Bulinus natalensis

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Bulinus natalensis
Bulinus natalensis shell.png
Drawing of apertural view of the shell of Bulinus natalensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Hygrophila
Superfamily:
Planorboidea
Family:
Planorbidae
Subfamily:
Bulininae
Tribe:
Bulinini
Genus:
Bulinus
Species:
B. natalensis
Binomial name
Bulinus natalensis
(Küster, 1841)
Synonyms [1]

Physa natalensis Küster, 1841

Bulinus natalensis is a species of a tropical freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. Its geographical distribution is largely limited to Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa. [2] This species occurs in standing, perennial freshwater habitat [2] and has the ability to aestivate for up to six months during a drought. [3]

Freshwater snail

Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in freshwater. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs to major rivers. The great majority of freshwater gastropods have a shell, with very few exceptions. Some groups of snails that live in freshwater respire using gills, whereas other groups need to reach the surface to breathe air. In addition, some are amphibious and have both gills and a lung. Most feed on algae, but many are detritivors and some are filter feeders.

Aquatic animal under water animals

An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in the water for most or all of its lifetime. Many insects such as mosquitoes, mayflies, dragonflies and caddisflies have aquatic larvae, with winged adults. Aquatic animals may breathe air or extract oxygen that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through the skin. Natural environments and the animals that live in them can be categorized as aquatic (water) or terrestrial (land). This designation is paraphyletic.

Planorbidae family of molluscs

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.

Drawing of radular teeth of Bulinus natalensis Bulinus natalensis radula.png
Drawing of radular teeth of Bulinus natalensis

Related Research Articles

<i>Bulinus</i> genus of molluscs

Bulinus is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies.

<i>Marisa cornuarietis</i> species of large freshwater snail

Marisa cornuarietis, common name the Colombian ramshorn apple snail, is a species of large freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snail family.

Bulinus camerunensis is a species of small air-breathing freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies.

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

Bulinus nyassanus is a species of small air-breathing freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. This species is endemic to Lake Malawi in Africa, where found both in shallow and relatively deep water. Its shell generally reached a size of up to around 14 mm × 11 mm.

<i>Neritina natalensis</i> species of mollusc

Neritina natalensis, common name spotted nerite, is a species of small freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Neritidae, the nerites. It returns to brackish waters to reproduce.

<i>Biomphalaria pfeifferi</i> species of mollusc

Biomphalaria pfeifferi is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails.

<i>Radix natalensis</i> species of mollusc

Radix natalensis is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Lymnaeidae.

<i>Bulinus forskalii</i> species of mollusc

Bulinus forskalii is a species of tropical freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies.

Bulinus africanus is a species of a tropical freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies.

<i>Bulinus tropicus</i> species of mollusc

Bulinus tropicus is a species of a tropical freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies.

<i>Bulinus globosus</i> species of mollusc

Bulinus globosus is a species of a tropical freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies.

<i>Bulinus jousseaumei</i> species of mollusc

Bulinus jousseaumei is a species of tropical freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. Like other planorbids, the shell of the species is sinistral in coiling.

Bulinus nasutus is a species of tropical freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies.

References

  1. 1 2 Curtis B., Jørgensen A., Kristensen T. K., Stensgaard A-S. & Van Damme D. (2009). Bulinus natalensis. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 3 December 2010.
  2. 1 2 de Kock, K.N. and C.T. Wolmarans (2010) - Distribution and habitats of Bulinus natalensis and its role as intermediate host of economically important helminth parasites in South Africa. African Journal of Aquatic Science 31: 63-69.
  3. ↑ Appleton, C.C. (2002) - Mollusca. In: Guides to the Freshwater Invertebrates of Southern Africa. Volume 6: Arachnida & Mollusca. (de Moor, I.J. and J.A. Day). Water Research Commission, WRC Report No. TT 182/02.


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