Potamolithus

Potamolithus
Drawing of an apertural view of the shell of Potamolithus rushii
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Tateidae
Genus:	Potamolithus Pilsbry, 1896 [1]
Type species
Paludina lapidum d'Orbigny, 1835

Potamolithus is a genus of small freshwater snails that have an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Tateidae. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Potamolithus was traditionally classified within the Hydrobiidae. ^[2] However, anatomical study of Potamolithus by Davis & Pons da Silva (1984) ^[2] showed its relationship with Lithoglyphus , ^[2] and it is then placed within the family Lithoglyphidae.

The first appearance of the name Potamolithus was in November 1896 as a nomen nudum (a bare name with no description or illustration). ^{[5] [6]} The genus was formally defined by Pilsbry in December 1896. ^[1]

Distribution

Potamolithus is the only genus of the family Tateidae in South America. Distribution of Potamolithus includes Argentina (22 species, 11 species are endemic to Argentina), ^[7] Uruguay (17 species) ^[8] and Brazil. ^[3] Potamolithus is the largest genus (i.e. the one with the highest species richness) of recent freshwater snails in Argentina ^[7] and in Uruguay. ^[8]

Species

Species within the genus Potamolithus include:

• Potamolithus agapetus Pilsbry, 1911 ^{[3] [9] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus bushii (Frauenfeld, 1865) ^{[3] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus callosus Pilsbry, 1925 ^[10]
• Potamolithus carinifer Pilsbry, 1911 ^[8]
• Potamolithus catharinae Pilsbry, 1911 ^{[3] [9] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus concordianus Parodiz, 1966 ^{[3] [10]}
• Potamolithus conicus (Brot, 1867) ^{[3] [10]}
• Potamolithus dinochilus Pilsbry, 1896 ^[10]
• Potamolithus doeringi Pilsbry, 1911 ^{[3] [9] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus felipponei Ihering, 1910 ^[8]
• Potamolithus hidalgoi Pilsbry, 1896 ^{[3] [10]} - synonyms: Potamolithus microthauma Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus dinochilus Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus hatcheri Pilsbry, 1911 ^[8]
• Potamolithus iheringi Pilsbry, 1896 ^{[3] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus karsticus Simone & Moracchioli, 1994 ^[11]
• Potamolithus lapidum (d'Orbigny, 1835) ^{[3] [10]} - synonyms: Potamolithus lapidum supersulcatus Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus paysanduanus Ihering, 1910; Potamolithus lapidum var. elatior Pilsbry, 1911; Potamolithus callosus Pilsbry, 1926 ^[8]
• Potamolithus microthauma Pilsbry, 1896 ^[10]
• Potamolithus orbignyi Pilsbry, 1896 ^{[3] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus paranensis Pilsbry, 1911 ^{[3] [9] [10]}
• Potamolithus peristomatus (d'Orbigny, 1835) ^{[3] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus petitianus (d'Orbigny, 1840) ^{[3] [10]}
  • Potamolithus petitianus sykesii Pilsbry, 1896 - synonyms: Potamolithus bisinuatus bisinuatus Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus bisinuatus obsoletus Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus gracilis gracilis Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus gracilis viridis Pilsbry, 1896 ^[8]
• Potamolithus philipianus Pilsbry, 1911 ^{[3] [9] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus quadratus Pilsbry & Ihering, 1911 ^{[3] [9] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus rushii Pilsbry, 1896 ^{[3] [8]} - type genus ^{[1] [10]}
• Potamolithus ribeirensis Pilsbry, 1911 ^{[11] [9]}
• Potamolithus simplex Pilsbry, 1911 ^{[3] [9] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus tricostatus (Brot, 1867) ^{[3] [8] [10]}
• Potamolithus troglobius Simone & Moracchioli, 1994 ^[11]
• Potamolithus valchetensis Miquel, 1998 ^[3]

Ecology

Potamolithus species live in streams. Some species are subterranean, living in caves (for example Potamolithus troglobius and Potamolithus karsticus ). ^[11]

References

1. Pilsbry H. A. (1896). "Notes on new species of Amnicolidae collected by Dr. Rush in Uruguay". The Nautilus 10: 86-90. page 86.
2. Davis G. M. & Pons da Silva M. C. (1984). "Potamolithus: morphology, convergence, and relationships among hydrobioid snails". Malacologia 25: 73-108.
3. Rumi A., Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V., César I. I., Roche M. A., Tassara M. P., Martín S. M. & Armengol M. F. L. (2006). "Freshwater Gastropoda from Argentina: Species Richness, Distribution Patterns, and an Evaluation of Endangered Species". Malacologia 49(1): 189-208. doi : 10.4002/1543-8120-49.1.189. table.
4. Bouchet, P. (2014). Potamolithus Pilsbry, 1896. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=724574 on 2014-07-29
5. Pilsbry H. A. & Rush W. H. (1896). "List, with notes, of land and fresh water shells collected by Dr. Wm. H. Rush in Uruguay and Argentina". The Nautilus 10(7): 76-81. page 80.
6. Lopez Armengol M. F. & Mancefiido M. O. (1992). "Case 2801. Potamolithus Pilsbry, 1896 (Mollusca, Gastropoda): proposed confirmation of P. rushii Pilsbry, 1896 as the type species". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 49(2): 109.
7. Rumi A., Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V. & Darrigran G. A. (2008). "Malacología Latinoamericana. Moluscos de agua dulce de Argentina". Revista de Biología Tropical 56(1): 77-111. HTM.
8. (in Spanish) Scarabino F. (2004). "Lista sistemática de los Gastropoda dulciacuícolas vivientes de Uruguay". Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay 8(84–85/86–87): 347-355. PDF Archived 2016-08-24 at the Wayback Machine .
9. Pilsbry H. A. (1911). "Non-marine Mollusca of Patagonia". In: Scott W. B. (ed.) Reports of the Princeton University Expedition to Patagonia 1896–18993: 513-633. Potamolithus is on pages 566-602, plates 38-41.
10. Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V., Rumi A. & Roche M. A. (2006). "Freshwater gastropods from del Plata basin, Argentina. Checklist and new locality records". Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay 9(89): 51-60. PDF.
11. Bichuette M. E. & Trajano E. (2003). "A population study of epigean and subterranean Potamolithus snails from southeast Brazil (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)". Hydrobiologia 505: 107-117. abstract, PDF.

Further reading

• Bichuette M. E. (1998). "Distribuição e biologia de gastrópodes de água doce, gênero Potamolithus, no Vale do Alto Ribeira, São Paulo (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)". M. Sc. Thesis – Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil. 127 pp.
• López Armengol M. F. (1985). "Estudio sistemaco y bioecológico del género Potamolithus (Hydrobiidae) utilizando técnicas de taxonomía numérica Tesis Doctoral (N°. 455)". Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
• López Armengol M. F. & Darrigran G. (1998). "Distribución del género neotropical Potamolithus Pilsbry & Rush, 1896 (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) en el estuario del Río de la Plata". Iberus16: 267-274.
• Parodiz J. J. (1965). "Relaciones y evidencias paleontológicas de Potamolithus". Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay 1: 273-278.