| Page last updated
30 April 2012 |
MUSSELp Home Page
Making the World a Better Place, One Mollusk at a Time.
The MUSSEL Project (MUSSELp, for short) is an on-going study aimed at the global revision of the classification of the Unionoida, otherwise known as freshwater mussels. The two principle investigators, Daniel L. Graf (DLG) and Kevin S. Cummings (KSC), combine their efforts to maintain an efficient malacological strike force equally capable of working in remote collection localities or urban mollusk collections.
Toward this end, we are compiling an exhaustive database of all Recent unionoid species and genera described to-date. This database will eventually serve as the basis for a universal synthesis and revision of freshwater mussel taxonomy. Furthermore, we apply cladistic methods to test our hypotheses of evolutionary relationships. This allows us to use macroevolutionary pattern to test hypotheses of macroevolutionary process.
This site is under constant construction, but feel free to click around and see what we have so far. Check back often for updates! |
"INHS mussel folks KSC, Jeremy Tiemann, Sarah Bales, Alison Price, and Diane Shasteen attended the 50th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society" ... More News!
"Lamellidens is represented from Afghanistan to Burma and north to Nepal by eleven species." ... more about the Mussel of the Month!
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About Freshwater Mussels
"While unionoids are diverse and conspicuous members of freshwater communities all over the Earth, they are often ignored or unknown to everyone except specially trained invertebrate zoologists." ... more about freshwater mussels!
Publications & Presentations
"This web site is not the only mechanism for distribution of our research results." ... more about publications!
Recent Publications:
- Graf, D.L. 2011. Types of French freshwater mussels (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Unionoidea) in the Arnould Locard Collection at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. Zoosystema 33: 451-514.
- Whelan, N.V., A.J. Geneva & D.L. Graf. 2011. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of tropical freshwater mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionoida) resolves the position of Coelatura and supports a monophyletic Unionidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 61: 504-514.
- Graf, D.L. & K.S. Cummings. 2011. Freshwater mussel (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionoida) richness and endemism in the ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar based on comprehensive museum sampling. Hydrobiologia 678: 17-36.
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Recent Presentations:
- Pfeiffer, J.M. & D.L. Graf. 2011. Evolution of asymmetrical glochidia in the Unionidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia). Presented at the 14th Molluscan Forum of the Malacological Society of London, 30 November 2011, London.
- Pfeiffer, J. & D.L. Graf. 2011. Polyphyly of the freshwater mussel genus Lamprotula (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae). Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Malacological Society, 23-27 July 2011, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also presented at the Young Systematists' Forum, 1 December 2011, London.
- Graf, D.L. 2011. Global Freshwater Bivalve Diversity. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Malacological Society as part of the James H. Lee Memorial Symposium, Mollusks: The Great Unanswered Questions, 23-27 July 2011, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Projects & Online Products
"Rather that trying to conquer the whole world at once, we have instead opted to break the larger problem into a series of more manageable projects."... more about projects!
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The Freshwater Mussels (Unionoida) of the World
