Potamolithus

Potamolithus
Drawing of an apertural view of the shell of Potamolithus rushii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda

clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha

Superfamily: Truncatelloidea
Family: Tateidae
Genus: Potamolithus
Pilsbry, 1896[1]
Type species
Paludina lapidum d'Orbigny, 1835

Potamolithus is a genus of small freshwater snails that have an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Tateidae.[2][3] [4]

Potamolithus was traditionally classified within the Hydrobiidae.[2] However, anatomical study of Potamolithus by Davis & Pons da Silva (1984)[2] showed its relationship with Lithoglyphus,[2] and it is then placed within the family Lithoglyphidae.

The first appearance of the name Potamolithus was in November 1896 as a nomen nudum (a bare name with no description or illustration).[5][6] The genus was formally defined by Pilsbry in December 1896.[1]

Distribution

Potamolithus is the only genus of the family Tateidae in South America. Distribution of Potamolithus includes Argentina (22 species, 11 species are endemic to Argentina),[7] Uruguay (17 species)[8] and Brazil.[3] Potamolithus is the largest genus (i.e. the one with the highest species richness) of recent freshwater snails in Argentina[7] and in Uruguay.[8]

Species

Species within the genus Potamolithus include:

Ecology

Potamolithus species live in streams. Some species are subterranean, living in caves (for example Potamolithus troglobius and Potamolithus karsticus).[11]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pilsbry H. A. (1896). "Notes on new species of Amnicolidae collected by Dr. Rush in Uruguay". The Nautilus 10: 86-90. page 86.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Davis G. M. & Pons da Silva M. C. (1984). "Potamolithus: morphology, convergence, and relationships among hydrobioid snails". Malacologia 25: 73-108.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 Rumi A., Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V., César I. I., Roche M. A., Tassara M. P., Martín S. M. & Armengol M. F. L. (2006). "Freshwater Gastropoda from Argentina: Species Richness, Distribution Patterns, and an Evaluation of Endangered Species". Malacologia 49(1): 189-208. doi:10.4002/1543-8120-49.1.189. table.
  4. Bouchet, P. (2014). Potamolithus Pilsbry, 1896. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=724574 on 2014-07-29
  5. Pilsbry H. A. & Rush W. H. (1896). "List, with notes, of land and fresh water shells collected by Dr. Wm. H. Rush in Uruguay and Argentina". The Nautilus 10(7): 76-81. page 80.
  6. Lopez Armengol M. F. & Mancefiido M. O. (1992). "Case 2801. Potamolithus Pilsbry, 1896 (Mollusca, Gastropoda): proposed confirmation of P. rushii Pilsbry, 1896 as the type species". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 49(2): 109.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Rumi A., Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V. & Darrigran G. A. (2008). "Malacología Latinoamericana. Moluscos de agua dulce de Argentina". Revista de Biología Tropical 56(1): 77-111. HTM.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 (Spanish) Scarabino F. (2004). "Lista sistemática de los Gastropoda dulciacuícolas vivientes de Uruguay". Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay 8(84–85/86–87): 347-355. PDF.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Pilsbry H. A. (1911). "Non-marine Mollusca of Patagonia". In: Scott W. B. (ed.) Reports of the Princeton University Expedition to Patagonia 1896–1899 3: 513-633. Potamolithus is on pages 566-602, plates 38-41.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 10.17 10.18 10.19 10.20 Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V., Rumi A. & Roche M. A. (2006). "Freshwater gastropods from del Plata basin, Argentina. Checklist and new locality records". Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay 9(89): 51-60. PDF.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Bichuette M. E. & Trajano E. (2003). "A population study of epigean and subterranean Potamolithus snails from southeast Brazil (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)". Hydrobiologia 505: 107-117. abstract, PDF.

Further reading

External links

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