Reproduction of the winged mapleleaf is very similar to that of many other freshwater mussels.
 The males release their sperm into the water, then as the females siphon in water the sperm fertilizes the eggs which are located on their gills.
 After fertilization the eggs develop into a larva, and once the larva reaches a certain stage it is released from the gills of the mother mussel into the river current.
The larva then must reach the gills of a host fish where it can then continue its growing process.
The only currently known host fish are the Channel catfish and the Blue catfish.

The larva continue growing on the host fish until they reach their next life cycle stage, and once this stage is reached they are released from the gills of the host fish and find their way to the bottom of the river or stream.
 Once they have reached the bottom, they then begin maturing into the adult stage of their life cycle.
The actual reason for the Channel catfish and the Blue catfish being the only host fish to successfully have a larva mature on them is still unknown.

Research was even done by a group of researchers where they used divers to see if they could plant the larva from the mother onto the gills of fish other than the two kinds of catfish.
The research was limited from a number of different causes, a limited number of eggs found in the area to transplant on to captive fish, and also the deal of many of the fish that they had captive.
The results, however they were very limited, still only showed the Channel and the Blue catfish to be successful host fish for the winged mapleleaf.
The oldest known organism in this species is in the St. Croix River and is estimated to be 22 years old, although, the life span of the mussel is actually unknown.
Reproduction of the winged mapleleaf is very similar to that of many other freshwater mussels.  The males release their sperm into the water, then as the females siphon in water the sperm fertilizes the eggs which are located on their gills.  After fertilization the eggs develop into a larva, and once the larva reaches a certain stage it is released from the gills of the mother mussel into the river current. The larva then must reach the gills of a host fish where it can then continue its growing process. The only currently known host fish are the Channel catfish and the Blue catfish.
The larva continue growing on the host fish until they reach their next life cycle stage, and once this stage is reached they are released from the gills of the host fish and find their way to the bottom of the river or stream.  Once they have reached the bottom, they then begin maturing into the adult stage of their life cycle. The actual reason for the Channel catfish and the Blue catfish being the only host fish to successfully have a larva mature on them is still unknown.
Research was even done by a group of researchers where they used divers to see if they could plant the larva from the mother onto the gills of fish other than the two kinds of catfish. The research was limited from a number of different causes, a limited number of eggs found in the area to transplant on to captive fish, and also the deal of many of the fish that they had captive. The results, however they were very limited, still only showed the Channel and the Blue catfish to be successful host fish for the winged mapleleaf. The oldest known organism in this species is in the St. Croix River and is estimated to be 22 years old, although, the life span of the mussel is actually unknown.
Winged mapleleaf