Ampelita clotho

Ampelita clotho
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Acavidae
Genus:	Ampelita
Species:	A. clotho
Binomial name
Ampelita clotho (Deshayes, 1850)
Synonyms
Helix (Ampelita) clothoDeshayes, 1850 superseded combination Helix clothoDeshayes, 1850 superseded combination

Ampelita clotho is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Acavidae. ^[1]

Description

The height of the shell attains 22–6 mm, its diameter 48 mm.

(Original description in French) This shell could be mistaken for a variety of Ampelita lachesis ; however, it is distinguished by its much more depressed spire and by the angle of incidence of the aperture on the longitudinal axis. It is also of a larger size.

The shell is orbicular and sub-discoid. Its spire, very obtuse at the apex, is formed of five and a half whorls, of which the first, barely convex, are evidently angular at their circumference. The last two whorls are more convex, and the body whorl, very obscurely angular, is proportionally wider and more developed than those which precede it. This body whorl, convex below, is pierced at the base by a large umbilicus whose diameter is almost equal to half that of the body whorl.

The exterior surface is smooth, and some irregular ridges are noticeable towards the aperture. The latter is oval-oblong, transverse and wider than high. It is oblique, and its plane inclines at an angle of 40 degrees on the longitudinal axis. The two upper and lower portions of the outer lip are slightly curved and almost parallel. The upper extremity inclines obliquely towards the base and ends far below the circumference. The lower extremity detaches itself, forming a kind of auricle on the umbilicus by curving towards the upper extremity. These extremities remain separated in a space which is approximately equal to one third of the circumference of the penultimate whorl. A left edge, thick and projecting, extends in a straight line from one extremity to the other and completes the aperture. The right lip is thick, dilated and turned outwards. The shell's test is thick. ^[2]

Distribution

This species is endemic to Madagascar.

References

1. Ampelita clotho (Deshayes, 1850) . 25 February 2025. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species .
2. Deshayes, G.P. (1839–1851). Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des mollusques terrestres et fluviatiles tant des espèces que l'on trouve aujourd'hui vivantes, que des dépouilles fossiles de celles qui n'existent plus; classés d'après les caractères essentiels que présentent ces animaux et leurs coquilles. Tome premier. Paris: J.-B. Baillière. pp. 57–58. Retrieved 25 February 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

• Fischer-Piette, E.; C. P. Blanc; F. Blanc & F. Salvat. (1994). "Gastéropodes terrestres pulmonés". Faune de Madagascar. 83: 109.

External links

• Florida Museum of Natural History: image