Bulimulus tenuissimus
| Bulimulus tenuissimus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Abapertural view of an adult shell of Bulimulus tenuissimus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Bulimulidae |
| Genus: | Bulimulus |
| Species: | B. tenuissimus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Bulimulus tenuissimus (d’Orbigny, 1835)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Helix tenuissima (Fér.) Orb., 1835[1] | |
Bulimulus tenuissimus is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Bulimulinae.
Distribution
[edit]The native distribution of Bulimulus tenuissimus includes:
The non-indigenous distribution includes:
- North Carolina, USA[3][4]
Description
[edit]The shell is perforate, ovate-conic, very thin, pellucid, scarcely shining, obsoletely and closely decussated by growth striae and delicate spiral lines.[5] The shell is pale corneous in color, sometimes fulvous.[5] The spire is conoid.[5] The apex is rather acute.[5] The suture is simple.[5] The shell has six whorls that are slightly convex, increasing with moderate rapidity.[5] The last whorl is convex, not descending in front, somewhat attenuated at base.[5] The columella is suboblique, sometimes nearly vertical.[5]
The aperture is oval, colored like the exterior, onehalf the shell's length.[5] The peristome is simple, unexpanded, acute.[5] The right margin is regularly arcuate.[5] The columellar margin is reflexed above, nearly covering the perforation.[5]
The width of the shell is 9 mm. The height of the shell is 17-23 mm.[5][6]
Ecology
[edit]The reproductive biology of this species was studied by Silva et al. (2008):[2] These hermaphroditic snails mate and cross-fertilization normally occurs.[2] When snails are isolated self-fertilization can occur, but with the lower reproductive success.[2]
A juvenile snail reaches adulthood at 160 days on average, with a shell size of 14-16 cm, after which the snail will begin laying eggs.[6] The egg laying activity is highest in spring and summer months when there is higher heat and humidity, but eggs are produced year-around.[6]
Eggs are laid in clutches from one to 252 eggs (in captivity).[2] Snails hatch after about 20 days and over 50% of the egg clutch is expected to hatch.[2][6] Despite the snail's relatively long lifespan of up to 990 days,[2][6] the viability of eggs does not reduce as the snail ages, although egg production is lower.[6]
Bulimulus tenuissimus is a host for a trematode of the genus Postharmostomum (family Brachylaimidae).[2][7]
Strongyluris-like larvae are a parasite of Bulimulus tenuissimus.[8]
Malacophagula neotropica (family Sarcophagidae) is a parasite of Bulimulus tenuissimus.[9][10]
A firefly is a predator of Bulimulus tenuissimus.[11]
References
[edit]This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[5]
- ^ (Fér.) Orb. (1835). Mag. de Zool. p. 11. (name only).
- ^ a b c d e f g h Silva, L. C.; Meireles, L. M. O.; Junqueira, F. V. O.; Bessa, E. C. A. (2008). "Development and reproduction in Bulimulus tenuissimus (Mollusca: Bulimulidae) in laboratory". Revista Brasileira de Zoologia. 25 (2): 220. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752008000200009.
- ^ Robinson D. G. & Slapcinsky J. (2005). "Recent introductions of alien land snails into North America". American Malacological Bulletin. 20: 89–93.
- ^ Breure A. S. H. (11 August 2009). "Another Bulimulus introduced in USA". Bram's Snail Site, accessed 15 August 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Pilsbry H. A. (1897-1898). Manual of Conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species. Second series: Pulmonata. Volume 11. American Bulimulidae: Bulimulus, Neopetraeus, Oxychona, and South American Drymaeus. 64-65, plate 10, figure 91-92.
- ^ a b c d e f Silva, Lidiane; Meireles, Liliane; D’ávila, Sthefane; Oliveira Junqueira, Flávia; de Almeida Bessa, Elisabeth Cristina (2013). "Life history of Bulimulus tenuissimus (D'Orbigny, 1835) (Gstropoda, Pulmonata, Bulimulidae): effect of isolation in reproductive strategy and in resources allocation over their lifetime" (PDF). Molluscan Research. 33 (2): 75–79 – via Taylor & Francis.
- ^ Thiengo, S. C.; Amato, S. B. (1995). "Phyllocaulis variegatus (Mollusca: Veronicellidae), a new intermediate host for Brachylaima sp. (Digenea: Brachylaimatidae)". Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. 90 (5): 621. doi:10.1590/S0074-02761995000500015.
- ^ Thiengo, S. C. (1995). "Presence of Strongyluris-like larvae (Nematoda) in some terrestrial molluscs in Brazil". Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. 90 (5): 619–620. doi:10.1590/s0074-02761995000500014. PMID 8569476., HTML, PDF Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Johnson, C. W. (1929). "Diptera Destroying Snails". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 36 (2): 106. doi:10.1155/1929/21785. PDF.
- ^ Bequaert, J. (1925). "The Arthropod Enemies of Mollusks, with Description of a New Dipterous Parasite from Brazil". Journal of Parasitology. 11 (4): 201–212. doi:10.2307/3270829. JSTOR 3270829.
- ^ Symondson, W. O. C. (2004). "Coleoptera (Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Lampyridae, Drilidae and Silphidae) as predators of terrestrial gastropods". In Baker, G. M. (ed.). Natural enemies of terrestrial molluscs. UK and USA: CABI Publishing. p. 69. ISBN 9780851993195.
Further reading
[edit]
- Araújo J. L. B., Rezende H. E. B. & Rodrigues P. A. F. (1960). "Sobre “Bulimulus tenuissimus” (Orbigny, 1835) (Gastropoda, Pulmonata)". Revista Brasileira de Biologia 20(1): 33–42.
- Rezende H. E. B. & Lanzieri P. D. (1964). "Observações anatômicas e histológicas sobre “Bulimulus tenuissimus” (Orbigny, 1835) (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Bulimulidae)". Revista Brasileira de Biologia 24(4): 409–415.
- (in Portuguese) Silva L. C., Meireles L. O., Junqueira F. O. & Bessa B. A. (2009). "Influência da umidade do substrato sobre crescimento, produção de ovos e sobrevivência de Bulimulus tenuissimus (d’Orbigny, 1835) (Mollusca, Bulimulidae) sob condições de laboratório". Revista Brasileira de Biociências 7(2): 144–149. http://www.ufrgs.br/seerbio/ojs/index.php/rbb/article/view/999