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Glochidium

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130:, release their glochidia in mucilaginous packets called conglutinates. The conglutinate has a sticky filament that allows it to adhere to the substrate so it is not washed away. There is also an even more specialized way of dispersal known as a super-conglutinate. The super-conglutinate resembles an aquatic fly larva or a fish egg, complete with a dark area that looks like an eyespot, and it is appetizing to fish. When a fish consumes it, it breaks up, releasing the glochidia. Mussels that produce conglutinates and super-conglutinates are often gill parasites, the glochidia attaching to the fish gills to continue their development into juveniles. 56: 38: 114:
Before the origin of this larval form was understood, they were described as "parasitic worms" on the fish host, although under normal circumstances, glochidia do not harm fish. Overexposure or heavy infections of glochidia may however greatly decrease the host's ability to respire. This is because
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of a fish host species) for a period before they detach, fall to the substrate and take on the typical form of a juvenile mussel. Since a fish is active and free-swimming, this process helps distribute the mussel species to potential areas of habitat that it could not reach any other way.
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These larvae are tiny and are typically between 100 and 200 micrometers, or approximately a third of the size of a grain of salt. They can be round or have hooks, attaching to the gills, fins and scales of fish (for example to the
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the tissue which is heavily covered in glochidia will eventually convert to scar tissue and lose functionality.
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Watters, G. Thomas (1999). "Morphology of the Conglutinate of the Kidneyshell Freshwater Mussel,
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Hartfield, Paul; Hartfield, Elizabeth (April 1996). "Observations on the Conglutinates of
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This article is about bivalve larvae. For hair-like spines of cacti, see
17: 477: 231: 192: 144: 91: 88: 31: 390: 223: 184: 395: 319: 241: 77: 54: 36: 107: 245: 102:, the river mussels and European freshwater pearl mussels. 450: 409: 383: 280: 171:(Conrad, 1834) (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionoidea)". 257: 8: 264: 250: 242: 156: 118:Some mussels in the Unionidae, such as 162: 160: 7: 41:A drawing of the glochidium of the 25: 1: 51:). The larva is 0.35 mm long 173:American Midland Naturalist 525: 208:Ptychobranchus fasciolaris 121:Ptychobranchus fasciolaris 29: 59:Glochidia of the mussel 65: 52: 169:Ptychobranchus greeni 58: 40: 212:Invertebrate Biology 76:) is a microscopic 504:Freshwater bivalves 62:Lampsilis higginsii 82:freshwater mussels 66: 53: 27:Larvae of bivalves 486: 485: 16:(Redirected from 516: 417:Adductor muscles 384:Other hard parts 266: 259: 252: 243: 236: 235: 203: 197: 196: 164: 100:Margaritiferidae 94:in the families 21: 524: 523: 519: 518: 517: 515: 514: 513: 509:Mollusc anatomy 489: 488: 487: 482: 446: 405: 379: 276: 270: 240: 239: 224:10.2307/3226998 205: 204: 200: 185:10.2307/2426721 166: 165: 158: 153: 136: 48:Anodonta cygnea 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 522: 520: 512: 511: 506: 501: 491: 490: 484: 483: 481: 480: 475: 470: 465: 460: 454: 452: 448: 447: 445: 444: 439: 434: 429: 427:Gastric shield 424: 419: 413: 411: 407: 406: 404: 403: 398: 393: 387: 385: 381: 380: 378: 377: 372: 367: 362: 357: 352: 347: 342: 337: 332: 327: 322: 317: 312: 307: 302: 297: 292: 286: 284: 278: 277: 271: 269: 268: 261: 254: 246: 238: 237: 218:(3): 289–295. 198: 179:(2): 370–375. 155: 154: 152: 149: 148: 147: 142: 135: 132: 80:stage of some 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 521: 510: 507: 505: 502: 500: 497: 496: 494: 479: 476: 474: 471: 469: 466: 464: 461: 459: 456: 455: 453: 449: 443: 440: 438: 435: 433: 430: 428: 425: 423: 420: 418: 415: 414: 412: 408: 402: 399: 397: 394: 392: 389: 388: 386: 382: 376: 373: 371: 368: 366: 363: 361: 358: 356: 353: 351: 348: 346: 343: 341: 340:Prodissoconch 338: 336: 333: 331: 330:Pallial sinus 328: 326: 323: 321: 318: 316: 313: 311: 308: 306: 303: 301: 298: 296: 293: 291: 288: 287: 285: 283: 279: 274: 267: 262: 260: 255: 253: 248: 247: 244: 233: 229: 225: 221: 217: 213: 209: 202: 199: 194: 190: 186: 182: 178: 174: 170: 163: 161: 157: 150: 146: 143: 141: 138: 137: 133: 131: 129: 128: 123: 122: 116: 112: 109: 103: 101: 97: 93: 90: 87: 83: 79: 75: 71: 64: 63: 57: 50: 49: 44: 39: 33: 19: 462: 335:Periostracum 325:Pallial line 215: 211: 207: 201: 176: 172: 168: 125: 119: 117: 113: 104: 73: 69: 67: 60: 46: 473:Trochophore 468:Pseudofeces 300:Hinge teeth 140:Trochophore 43:swan mussel 493:Categories 463:Glochidium 437:Nephridium 410:Soft parts 295:Hinge line 151:References 127:P. greenii 70:glochidium 422:Ctenidium 355:Sculpture 345:Resilifer 96:Unionidae 74:glochidia 18:Glochidia 458:Abductin 401:Sea silk 350:Resilium 305:Ligament 134:See also 92:mollusks 72:(plural 478:Veliger 275:anatomy 273:Bivalve 232:3226998 193:2426721 145:Veliger 89:bivalve 86:aquatic 32:glochid 499:Larvae 442:Siphon 432:Mantle 391:Byssus 375:Annuli 315:Lunule 290:Callus 230:  191:  78:larval 451:Other 396:Pearl 365:Valve 360:Umbo 320:Nacre 282:Shell 228:JSTOR 189:JSTOR 108:gills 370:Beak 310:Lira 124:and 98:and 68:The 220:doi 216:118 210:". 181:doi 177:135 495:: 226:. 214:. 187:. 175:. 159:^ 84:, 265:e 258:t 251:v 234:. 222:: 195:. 183:: 45:( 34:. 20:)

Index

Glochidia
glochid

swan mussel
Anodonta cygnea

Lampsilis higginsii
larval
freshwater mussels
aquatic
bivalve
mollusks
Unionidae
Margaritiferidae
gills
Ptychobranchus fasciolaris
P. greenii
Trochophore
Veliger


doi
10.2307/2426721
JSTOR
2426721
doi
10.2307/3226998
JSTOR
3226998
v

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