Cepaea

For the plant genus, see its synonym Sedum.

Cepaea
White-lipped snail Cepaea hortensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
informal group Sigmurethra
Superfamily: Helicoidea
Family: Helicidae
Genus: Cepaea
Held, 1838[1]
Type species
Helix nemoralis
Linnaeus, 1758[2]

Cepaea is a genus of medium-sized air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helicidae. The shells of species within this genus are often brightly colored and patterned with stripes.[3] Species from this genus, in particular the common and widespread C. nemoralis and C. hortensis, have been model species for early studies of genetics and natural selection.[4] They occur in Europe, although introduced populations occur elsewhere in the world.[2]

Like many Helicidae, this genus of snails create and use love darts.[3]

Species

Four species are currently classified in the genus Cepaea.[2]

A comparison between Cepaea hortensis (left) and Cepaea vindobonensis (right)

However, molecular phylogenetic studies suggest that the latter two should be placed in unrelated genera:[5]

References

  1. ↑ Held, F. (1838). "Notizen über die Weichthiere Bayerns. (Fortsetzung)". Isis (Leipzig). 1837 (12): 902–921.
  2. 1 2 3 "Genus summary for Cepaea". AnimalBase. 15 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 Robert Nordsieck. "Banded Snails (Cepaea Held 1838)". The Living World of Molluscs. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  4. ↑ Jones JS, Heith BH, Ralwings P (1977). "Polymorphism in Cepaea: a problem with too many solutions?". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 8: 109–143. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.08.110177.000545.
  5. ↑ Neiber MT, Hausdorf B (2015). "Molecular phylogeny reveals the polyphyly of the snail genus Cepaea (Gastropoda: Helicidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 93: 143–149. PMID 26256642. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.07.022.

Further reading

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