Ringicella

Last updated

Ringicella
Ringicella ringens.jpg
A drawing of a preserved specimen of Ringicella ringens showing how the snail carries the shell with the spire pointing downwards
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora

informal group

Contents

Sigmurethra
Superfamily:
Orthalicoidea
Family:
Odontostomidae
Genus:
Ringicella

Gray, 1847

Ringicella is a genus of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Odontostomidae.

Adult snails of this genus have an extremely unusual shell morphology, very similar to that found in the genus Anostoma Fischer von Waldheim, 1807, of which this genus was previously considered to be merely a subgenus.

The adult snails in this genus carry their shells upside down, with the spire or apex at the bottom, and the umbilicus at the top. [1]

Shell description

A drawing of a preserved specimen of Ringicella ringens as seen from the underside. The view shows the under surface of the foot, the head, the shell aperture, and the spire of the shell. Note the perforation in the lip of the shell. Ringicella ringens 2.jpg
A drawing of a preserved specimen of Ringicella ringens as seen from the underside. The view shows the under surface of the foot, the head, the shell aperture, and the spire of the shell. Note the perforation in the lip of the shell.
Drawing of aperture of Ringicella carinatum showing the apertural teeth and the perforation in the peristome Ringicella carinatum aperture.jpg
Drawing of aperture of Ringicella carinatum showing the apertural teeth and the perforation in the peristome

The shell of Ringicella is very similar to that of Anostoma .

Shells of the genus Ringicella have an additional feature: the angular lamella and upper suprapalatal fold are concrescent, forming a perforation in the lip at its upper end. [1]

In addition, the apertural rim incorporates a small tube, which communicates with the interior of the shell. [2]

The width of adult shells varies from 18 to 25 mm. [1]

Anatomy

A colored drawing of an adult shell of Ringicella carinatum Ringicella carinatum shell.jpg
A colored drawing of an adult shell of Ringicella carinatum
A colored drawing of an adult shell of Ringicella ringens Ringicella ringens shell.jpg
A colored drawing of an adult shell of Ringicella ringens

This section is based on the anatomy of Ringicella ringens, which is also valid for the genus Anostoma (according to 1901 information from Pilsbry).

Unlike the shell, the soft anatomy is not especially peculiar, in so far as it is known from Dr. Paul Fischer's (1857) [3] account of Ringicella ringens.

Radula

The jaw and teeth are as they are in Macrodontes . The radula of Ringicella (and also Macrodontes) is rather aberrant for Bulimulinae: the central and lateral teeth have no side cusps, the marginals have an ectocone; the basal plate is short. [1] The jaw is smooth, arcuate. The teeth are as in the terrestrial Holopoda (see taxonomy of Holopoda) generally, the centrals and laterals with single broad cusps, marginals short, with the ectocone developed. [1]

Genitalia

The genitalia are essentially similar to those of Odontostomus . The genitalia are exceedingly lengthened in Ringicella. [1] The genitalia are of the haplogonous type, the long slender penis passing into a long vas deferens, upon which the penis retractor muscle is inserted; the duct of the globular spermatheca is extremely long. The elongation of the whole genital system is greater than in Helicoid snails generally, and doubtless correlated with the unusual length of the last whorl. [1]

Araujo (1963) [4] described male copulatory organs of Ringicella ringens as spirally coiled, that is different from previous description by Fischer and by Pilsbry.

Central nervous system

The cerebral ganglia are more separated than usual in the Holopoda. [1] The cerebral ganglia are connected by a short narrow commissure; the suboesophageal ganglia are as usual in the Bulimulinae. [1]

Distribution

This genus of snails occurs in Brazil.

Pilsbry (1901) mentioned Ringicella carinatum as also occurring in Colombia, in high forests of the Magdalena river basin at 1830 m (6000 feet) above sea level, [1] but Vera Ardila (2008) considers the presence of the species in Colombia to be doubtful. [5]

Species

Species within this genus include:

Related Research Articles

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

Bulla is a genus of medium to large hermaphrodite sea snails, shelled marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs. These herbivorous snails are in the suborder Cephalaspidea, headshield slugs, and the order Opisthobranchia.

Bulimulidae Family of gastropods

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.

<i>Bulimulus</i> Genus of gastropods

Bulimulus is a genus of small to medium-sized tropical or sub-tropical, air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Bulimulinae within the family Bulimulidae.

<i>Bothriembryon</i> Genus of gastropods

Bothriembryon is a genus of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Bothriembryontidae.

<i>Pleurodonte</i> Genus of gastropods

Pleurodonte is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pleurodontinae of the family Pleurodontidae.

Orthalicidae Family of gastropods

Orthalicidae are a family of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks are classified in the subfamily Orthalicoidea of the order Stylommatophora.

Pleurodontidae Family of gastropods

Pleurodontidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea.

<i>Janthina</i> Genus of gastropods

Janthina is a genus of small to medium-sized pelagic or planktonic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Epitoniidae.

<i>Anostoma</i> Genus of gastropods

Anostoma, common name the up-mouth snails, is a genus of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Odontostomidae. Snails in this genus are found in Brazil.

<i>Anostoma deshayesianum</i> Species of gastropod

Anostoma deshayesianum is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Odontostomidae.

<i>Anostoma octodentatum</i> Species of gastropod

Anostoma octodentatum, common name Brazilian up-mouth snail, is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Odontostomidae.

<i>Anostoma depressum</i> Species of gastropod

Anostoma depressum is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Odontostomidae.

<i>Ringicella ringens</i> Species of gastropod

Ringicella ringens is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Odontostomidae.

<i>Ringicella carinatum</i> Species of gastropod

Ringicella carinatum is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Bulimulinae, in the family Odontostomidae.

Orthalicoidea Superfamily of gastropods

The Orthalicoidea are a superfamily of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the infraorder Orthalicoidei of the suborder Helicina

<i>Phasianella</i> Genus of gastropods

Phasianella, common name the pheasant shells, is a genus of small sea snails with a calcareous operculum and a colorfully patterned shell, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Phasianellidae.

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

Melampus is a genus of small air-breathing salt marsh snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Ellobiidae.

Odontostomidae 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.

References

The article incorporates public domain texts from the reference [1]

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pilsbry H. A. 1901. in Tryon G. W. & Pilsbry H. A. 1901-1902 - Oriental Bulimoid Helicidae. Odontostominae. Cerionidae Volume 14. Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. page 25–28 and 109–114. The article incorporates public domain texts from this reference.
  2. ↑ http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=/fishimages&CISOPTR=48529&CISORESTMP=&CISOVIEWTMP=&CISOMODE=thumb [ dead link ]
  3. ↑ Fischer, P. & H. Hupé. 1857. Description de deux espèces nouvelles du genre Anostoma Fischer. Journal de Conchyliologie, Paris, 5: 330-354, pl. 12, figs. 1-2.
  4. ↑ J. L. de Barros Araujo 1963. SOBRE ANOSTOMA (RINGICELLA) RINGENS (L., 1758) (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Odontostomidae). Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, 61(1): 149-152.
  5. ↑ Mónica Lucía Vera Ardila. 2008. Lista de los géneros de moluscos terrestres de Colombia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Mesogastropoda y Pulmonata: Stylommatophora). Biota Colombiana 9 (1): 39-62.
  6. ↑ Lamarck, J.B.P.A. 1819-1822. Mollusques In Histoire Naturelle des Animaux sans vertebres. Paris. 6 (1): 1-343 (1819), (2): 1-232 (1822). page 101.
  7. ↑ 1866. Catalogue of the genera Helix, Anostoma, Hypselostoma, Streptaxis, Tomigerus, Bulimus, Orthalicus, Partula, in the collection of A.D. Brown, Princeton, New Jersey
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.