Hi! My name is Leo or LJ and I identify bivalves and occasionally gastropods on iNat for fun. I have no relevant credentials but I have learned a lot over the past few months. Feel free to @ me if you need help, I don’t mind at all and I respond fairly fast.

I sometimes give a small explanation under difficult and/or disagreeing ID’s but I’m always willing to corroborate and explain an ID. Also, I do make mistakes, so don’t hesitate to correct me if you think I’m wrong.

-✅ Identifications-

The groups I am best with used to be only freshwater, but I now identify a lot of marine groups too. In particular, I’m comfortable with identifying Unionida, Sphaeriidae, Cyrenoidea, and Viviparidae for freshwater mollusks, and Arcidae, Glycymeridae, Veneridae, and Cardiidae for marine. For most taxa, I try to identify observations globally, but I am better with some places than others. I usually identify observations in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indo-Pacific more often than other places.

I identify a much wider variety of taxa locally. I typically look through all observations posted in Champaign County, IL.

-💡 Observation Tips-

A sense of scale is occasionally necessary. If a ruler isn’t available having something of a consistent scale (like a bottle cap or money) works too. If nothing is an available even having your hand in the frame can help.

For bivalves, there are two (sometimes three) angles necessary for identification. At clear angles, you should photograph the exterior, interior, and dorsal views the shell (also called a “valve”).

-📝 Helpful definitions-

The exterior view shows the outside of a shell. This gives a general outline which is essential for identification. It also may highlight patterns or sculpture on a valve’s surface.

The interior view is oftentimes more helpful. This shows the distinctive hinge teeth on the inside of a valve. This is very useful when separating marine groups, however if an individual is alive, you shouldn’t kill it for just for a casual identification.

The dorsal view is very helpful in particularly freshwater Unionid mussels. This view highlights the “beaks” and “umbones” of a valve or individual. It also shows how inflated (how “thick”) an individual is. In Unionids, you may hear the term “beak sculpture”, which is best seen in the dorsal view. This is the bumps or ridges (or lack thereof) on a bivalve’s beak.

Here’s an observation showing all 3 three views: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/222766250

-📷 Tools I use-

Most of my photos are taken with an iPhone 15 Pro, often with a jeweler’s loupe for small things like Sphaeriid shells. When I’m using a camera, most likely to birds, I use an old Canon Rebel T6.

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