Theliderma stapes, the stirrup shell or stirrupshell, was a species of bivalve in the family Unionidae. It was endemic to eastern Mississippi and western Alabama in the United States. It was last observed in 1987 and was proposed for delisting due to extinction by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2021.[1][6][7] It was officially declared extinct on October 16, 2023.[8]
| Theliderma stapes | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Unionida |
| Family: | Unionidae |
| Genus: | Theliderma |
| Species: | T. stapes
|
| Binomial name | |
| Theliderma stapes (Lea, 1831)
| |
| Synonyms[5] | |
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Conservation edit
This species experienced a population collapse primarily due to river modification in the form of canal construction. In 1976, it was predicted that the construction of the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway would cause the extinction of this species. This prediction would quickly come to fruition after the waterway was completed in 1984. Freshly dead shells of this species were last observed in 1987 and further surveys have failed to find any evidence of a surviving population.[1][6]
In 2021, it was proposed to delist this species from the Endangered Species Act. This is done when further efforts to recover a species would almost certainly be futile, and there is no evidence of currently surviving individuals. The species was delisted effective November 16, 2023.[4][8]
References edit
- ^ a b c NatureServe (2 June 2023). "Theliderma stapes". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Stirrupshell (Quadrula stapes)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ 52 FR 11162
- ^ a b 88 FR 71644
- ^ "Theliderma stapes (Lea, 1831)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ a b Stirrupshell (Quadrula stapes) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, September 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Delisting 23 Species from Endangered Species Act Due to Extinction". U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ a b "21 Species Delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to Extinction | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". FWS.gov (Press release). Falls Church, Virginia. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
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