Bostryx fragilis

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Bostryx fragilis
Bostryx fragilis shell.png
Holotype of the shell of Bostryx fragilis. Shell height 18.0 mm.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked):clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
informal group Sigmurethra

Contents

Superfamily: Orthalicoidea
Family: Bulimulidae
Genus: Bostryx
Species:B. fragilis
Binomial name
Bostryx fragilis
Breure & Mogollón Avila, 2010 [1]

Bostryx fragilis is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Bulimulidae.

In biology, a species ( ) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. While these definitions may seem adequate, when looked at more closely they represent problematic species concepts. For example, the boundaries between closely related species become unclear with hybridisation, in a species complex of hundreds of similar microspecies, and in a ring species. Also, among organisms that reproduce only asexually, the concept of a reproductive species breaks down, and each clone is potentially a microspecies.

Land snail

A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to 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.

Bulimulidae family of molluscs

Bulimulidae is a taxonomic family of medium-sized to large, air-breathing, tropical and sub-tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Orthalicoidea.

The specific epithet fragilis is from the Latin language and means "fragile", it refers to the thin shell. [1]

In zoological nomenclature, the specific name is the second part within the scientific name of a species. The first part of the name of a species is the name of the genus or the generic name. The rules and regulations governing the giving of a new species name are explained in the article species description.

Distribution

The type locality is Quebrada Santa Maria, 03°40’53’S 080°26’10’W, 25 m, Tumbes Region, Peru. [1]

Description

Bostryx fragilis is characterized by the whitish lines on the thin, translucent shell, the tawny-brownish upper whorls and the prominent last whorl. [1]

Gastropod shell part of the body of a gastropod or snail

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 the shell is reduced such that the body cannot be retracted within (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. An excellent source for terminology of the gastropod shell is "How to Know the Eastern Land Snails" by John B. Burch now freely available at the Hathi Trust Digital Library.

Whorl (mollusc)

A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the ammonites.

The shell up to 18.9 mm in height, two times as long as wide, narrowly perforate, elongate, with hardly convex sides and fragile. [1] Colour is whitish on a translucent background, the upper whorls are becoming gradually tawny-brown towards the apex. [1] The surface is slightly shining, the incrassate growth striae overlaid on the last whorls by whitish, low, axial costulae, which are partly forked and do not always cover the whole whorl, but may end in between the sutures or shell base. [1] Upper whorls are with fine, interrupted spiral threads. [1] Protoconch is with wrinkles, mostly broken into granules and crossed by finely incised spiral lines. [1] The shell has 6.8 whorls, that are hardly convex. [1] The suture is slightly impressed. [1] The aperture is elongate-subovate, 1.61 times as long as wide, 0.40 times the total height. [1] Peristome is thin and simple. Columellar margin is nearly straight, very narrowly dilated above. [1]

In anatomy, an apex is part of the shell of a mollusk. The apex is the pointed tip of the shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod.

Protoconch

A protoconch is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called "nucleus". The protoconch may sometimes consist of several whorls, but when this is the case, the whorls show no growth lines.

Aperture (mollusc) The main opening of the shell, where the head-foot part of the body of the animal emerges

The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where the head-foot part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc.

The shell has 6.6-7.1 whorls. The width of the shell is 8.0-9.2 mm. The height of the shell is 16.9-18.9 mm. The width of the aperture is 4–5 mm. The height of the aperture is 6.6-8.2 mm. The height of the last whorl is 9.2-11.9 mm. [1]

The holotype has 6.8 whorls and dimensions of the holotype are as follows: The width of the shell is 8.7 mm. The height of the shell is 18.0 mm. The width of the aperture is 4.5 mm. The height of the aperture is 7.3 mm. The height of the last whorl is 11.3 mm. [1]

Paratype of the shell of Thaumastus flori. Shell height 17.4 mm. Bostryx fragilis shell 2.png
Paratype of the shell of Thaumastus flori. Shell height 17.4 mm.
Photo of upper whorls of Bostryx fragilis showing fine, interrupted spiral lines and protoconch sculpture. Bostryx fragilis shell 3.png
Photo of upper whorls of Bostryx fragilis showing fine, interrupted spiral lines and protoconch sculpture.

Bostryx fragilis is closely allied to Bostryx juana (Cousin, 1887) from which it differs by (1) being smaller, (2) slightly more slender and (3) lacking the tawny-brown spiral bands. [1] Bostryx fragilis further resembles Bostryx alausiensis (Cousin, 1887), also described from southern Ecuador. It differs by being (1) smaller, (2) stouter, and (3) having a larger aperture. [1] Finally, it may be compared to Bostryx delicatulus (Philippi, 1867) from which it differs by (1) being stouter, (2) the brownish upper whorls and (3) the simple peristome. [1]

There is a morphological resemblance between the species mentioned above and some Bulimulus species occurring in the same region, e.g. Bulimulus inconspicuus Haas, 1949, both in general shell shape and - superficially - also in protoconch sculpture. [1] The relationships and phylogeography of these two genera in this region warrant further study. [1]

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References

This article incorporates CC-BY-3.0 text from the reference [1]

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Breure A. S. H. & Mogollón Avila V. (2010). "Well-known and little-known: miscellaneous notes on Peruvian Orthalicidae (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora)". Zoologische Mededelingen 84. HTM.