Velesunio

Velesunio
Velesunio ambiguus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Unionida
Family:	Hyriidae
Subfamily:	Velesunioninae
Genus:	Velesunio Iredale, 1934

Velesunio is a genus of medium to large sized mussels in the family Hyriidae.

Distribution

Velesunio are found on mainland Australia and Tasmania. Velesunio also occur in Papua New Guinea.[1]

Habitat and ecology

Lives with two thirds of their shell buried in the sediment (making them infaunal) in rivers, streams, lakes, billabongs and water catchment dams.[1]

List of species

A list of species included in the genus of Velesunio:

• Velesunio ambiguus (Philippi, 1847)[2]
• Velesunio angasi (Sowerby, 1867)[3]
• Velesunio moretonicus (Sowerby, 1865)[4]
• Velesunio sentaniensis (Haas, 1924)[5]
• Velesunio wilsonii (Lea, 1859)[6]

Note:

Species of Velesunio may appear very similar in appearance to those of Alathyria, Hyridella, Cucumerunio and Westralunio.

The type species for this genus is Unio balonnensis Conrad, 1850 collected from the Balonne River, New South Wales.

References

1. "Velesunio - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
2. "Velesunio ambiguus - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
3. "Velesunio angasi - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
4. "Velesunio moretonicus - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
5. "The Freshwater Mussels (Unionoida) of the World (and other less consequential bivalves)". MUSSELp.
6. "Velesunio wilsoni - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 2018-01-21.