Mollusc survey of the lower Bruneau River, Owyhee County, Idaho, USA

摘要

The Bruneau River in Southwestern Idaho is a largely free-flowing desert stream characterized by a snowmelt-driven hydrograph, flash floods, and geothermal inputs. We Surveyed the lower Bruneau River from its confluence with the Snake River upstream to Hot Creek, a distance of approx. 41 river kilometers, between 1997 and 2008. We Supplemented our work with a review of collections held at the Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, College of Idaho and with collections available online from national and international Museums. The known mollusc fauna consists of 18 species (11 gastropods and 7 bivalves) from eight families. Molluscan richness is greatest in free-flowing stream reaches and is dominated by hydrobiid and unionid taxa.