Altamaha lance
Elliptio shepardiana (I. Lea, 1834)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Elliptio shepardiana (I. Lea, 1834)
- Name authority
- (I. Lea, 1834)
- Common name
- Altamaha lance
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Mollusca
- Class
- Bivalvia
- Genus
- Elliptio
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumMollusca
- classBivalvia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassAutobranchia Grobben, 1894
- infraclassHeteroconchia J. E. Gray, 1854
- subterclassPalaeoheterodonta Newell, 1965
- subfamilyAmbleminae Rafinesque, 1820
- tribePleurobemini Hannibal, 1912
- genusElliptio Rafinesque, 1819
- speciesElliptio shepardiana (I. Lea, 1834)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Elliptio. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Southern lanceElliptio ahenea (I. Lea, 1843) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| box spikeElliptio cistellaeformis (I. Lea, 1863) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern ElliptioElliptio complanata ([Lightfoot], 1786) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Carolina slabshellElliptio congaraea (I. Lea, 1831) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Satilla elephantearElliptio downiei (I. Lea, 1858) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| pod lanceElliptio folliculata (I. Lea, 1838) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| brother spikeElliptio fraterna (I. Lea, 1852) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| gulf slabshellElliptio fumata (I. Lea, 1857) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| variable spikeElliptio icterina (Conrad, 1834) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Florida spikeElliptio jayensis (I. Lea, 1838) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cape Fear spikeElliptio marsupiobesa Fuller, 1972 | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| St. Johns elephantearElliptio monroensis (I. Lea, 1843) | BivalviaMollusca | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Margaron (Unio) shepardianus (I. Lea, 1834) (I. Lea, 1834) | synonym |
| Margarita (Unio) shepardianus (I. Lea, 1834) (I. Lea, 1834) | synonym |
| Ensinaia shepardiana (I. Lea, 1834) (I. Lea, 1834) | synonym |
| Unio (Elliptio) shepardianus I. Lea, 1834 I. Lea, 1834 | synonym |
| Unio shepardianus I. Lea, 1834 I. Lea, 1834 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.molluscabase.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=857286 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:39BLS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.