Anentome helena

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Anentome helena
Clea helena.png
Antentome Helena2.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Nassariidae
Genus: Anentome
Species:
A. helena
Binomial name
Anentome helena
Clea helena map.png
Distribution map of Anentome helena
Synonyms [1]
  • Canidia bocourtiBrot, 1876
  • Canidia fusiformisDeshayes, 1876
  • Canidia harmandianaRochebrune, 1881
  • Canidia helena(von dem Busch, 1847) (new combination)
  • Canidia helena var. rotundicostaSchepman, 1891
  • Canidia helena var. rotundicosta f. angustiorSchepman, 1891 (unavailable name: infrasubspecific)
  • Canidia stomatodontaRochebrune, 1882
  • Canidia tenuicostataBrot, 1876
  • Clea (Anentome) helena(von dem Busch, 1847)· accepted, alternate representation
  • Clea helena(von dem Busch, 1847)
  • Clea theminckiana(Petit de la Saussaye, 1853)
  • Hemisinus baudonianusMabille & Le Mesle, 1866
  • Hemisinus helena(Philippi, 1847)
  • Hemisinus theminckianus(Petit de la Saussaye, 1853)
  • Melania helenavon dem Busch, 1847 (original combination)
  • Melania theminckianaPetit de la Saussaye, 1853

Anentome helena, common name assassin snail or bumblebee snail, is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod in the family Nassariidae, most of which are marine. [2]

Contents

Distribution

Anentome helena 01.JPG

The assassin snail is found throughout southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, Thailand, and in Lake Toba on the Indonesian island Sumatra. [3] [4]

Description

The assassin snail typically grows to 0.7–1.25 in (18–32 mm) in size, though this is dependent on food sources; they are usually smaller when kept in an aquarium.[ citation needed ] The shell, which is conical in shape, often consists of dark brown and yellowish tan bands, leading to some people to refer to it as the bumble bee snail, a name also applied to the marine snail Engina mendicaria . Some specimens have been identified with completely brown shells, lacking banding.

Ecology

Habitat

The assassin snail spends much of its time buried in substrate. They are least active during mid-day; however, they can sense food and will become active if fed. [5]

Feeding habits

Like all snails in the clade Neogastropoda, the assassin snail is carnivorous. It feeds on worms and gastropods, garnering it the common moniker of "assassin snail" for its habit of eating other snails. The snail will often feed on larger snails, often burying itself in order to ambush prey. [2]

Anentome helena may be a serious threat to native freshwater gastropods in countries when introduced. [6]

Life cycle

In A. helena the sexes are separated, meaning there are male and female individuals which are not hermaphroditic. Currently it is not known how to identify which is male and which is female. Both males and females seem to be the same size and shape. When a male and female mate, they lock together for many hours. The female lays several clear egg capsules which are square in shape and approximately 1.0 to 1.5 mm (0.039 to 0.059 in) in width and height. Each egg capsule contains a single small yellow egg. The egg capsules are generally laid on solid surfaces such as plastic and often on the base of plants. Fertile eggs usually hatch within a few weeks. [5]

Parasites

Like many snail species, Anentome helena can serve as an intermediate host to trematode parasites. It has been confirmed as an intermediate host to Echinostoma revolutum in the Chiang Mai province in Thailand. [7]

Human use

A. helena is a part of ornamental pet trade for freshwater aquaria, [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] where they are used to control populations of unwanted small snail species such as the Malaysian trumpet snail. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Echinostoma</i> Genus of flukes

Echinostoma is a genus of trematodes (flukes), which can infect both humans and other animals. These intestinal flukes have a three-host life cycle with snails or other aquatic organisms as intermediate hosts, and a variety of animals, including humans, as their definitive hosts.

<i>Lymnaea stagnalis</i> Species of gastropod

Lymnaea stagnalis, better known as the great pond snail, is a species of large air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae. The great pond snail is a model organism to study parasitology, neurology, embryonal development and genetic regulation.

<i>Bithynia tentaculata</i> Species of gastropod

Bithynia tentaculata, common names the mud bithynia or common bithynia, or faucet snail is a relatively small species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic prosobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Bithyniidae.

<i>Dicathais</i> Genus of gastropods

Dicathais is a genus of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, the rock snails. This genus is monotypic; the only species in it is Dicathais orbita, common name the white rock shell or cart-rut shell, found round the coasts of Australia and New Zealand.

<i>Physella acuta</i> Species of gastropod

Physella acuta is a species of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae. Common names include European physa, tadpole snail, bladder snail, and acute bladder snail. In addition, Physa acuta, Physa heterostropha and Physa integra are synonyms of Physella acuta.

<i>Clea</i> (gastropod) Genus of gastropods

Clea is a genus of freshwater snails with opercula, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Anentominae of the family Nassariidae, a family, almost all of the rest of which are marine.

<i>Echinostoma revolutum</i> Species of fluke

Echinostoma revolutum is a trematode parasite of which the adults can infect birds and mammals, including humans. In humans, it causes echinostomiasis.

<i>Ladislavella elodes</i> Species of gastropod

Ladislavella elodes, the marsh pondsnail, is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Lymnaeidae, the pond snails.

<i>Clea bangueyensis</i> Species of gastropod

Clea bangueyensis is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.

<i>Clea bockii</i> Species of gastropod

Clea bockii is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.

Clea broti is a Southeast Asian species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.

Clea fusca is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.

<i>Clea hidalgoi</i> Species of gastropod

Clea hidalgoi is a Southeast Asian species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, most of which are marine.

Clea jullieni is a Southeast Asian species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.

<i>Clea nigricans</i> Species of gastropod

Clea nigricans is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.

Clea scalarina is a Southeast Asian species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.

Clea spinosa is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.

Clea wykoffi is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.

<i>Gyraulus convexiusculus</i> Species of gastropod

Gyraulus convexiusculus is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails.

<i>Anentome</i> Genus of gastropods

Anentome is a genus of freshwater snails with opercula, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Anentominae of the family Nassariidae, a family, almost all of the rest of which are marine.

References

  1. Bouchet, P. (2017). Anentome helena (von dem Busch, 1847). In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1027029 on 2017-11-21
  2. 1 2 3 Monks, Neale (2009). "Assassin Snails and Sulawesi Elephant Snails: Keeping Clea and Tylomelania in the aquarium". Conscientious Aquarist Magazine. Vol. 6, no. 4. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  3. "Map of Clea helena". Discover Life. National Biological Information Infrastructure . Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  4. (in Thai) Boon-ngam P., Sriyarun J., Tanamai S. & Dumrongrojwattana P. (PDF file created 12 January 2010). "การศึกษาเบืองต้ นความหลากชนิดของหอยทากบก และหอยนําจืดในจังหวัดสระแก้ ว Preliminary taxonomic study of land snail and freshwater mollusk species in Sakaeo Province, Eastern Thailand". 10 pp., pages unnumbered. PDF [ permanent dead link ].
  5. 1 2 Newel, M. S.; Bourne, G. B. (January 5, 2013). "The 'assassin' snail, Clea (Anentome) helena (Gastropoda: Buccinidae), as a model for developmental and environmental physiology". Society for Integrative and Comparative Developmental Biology 2013 Annual Meeting.
  6. Mienis, H. K. (2011). "Will the Uncontrolled Sale of the Snail-eating Gastropod Anentome helena in Aquarium Shops in Israel Result in Another Disaster for Israel's Native Freshwater Mollusc Fauna?" (PDF). Ellipsaria: 10–11.
  7. Chantima, Kittichai; Chai, Jong-Yil; Wongsawad, Chalobol (2013). "Echinostoma revolutum: Freshwater snails as the second intermediate hosts in Chiang Mai, Thailand". The Korean Journal of Parasitology. 51 (2): 183–189. doi:10.3347/kjp.2013.51.2.183. PMC   3662061 . PMID   23710085.
  8. Ng, Ting Hui; Tan, Siong Kiat; Wong, Wing Hing; Meier, Rudolf; Chan, Sow-Yan; Tan, Heok Hui; Yeo, Darren C. J. (2016). "Molluscs for sale: Assessment of freshwater gastropods and bivalves in the ornamental pet trade". PLOS ONE. 11 (8): e0161130. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161130 . PMC   4985174 . PMID   27525660.
  9. Paul, Pranesh; Das, Rajat; Nandy, Gargi; Aditya, Gautam (2022-10-25). "Preferring what others avoid: differences in the vulnerability of freshwater snails to the exotic and native predators". Hydrobiologia. doi:10.1007/s10750-022-05062-w. ISSN   1573-5117.
  10. Karmakar, R.; Paul, P.; Aditya, G. (2022-03-11). "Predation and prey preference of the exotic snail Anentome helena on two freshwater snails: implications for species invasion". Journal of Environmental Biology. 43 (2): 293–298. doi: 10.22438/jeb/43/2/mrn-2048 . ISSN   0254-8704.
  11. Paul, Pranesh; Mondal, Debasish; Aditya, Gautam (2022-03-01). "Influencing the way they compete: Exotic predator mediated non-consumptive effects on two co-occurring freshwater snails". Aquatic Ecology. 56 (1): 285–298. doi:10.1007/s10452-021-09918-6. ISSN   1573-5125.
  12. Paul, Pranesh; Paul, Koushik; Karmakar, Rupsha; Shee, Arnab; Kumar, Debaditya; Aditya, Gautam (2021-03-01). "The exotic gastropod Clea helena (von dem Busch, 1847) as a predator of freshwater gastropods: a threat to native biota in India?". Limnological Review. 21 (1): 55–62. doi: 10.2478/limre-2021-0005 . ISSN   2300-7575.