Researchers identify five new endangered mussel species in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee

Researchers have described five previously unknown freshwater mussel species in the southern United States, publishing the findings in the journal Zootaxa on Monday. The new taxa were identified in river systems across Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, and the work provides the scientific basis needed to protect these critically endangered animals.

Freshwater mussels have declined dramatically over the past century. Habitat loss, water pollution, dam construction and invasive species have wiped out an estimated 70 % of North America’s mussel diversity. Because the Endangered Species Act protects species, not groups, scientists must first prove that a distinct species exists before it can be listed. Without formal names and descriptions, many mussel populations remain invisible to regulators and land managers.

The research team, led by Dr. Emily Carter of the University of Alabama, used DNA sequencing and detailed shell measurements to separate the new species from their close relatives. One species, named *Lampsilis alabamae*, lives only in the Black Warrior River and shows a uniquely ridged shell. Another, *Villosa mississippiensis*, inhabits the lower Mississippi and is distinguished by its bright orange mantle tissue. The five new species together represent an estimated 15 % of the mussel fauna in the surveyed waters, and each is found in a limited stretch of river less than 50 miles long. State wildlife agencies have already been notified, and the authors recommend immediate surveys to assess population sizes.

Conservation groups say the discovery could trigger formal protection under the Endangered Species Act. If listed, the mussels would force stricter water‑quality standards and could halt new dam projects in the affected basins. The scientists plan to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to submit status reports later this year. Meanwhile, they urge landowners and local governments to adopt best‑practice riparian buffers and reduce sediment runoff, steps that could benefit the new mussels and the broader river ecosystem.