Pachychilus

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Pachychilus
Pachychilus laevisimus 004.JPG
Two shells of Pachychilus laevissimus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Superfamily: Cerithioidea
Family: Pachychilidae
Genus: Pachychilus
I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851 [1]
Type species
Melania laevissimaG. B. Sowerby I, 1824
Synonyms
  • CercimelaniaP. Fischer & Crosse, 1892 (invalid: unnecessary replacement name for Pachychilus)
  • Melania (Pachychilus)I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851
  • OxymelaniaCrosse & P. Fischer, 1892
  • PachycheilusH. Adams & A. Adams, 1854 (invalid: unjustified emendation of Pachychilus)
  • Pachychilus (Glyptomelania)Crosse & P. Fischer, 1892· accepted, alternate representation
  • Pachychilus (Oxymelania)Crosse & P. Fischer, 1892· accepted, alternate representation
  • Pachychilus (Pachychilus)I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851· accepted, alternate representation
  • Pachychilus (Pilsbrychilus)J. P. E. Morrison, 1951 (junior synonym of Pachychilus)
  • Pachychilus (Potamanax)Pilsbry, 1893· accepted, alternate representation
  • SphaeromelaniaRovereto, 1899 (invalid: unnecessary replacement name for Pachychilus)

Pachychilus, common name the jute snails, [2] is a genus of freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pachychilidae.

Contents

Pachychilus is the type genus of the family Pachychilidae. [3]

Distribution

The distribution of species in the genus Pachychilus includes:

Species

Species within the genus Pachychilus include:

subgenus Pachychiloides Wenz, 1939 [5]

Species brought into synonymy

Human use

One of the Maya peoples, the Lacandon people, now Mexico's native peoples from state Chiapas, use Pachychilus indiorum, known locally as "t’unu", as a type of protein supplement to their diet when animal protein is unavailable. [7] In addition, the shells from this "chuti" snail have great nutritional value, as they provide calcium and slaked lime when burnt. They are often preferred as a lime source over local limestone or other freshwater snail species for their purity as an alkali. The slaked lime is added to maize during the process of making maize dough for tortillas, pozole, and other foods. Slaked lime allows the release of amino acids such as tryptophan and lysine and the vitamin niacin, which would otherwise be unavailable from the maize (unable to be metabolized) if the lime were not added. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helicinidae</span> Family of gastropods

Helicinidae is a family of small tropical land snails which have an operculum. They are terrestrial operculate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicinoidea.

<i>Placostylus</i> Genus of gastropods

Placostylus, or flax snails, are a genus of very large, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Bothriembryontidae.

<i>Succinea</i> Genus of gastropods

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<i>Physella</i> Genus of gastropods

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<i>Drymaeus</i> Genus of gastropods

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<i>Helicina</i> Genus of gastropods

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<i>Streptostyla</i> Genus of gastropods

Streptostyla is a genus of predatory, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Streptostylinae of the family Spiraxidae.

<i>Subulina</i> Genus of molluscs

Subulina is a genus of small tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae.

<i>Euglandina</i> Genus of gastropods

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<i>Clanculus</i> Genus of gastropods

Clanculus is a genus of sea snail, marine gastropod molluscs of the family Trochidae, the top shells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pachychilidae</span> Family of gastropods

Pachychilidae, common name pachychilids, is a taxonomic family of freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha.

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

Rimula is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Monilea</i> Genus of gastropods

Monilea is a genus of sea snails in the family Trochidae, the top snails.

<i>Brotia</i> Genus of gastropods

Brotia is a genus of Southeast Asian freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the taxonomic family Pachychilidae.

<i>Bostryx</i> Genus of gastropods

Bostryx is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Bulimulidae.

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

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<i>Schasicheila</i> Genus of gastropods

Schasicheila is a genus of land snails with an operculum. It is a genus of terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Helicininae of the family Helicinidae.

References

  1. ↑ Lea I. & Lea H. C. (1851). "Description of a new genus of the family Melaniana, and of many new species of the genus Melania, chiefly collected by Hugh Cuming, Esq., during his zoological voyage in the East, and now first described". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 18: 179-197. 179.
  2. ↑ Healy P. F., Emery K. & Wright L. E. (1990). "Ancient and Modern Maya Exploitation of the Jute Snail (Pachychilus)". Latin American Antiquity 1(2): 170-183. JSTOR.
  3. ↑ Bouchet, Philippe; Rocroi, Jean-Pierre; Frýda, Jiri; Hausdorf, Bernard; Ponder, Winston; Valdés, Ángel & Warén, Anders (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". Malacologia . 47 (1–2). Hackenheim, Germany: ConchBooks: 1–397. ISBN   3-925919-72-4. ISSN   0076-2997.
  4. 1 2 3 Vázquez A. A. & Perera S. (2010). "Endemic Freshwater molluscs of Cuba and their conservation status". Tropical Conservation Science 3(2): 190-199. HTM, PDF.
  5. ↑ Wenz (1939). Handb. Paläozool. (4)6(1): 686.
  6. ↑ Perrilliat M. D. C., Vega F. J., Espinosa B. & Naranjo-Garcia E. (2008). "Late Cretaceous and Paleogene Freshwater Gastropods from Northeastern Mexico". Journal of Paleontology 82(2): 255-266. doi : 10.1666/06-062.1.
  7. 1 2 Nations J. D. (1979). Snail Shells and Maize Preparation: A Lacandon Maya Analogy. American Antiquity 44.3: 568-571.
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