A Hidden Heelsplitter: Distribution of an Undescribed Endemic Freshwater Mussel in the Barrens Plateau

Kristin I. Womble^1,*, Amanda E. Rosenberger², and Andrew R. Henderson³

¹Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Tennessee Tech University, Department of Biology, Cookeville, TN 38505. ²US Geological Survey, Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN 38505. ³US Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, Southeast Region, Atlanta, GA 30345. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 24, Special Issue 13 (2025): 17–26

First published early online: 5 November 2025

Abstract
Malacologists generally acknowledge that the Alasminota holstonia (Tennessee Heelsplitter) populations in the Caney Fork, Elk, and Duck river drainages in the Barrens Plateau region of middle Tennessee likely represent a closely related, but distinct, species, collectively referred to as Alasminota sp. (Barrens Heelsplitter). Recent surveys indicate that the species persists in at least 5 streams: Collins River, Pocahontas Branch, Witty Creek, and Pepper Hollow Branch in the Caney Fork River drainage and Little Duck River in the Duck River drainage, with evidence of recruitment in 2 of these streams. These findings suggest a restricted distribution and highlight the need for taxonomic assessment through genetic analysis. If elevated to species status, the Barrens Heelsplitter would represent a narrow endemic that may require conservation attention, underscoring the ecological significance of Tennessee’s Barrens Plateau Region.

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