Freshwater mussels (Unionoida) parasitic on fish as larvae (glochidia), are eaten in some parts of the world once they're free-living filter feeding adults. They have not commonly been used as food in North America because they're not especially palatable, because many are threatened species, and often live in polluted streams, rivers, and lakes. I have heard of them being harvested for food and even sold in markets in China, just watch out for pearls.
-- Dave Zanatta, Ph.D. Associate Professor Institute for Great Lakes Research Biology Department Central Michigan University 335 Brooks Hall Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 email: [email protected] office: 989-774-7829 lab: 989-774-7634 fax: 989-774-3462 Homepage: http://people.cst.cmich.edu/zanat1d/ On 5/1/14 12:08 PM, "David Inouye" <[email protected]> wrote: >At a dinner conversation with Carl Zimmer (author of Parasite Rex, >etc.) the question came up of whether there are any parasites >regularly consumed as food (not unintentionally with your food). I >came up with one animal (pea crab) and one fungus (huitlacoche; corn >smut). Do you know of others? > >David Inouye
