''Cristaria plicata'', the cockscomb pearl mussel, is a

freshwater mussel Freshwater bivalves are molluscs of the order Bivalvia that inhabit freshwater ecosystems. They are one of the two main groups of freshwater molluscs, along with freshwater snails. The majority of bivalve molluscs are saltwater species that l ...

, an aquatic

bivalve Bivalvia () or bivalves, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class (biology), class of aquatic animal, aquatic molluscs (marine and freshwater) that have laterally compressed soft bodies enclosed b ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

in the family

Unionidae The Unionidae are a Family (biology), family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simply as unionids. The range of distribution for this family is world-wide. It is a ...

Distribution

This species is native to northeast Asia and now also present in parts of southeast Asia. This large mussel is listed as endangered in South Korea.

Biology

The

mitochondrial genome Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in ...

of this species was sequenced in 2011 or 2012.

Human uses

In China, this species is significant as "one of the most important freshwater mussels for pearl production in the country." It is used for medicinal purposes.

References

* Bogan, A. (2013). "FADA Bivalvia: World checklist of Freshwater Bivalvia Species" (version Jan 2013). In: ''Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life,'' 11 March 2013 (Roskov, Y.et al., eds). Online: www.catalogueoflife.org/col/. Species 2000: Reading, UK. Unionidae Bivalves and humans {{Unionidae-stub