Amblema plicata

Amblema plicata
A live individual of Amblema plicata
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Unionida
Family:	Unionidae
Genus:	Amblema
Species:	A. plicata
Binomial name
Amblema plicata (Say, 1817)

Amblema plicata, common name the threeridge, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.

Range

This species ranges from the coastal plain portion of the Gulf from Florida west to Texas and northward into the Mississippi River drainage. In Canada, it is restricted to southern Ontario, southern Manitoba, and southeastern Saskatchewan. It extends into the Niagara River drainage in western New York.

Habit

Threeridges can be found in a variety of habitats, ranging from small streams to big rivers, and from locations such as lakes, rivers, and streams with little or no current to areas of very swift current. It is found in a variety of substrates including clay, mud, sand, sand mixed with gravel, and gravel. It is most common on bottoms composed of sand and gravel in one to three feet of water, but has been taken at depths of 30 feet.