Image of Uniomerus tetralasmus (Say 1831)

Description:

Habitat: Coastal Prairie location: Brazoria county 5 miles north of Sweeny. elevation 32’ Columbia bottomland-San Bernard River flood plain. Mixed Live Oak, Water Oak, Cedar Elm, Green Ash trees with some open pasture. Understory is Yaupon, mixed smaller Oaks, etc., Palmetto and Greenbriar. Soil type Pledger Clay. See pond picture above. Was dug in ~1988 for foundation dirt. Area was previously heavily wooded for 100s of years. The only water that filled this pond was rain water. It has never been stocked with fish. There are occasional wading birds such as blue herons and ducks. These were found scattered around the ponds edge primarily in the tapered, shallower ends in 2012 following the drought of 2011 when the pond went dry for the first time since being dug. They were found in various states from alive and setting on top of the soil to dead and cleaned out. The pond is ~ 1/2 mile from the San Bernard River but no overflows have occurred that would have flooded this high in recent history. The only way for these to be here was to come in with the wading birds or for the spawn to have been waiting in the soil for a LONG time for conditions to be right to emerge. These pictures were originally sent to Marsha May with TPWD who gave the identification. These were found with Asian Clams around the pond bank also.