Pupilla loessica

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Pupilla loessica
Temporal range: early Pleistocene–Recent [1]
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Pupilla loessica shell.png
Drawing of apertural view of a shell of Pupilla loessica
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Pupillidae
Genus: Pupilla
Species:
P. loessica
Binomial name
Pupilla loessica
Ložek, 1954 [2]

Pupilla loessica is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Pupillidae.

Contents

Pupilla loessica is a significant glacial index species for the Pleistocene in Central and Eastern Europe and also in parts of NorthWestern Europe. [1] It lives as extant species in Central Asia. [1]

Distribution

Pupilla loessica was first described by Czech biologist Vojen Ložek in 1954 from late Pleistocene loess from Předmostí u Přerova (Moravia, Czech Republic). [1] For the Pleistocene in Central and Eastern Europe and also in parts of NorthWestern Europe, Pupilla loessica constitutes a significant glacial index species. [1]

Individual specimens had been found since the early Pleistocene. [1] It was widespread above all in the middle Pleistocene and late Pleistocene. [1]

Fossil distribution of Pupilla loessica include:

At an early date (1986), Ložek supported the view that Pupilla loessica was alive at the present time in Central Asia. [1]

Recent distribution of Pupilla loessica include:

Description

The shells of Pupilla loessica are about 3 mm high, thin, cylindrical-ovate and have a rounded conical apex. [1] The approximately 5 strongly curved whorls gradually increase in height and are finely and irregularly ribbed. [1] The short elliptical aperture has no denticles, no palatal callus and is only slightly broadened. [1] The crest is at most indicated by a weak band. [1]

The shells are usually a strong brown colour when fresh. [1] The fine ribs evidence very low, fragile rims which are not always visible in recent shells. [1] On weathered shells the fine ribs are still visible although less pronounced, as on the shells of the Pleistocene Pupilla loessica. [1]

The width of the recent shells is 1.6-1.8 mm. [1] The height of the shells of the recent shell is 2.5-3.3 mm. [1]

The species differs from Pupilla muscorum by its smaller size, the strongly rounded and ribbed whorls and the lack of denticles and crest. [1] The species is similar to Pupilla alpicola with similar intraspecific shell shape differences across time suggesting that similar niche shifts have led to similar transformations in parallel. [4]

Ecology

Pupilla loessica occur from woodland to dry steppe. [3] The altitude ranges from 560 m a.s.l. to high altitude habitats around 3000 m a.s.l. [1] This species prefer continental types of habitat with average annual temperatures markedly below 0 °C. [1] The climate ranges from continental to sub-boreal climate. [1] Although it is a frequent loess mollusc, it apparently lived in various glacial habitats. [1]

Pupilla loessica is found in various different habitats in the Saylyugem Mountains. [1] These habitats range from stony steppe via open woodland with Larix sibirica , shrubland, mesophilic meadows to humid high altitude meadows with Carex sp. and Dryas oxyodonta (alpine tundra). [1]

For example in Saylyugem Mountains Pupilla loessica lives in 2200–2650 m a.s.l. [1] The closest known meteorological station is the Kosh Agach Station: the average annual temperature recorded amounts to –6.7 °C (January –32 °C, July 13 °C) and the annual rainfall amounts to about 110–150 mm on average. [1]

This species often accompanies the so-called Pupilla fauna and Columella fauna (according to Ložek 1964). [5] [1] In addition to Pupilla spp., species which like humidity, such as Columella columella or Vertigo genesii , are also often found together with Pupilla loessica. [1] The corresponding accompanying fauna is also adapted to the cold habitats, including e.g. Columella columella, Vertigo genesii, Vallonia tenuilabris , etc. [1] Such malacofauna in recent habitats (especially on the humid alpine meadows) correspond to those of the Pleistocene glacial habitats of the Central European region. [1]

Related Research Articles

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

Vertigo is a genus of minute, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs or micromollusks in the family Vertiginidae, the whorl snails.

<i>Vertigo genesii</i> Species of gastropod

Vertigo genesii, common name the round-mouthed whorl snail, is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc or micromollusc in the family Vertiginidae, the whorl snails.

<i>Pupilla alpicola</i> Species of gastropod

Pupilla alpicola is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Pupillidae.

<i>Pupilla</i> Genus of gastropods

Pupilla is a genus of minute air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the subfamily Pupillinae of the family Pupillidae.

<i>Pupilla muscorum</i> Species of gastropod

Pupilla muscorum, commonly known as the Moss Chrysalis snail or widespread column, is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Pupillidae.

<i>Pupilla sterrii</i> Species of gastropod

Pupilla sterrii is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Pupillidae.

<i>Pupilla triplicata</i> Species of gastropod

Pupilla triplicata is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Pupillidae.

<i>Vertigo bollesiana</i> Species of gastropod

Vertigo bollesiana, common name the delicate vertigo snail, is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Vertiginidae, the whorl snails.

<i>Vertigo parcedentata</i> Species of gastropod

Vertigo parcedentata is a species of minute, air-breathing land snail, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs or micromollusks in the family Vertiginidae, the whorl snails.

<i>Vallonia tenuilabris</i> Species of gastropod

Vallonia tenuilabris is a species of very small, air-breathing land snail that is a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Valloniidae.

<i>Xerocrassa geyeri</i> Species of gastropod

Xerocrassa geyeri is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Geomitridae. It is also often known as Trochoidea geyeri.

<i>Pupilla pratensis</i> Species of gastropod

Pupilla pratensis is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Pupillidae. This taxon was elevated to species level in 2009.

Vertigo pseudosubstriata is a species of minute, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc or micromollusk in the family Vertiginidae, the whorl snails.

Pisidium stewarti is a species of minute freshwater clam. It is an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Sphaeriidae, the fingernail clams and pea clams.

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 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Meng S. & Hoffmann M. H. (2009). "Pupilla loessica Ložek 1954 (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Pupillidae) – “A Living Fossil” in Central Asia?". Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart Quaternary Science Journal 58(1): 55–69. doi : 10.3285/eg.58.1.03.
  2. ↑ (in Czech) Ložek V. (1954). "Noví měkkýši československého pleistocénu (Neue Mollusken aus dem tschechoslowakischen Pleistozän). Vertigo pseudosubstriata sp. n., Pupilla muscorum densegyrata ssp. n. a Pupilla loessica sp. n." Anthropozoikum3(1953): 327–342, Tab. 1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Horsák M., Chytrý M., Pokryszko B. M., Danihelka J., Ermakov N., Hájek M., Hájková P., Kintrová K., Kočí M., Kubešová S., Lustyk P., Otýpková Z., Pelánková B. & Valachovič M. (2010). "Habitats of relict terrestrial snails in southern Siberia: lessons for the reconstruction of palaeoenvironments of full-glacial Europe". Journal of Biogeography 37(8): 1450-1462. doi : 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02280.x.
  4. ↑ Haase, Martin; Meng, Stefan; Horsák, Michal (2021). "Tracking parallel adaptation of shell morphology through geological times in the land snail genus Pupilla (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Pupillidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 191 (3): 720–747. doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa057 .
  5. ↑ Ložek V. (1964). Quartärmollusken der Tschechoslowakei. – Rozpravy Ústředního ústavu geologického, Praha, 31: 374 pp.
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