Sinistral and dextral, in some scientific fields, are the two types of chirality ("handedness") or relative direction. The terms are derived from the Latin words for "left" (sinister) and "right" (dexter). Other disciplines use different terms or simply use left and right.
Kapas Island is an island in Marang District, Terengganu, Malaysia, with a smaller island, Pulau Gemia, located north of it. It measures roughly 1.5 by 2.5 km. Its name, Pulau Kapas, refers to the island's white beaches. The island has tropical jungle, clear seawater, white sand beaches and coral reefs in the surrounding waters. It is promoted as a "diving and snorkeling paradise". The island is reached by ferry from Marang. Kapas is the location where most of the research on the enigmatic Amphidromus snails is carried out.
The gastropod shell is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium storage. Some gastropods appear shell-less (slugs) but may have a remnant within the mantle, or in some cases the shell is reduced such that the body cannot be retracted within it (semi-slug). Some snails also possess an operculum that seals the opening of the shell, known as the aperture, which provides further protection. The study of mollusc shells is known as conchology. The biological study of gastropods, and other molluscs in general, is malacology. Shell morphology terms vary by species group.
Planorbidae, common name the ramshorn snails or ram's horn snails, is a family of air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs. Unlike most molluscs, the blood of ram's horn snails contains iron-based hemoglobin instead of copper-based hemocyanin. As a result, planorbids are able to breathe oxygen more efficiently than other molluscs. The presence of hemoglobin gives the body a reddish colour. This is especially apparent in albino animals.
Planorbis is a genus of air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails, or planorbids. All species in this genus have sinistral or left-coiling shells.
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.
Opisthostoma is a genus of minute land snails with opercula, terrestrial gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the family Diplommatinidae.
Amphidromus schomburgki is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Camaenidae.
Amphidromus atricallosus is a species of air-breathing, arboreal land snails in the family Camaenidae.
Amphidromus flavus is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Camaenidae.
Amphidromus xiengensis is a species of land snail in the family Camaenidae. It is endemic to Southeast Asia with records from Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. The specific name xiengensis refers to its type locality, Chiang Mai.
Chirality is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science. The word chirality is derived from the Greek χείρ (kheir), "hand", a familiar chiral object.
Trachia is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Camaenidae.
