| I think any freshwater mussel can have pearls. I wonder what the inside of that shell looks like.......
In the article it looks like they are growing mussel spat. Glochidia is a the stage that usually grabs on to a fish and travels as it grows to a good enough size to drop off the fish and grow on the bottom of the river or pond.
I think they are looking to cultivate them by collecting the glochidia and feeding them without a host fish. The conclusion is that they did a good job with high survival rates and a complete metamorphesis into baby mussels.
That looks good for pearl farming with this species........
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Caitlin  potamilus purpuratus American Pearl Mussel Where can I get a pearl from this mussel? |