Classification: State Endangered
Interior
Exterior
NOTE: Hover over the bold words for definitions or see the Glossary.
The Savannah lilliput was described by Conrad in 1838 from the Wateree River in South Carolina. This species has a small, somewhat inflated, oval or elliptical shell. A large specimen would be 35 mm in length, 20 mm in height, and 16 mm wide. The Savannah lilliput is sexually dimorphic with female shells having a broader, more truncated posterior end. The ventral margin is curved in males and straight in females. The umbo is prominent and located in the anterior third of the shell. The periostracum has a coarse, satiny texture because of the numerous, closely spaced growth lines. The periostracum is generally blackish in color but can be brownish, greenish, or olivish with obscure, very fine green rays (Johnson 1970). The nacre is bluish white with a pink to purplish iridescence at the posterior end. The left valve has two triangular pseudocardinal teeth and two short, straight, lateral teeth. The right valve has one chunky, triangular pseudocardinal and one lateral tooth.
Shell Anatomy
Little is known about the life history of the Savannah lilliput at this time.
General Life History For Mussels