavior. Ring Pink mussel mating is thought to resemble that of other freshwater mussels. Freshwater mussels typically exhibit burrowing behavior in juvenile stages. See Life History section for more information.
Since the Ring Pink mussel is a rare species, there have been few reports of its behavior in the wild.
The Ring Pink mussel’s specific diet is unknown. Its diet likely does not differ from the diet of other freshwater mussels. Freshwater mussels’ diets often comprise detritus, diatoms, phytoplankton, and zooplankton.
The aim of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Recovery Plan is to downlist the Ring Pink mussel from endangered to threatened. Total recovery is not thought to be possible. The downlisting date cannot be estimated at this time. Mussels do not reproduce until about age 5. More than 10 years are needed to document reproduction and assess viability. Experts must study the impact of commercial fisheries. Some river beaches may need to be declared mussel sanctuaries. Recommendations for future actions acknowledge the limited success in finding individuals. Experts could perform surveys in the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers to find sites with suitable habitat. One suggestion was to determine the fish host(s) of the Ring Pink and propagate the species. This way, propagated juveniles could be moved to areas with mussel assemblages. The Round Hickorynut, another mollusk that could be considered a potential proxy, is hosted by the sand darter. This may indicate that the Ring Pink’s host is Ammocrypta clara and/or Ammocrypta pellucida. Another suggestion is to begin studies in cryopreservation. This could preserve gametes and glochidia, since it is challenging to induce natural reproduction.
