Elimia spp.

15-30 mm in height, E. livescens slightly smaller of the two. Aperture ovate, anterior end of aperture without canal. E. virginica may have dark bands parallel to whorls both interior and exterior. E livescens has less suture indentation. Whorls may be smooth or costate and/or lirate. The two Great Lakes species may hybridize producing intermediate forms.

Pleurocera acuta

Up to 14 whorls, 20-40 mm in height. Aperture rectangular, with a short anterior canal. Shell sculpture varies.

Species List

20mm. Native to the Great Lakes but invading the Hudson River system. Typically found in freshwater rivers and streams on rock shoals and gravel bars.
Profile - USGS

Atlantic native invasive to the Great Lakes. to 30mm. Typically found in freshwater rivers and streams with cobble bottoms and boulders.
Profile - SGNIS
Profile - USGS
GLANSIS

** Reported locations based on a limited literature search. Codes indicate presence reported but absence of a code should not be interpreted as a species absence.

H (Lake Huron) based on:

• Abundance, Biomass, and Species Composition of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Populations in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, 1987-96. Thomas Nalepa, David Fanslow, Margaret Lansing, Gregory Lang, Mark Ford, Gerald Gostenik, and David Hartson. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-122.
• Relationships among zoobenthos, sediments, and organic matter in littoral zones of western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay. 1983. Richard A. Cole and Diana L. Weigmann. JGLR 9(4)568-581.
• Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.
• Benthic Community Structure and Composition among rocky habitats in the Great Lakes and Keuka Lake, NY. 1987. Michael H. Winnell and David J. Jude. JGLR 13(1)3-17.
• NOAA Great Lakes Nonindigenous Species List

E (Lake Erie) based on:

• Relationships among zoobenthos, sediments, and organic matter in littoral zones of western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay. 1983. Richard A. Cole and Diana L. Weigmann. JGLR 9(4)568-581.
• Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.
• Distribution of some common benthic invertebrates in nearshore Lake Erie, with emphasis on depth and type of substratus. 1988. David R. Barton. JGLR 14(1)34-43.
• Benthic and pelagic secondary production in Lake Erie after the invasion of Dreissena spp. with implications for fish production. 2000. Ora E. Johannsson, Ron Dermott, Donna M Graham, Julie A. Dahl, E. Scott Millard, Debra D. Myles, and Jennifer LeBlanc. JGLR 26(1)31-54.
• Changes in the benthic macroinvertebrate community of the Cleveland Harbor area of Lake Erie from 1978 to 1989. 1993. Kenneth A. Krieger and Lloyd S. Ross. JGLR 19(2) 237-249.
• Lethal and sublethal effects of sponge overgrowth on introduced dreissenid mussels in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River system. 1995. A Ricciardi, FL Snyder, DO Kelch and HM Reiswig. CJFAS 52:2695-2703.
• Changes to the deepwater benthos of eastern Lake Erie since the invasion of Dreissena 1979-1993. 1997. R Dermott and D Kerec. CJFAS 54: 922-930.
• NOAA Great Lakes Nonindigenous Species List

O (Lake Ontario) based on:

• Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.
• Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.
• Factors influencing changes in the nearshore benthic community on the Canadian site of Lake Ontario. 2000. Bruce W. Kilgour, Robert C. Bailey, and E Todd Howell. JGLR 26(3)272-286.
• Benthic macroinvertebrate communities of southwestern Lake Ontario following invasion of Dreissena. 1994. Timothy W. Stewart and James M. Haynes. JGLR 20(2)479-493.
• Benthic macroinvertebrate communities in southwestern Lake Ontario following invasion of Dreissena: Continuing change. 1999. James M. Haynes, Timothy W. Stewart, and George E. Cook. JGLR 25(4)828-838.
• NOAA Great Lakes Nonindigenous Species List
• Changes to the deepwater benthos of eastern Lake Erie since the invasion of Dreissena 1979-1993. 1997. R Dermott and D Kerec. CJFAS 54: 922-930.

X (Great Lakes coastal wetlands) based on:

• The ecology of invertebrates in Great Lakes coastal wetlands: current knowledge and research needs. 1992. Kenneth A. Krieger. JGLR 18(4)634-650.
• Burton, T.M., D.G. Uzarski and J.A. Genet. 2004.  Invertebrate habitat use in relation to fetch and plant zonation in northern Lake Huron coastal wetlands.  Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management. 7(2): 249-267

W (wave zone = 0-2m) based on: Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.

R (rocky habitats) based on: Benthic Community Structure and Composition among rocky habitats in the Great Lakes and Keuka Lake, NY. 1987. Michael H. Winnell and David J. Jude. JGLR 13(1)3-17.

N (nearshore) based on:

• The Nearshore Benthic Invertebrate Community of Southern Lake Michigan and its Response to Beach Nourishment. 2004. Eric L. Garza and Richard L. Whitman. J. Great Lakes Res. 30(1):114–122.
• Distribution of some common benthic invertebrates in nearshore Lake Erie, with emphasis on depth and type of substratus. 1988. David R. Barton. JGLR 14(1)34-43.
• Factors influencing changes in the nearshore benthic community on the Canadian site of Lake Ontario. 2000. Bruce W. Kilgour, Robert C. Bailey, and E Todd Howell. JGLR 26(3)272-286.