| Aegista diversifamilia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Live individual from Xiulin, Hualien | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Camaenidae |
| Genus: | Aegista |
| Species: | A. diversifamilia |
| Binomial name | |
| Aegista diversifamilia Huang, Lee, Lin & Wu, 2014 [1] | |
Aegista diversifamilia is a species of air-breathing land snails, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk from Taiwan. [1]
A. diversifamilia was previously identified as being part of the species A. subchinensis , which was known to occur throughout most of Taiwan. In 2003, a paper was published remarking on the morphological and genetic difference between the eastern and western populations of the species. Eventually it was established that the eastern population was a separate species, divided from A. subchinensis by the Lanyang River. [1]
The new species' name is derived from Latin diversus and familia . The name was chosen in recognition of the same-sex marriage movement in Taiwan and worldwide. [1] [2] [3] [4] Dr. Yen-Chang Lee, co-author of the ZooKeys paper describing the species, [2] said: "When we were preparing the manuscript, it was a period when Taiwan and many other countries and states were struggling for the recognition of same-sex marriage rights. It reminded us that Pulmonata land snails are hermaphrodite animals, which means they have both male and female reproductive organs in single individual. They represent the diversity of sex orientation in the animal kingdom. We decided that maybe this is a good occasion to name the snail to remember the struggle for the recognition of same-sex marriage rights." [5] A. diversifamilia was selected as one of the top 10 new species in 2014. [6] [7]
The shell is depressed and spherical, between 1.98 centimetres (0.78 in) and 3.24 centimetres (1.28 in) wide and 0.97 centimetres (0.38 in) to 1.68 centimetres (0.66 in) high. The shell is thin but strong, with a depressed conic spire. The aperture is ovate, 0.78 centimetres (0.31 in) to 1.32 centimetres (0.52 in) wide by 0.48 centimetres (0.19 in) to 1.05 centimetres (0.41 in) tall. [1]
The shell is a glossy chestnut- or yellow-brown, with a thin light brown stripe running along the periphery. The peristome is white. [1]
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A. diversifamilia is hermaphroditic. The penis is long and thin, but shorter than the epiphallus. The dart sac is positioned in the vagina, which is equal in length to the penis. The spermoviduct is approximately four times as long as the penis and oviduct, and two times as long as the hermaphroditic duct. Individuals lay 20–30 white, 3 mm diameter round eggs per spawning. [1]
A. diversifamilia is endemic to eastern Taiwan, bounded on the north by the Lanyang River. It is found in the Yilan and Hualien Counties, but not on Guishan Island. [1]
The species is usually found in lowland hardwood forests, living in or under moist leaf litter. [1]
Powelliphanta is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropods in the family Rhytididae, found only in New Zealand. They are carnivorous, eating invertebrates, mostly native earthworms. Often restricted to very small areas of moist forest, they are prey to introduced mammalian predators, and many species are threatened or endangered.
Limax maximus, known by the common names great grey slug and leopard slug, is a species of slug in the family Limacidae, the keeled slugs. It is among the largest keeled slugs, Limax cinereoniger being the largest.
Animal sexual behaviour takes many different forms, including within the same species. Common mating or reproductively motivated systems include monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, polygamy and promiscuity. Other sexual behaviour may be reproductively motivated or non-reproductively motivated.
Penis fencing is a mating behavior engaged in by many species of flatworm, such as Pseudobiceros hancockanus. Species which engage in the practice are hermaphroditic; each individual has both egg-producing ovaries and sperm-producing testes.
Amphidromus is a genus of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Camaenidae. The shells of Amphidromus are relatively large, from 25 mm (0.98 in) to 75 mm (3.0 in) in maximum dimension, and particularly colorful. During the 18th century, they were among the first Indonesian land snail shells brought to Europe by travelers and explorers. Since then, the genus has been extensively studied: several comprehensive monographs and catalogs were authored by naturalists and zoologists during the time period from the early 19th to the mid 20th centuries. Modern studies have focused on better understanding the evolutionary relationships within the group, as well as solving taxonomic problems.
A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. Land snail is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells. However, it is not always easy to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less amphibious between land and fresh water, and others are relatively amphibious between land and salt water.
Zonitoides arboreus, commonly known as the quick gloss snail, is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Gastrodontidae.
Viviparus viviparus is a species of large freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Viviparidae, the river snails. This species is a viviparous (ovoviviparous) snail.
Yee Chih-yen is a Taiwanese film director, screenwriter, critic, instructor, and writer. He was born in Taipei, Taiwan. His works include Blue Gate Crossing (2002), Dangerous Mind (2006)--Yee Chih-yen's television debut for the Taiwan Public Television Service that won Best Television Series at the Golden Bell Awards, Meeting Dr. Sun (2014) that won Best Original Screenplay at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, as well as City of Lost Things (2020) that won Best Animated Feature at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards.
A hermaphrodite is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are of different sexes, either male or female but not both, are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic.
A love dart is a sharp, calcareous or chitinous dart which some hermaphroditic land snails and slugs create. Love darts are both formed and stored internally in a dart sac. These darts are made in sexually mature animals only, and are used as part of the sequence of events during courtship, before actual mating takes place. Darts are quite large compared to the size of the animal: in the case of the semi-slug genus Parmarion, the length of a dart can be up to one fifth that of the semi-slug's foot.
Anostoma depressum is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Odontostomidae.
The reproductive system of gastropods varies greatly from one group to another within this very large and diverse taxonomic class of animals. Their reproductive strategies also vary greatly, see mating of gastropods.
Cymbiola nobilis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae, the volutes. The snail's shell is commonly collected in the sea shell trade, which has resulted in overharvesting of the snail.
The blue whale penis is the largest in the animal kingdom. It is commonly cited as having an average penis length of 2.5 metres to 3 metres (9.8 ft) and a diameter of 30 centimetres (12 in) to 36 centimetres (14 in).
The mating of gastropods is a vast and varied topic, because the taxonomic class Gastropoda is very large and diverse, a group comprising sea snails and sea slugs, freshwater snails and land snails and slugs. Gastropods are second only to the class Insecta in terms of total number of species. Some gastropods have separate sexes, others are hermaphroditic. Some hermaphroditic groups have simultaneous hermaphroditism, whereas some sequential hermaphroditism. In addition, numerous very different mating strategies are used within different taxa.
Aegista subchinensis is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Camaenidae. This species is endemic to the island of Formosa.
Plectotropis mackensii is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae.
Halongella schlumbergeri is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Plectopylidae.
