Biologists at the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission have discovered a new species and genus of mussel called Ligodonta obscura, or the solstice creekmussel.
The mussel was first found in 2016 during a routine mussel survey on the Little River, a tributary of the Pee-Dee River, about 20 miles south of Asheboro. Over the last nine years, researchers like Mike Perkins closely studied the new mussel, culminating in a peer-reviewed paper published in August.
"It was really a process. Finishing this work (is) a bright spot for our team," said Perkins, an aquatic wildlife diversity coordinator with the Resources Commission.
Compared to other mussels, this new species has different teeth and reproduces during the winter solstice, hence the nickname solstice creekmussel.
It's also a new genus, a biological classification ranking directly above the classification of "species."
"Not only was this a species that had never been discovered before... but that it was so distinct from everything else we've ever seen ... that it (is) its own genus. It's that unique," said Perkins.
Perkins explained this species used to be found in two bodies of water: Little River and Barnes Creek, a tributary of the Uwharrie River.
"But now we can't find (any in Barnes Creek), which is really alarming. The population in the Little River is only about four miles of (that) one stream. That's the only place (this species) is on the entire planet," said Perkins.
Mussels are critical to a healthy freshwater ecosystem. They feed off nutrients, filtering out and cleaning water. Freshwater mussels are considered an endangered or threatened species.
