Laevapex

Laevapex
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia; clade Euthyneura; clade Panpulmonata; clade Hygrophila
Superfamily:	Planorboidea
Family:	Planorbidae
Subfamily:	Planorbinae
Tribe:	Ancylini
Genus:	Laevapex; Walker 1903
Type species
	Ancylus fuscus; C. B. Adams, 1841
Species
	See text

Laevapex is a genus of small, freshwater, air-breathing limpets, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails and their allies.^[2]

Geographic distribution[edit]

The genus has a New World distribution. It is widespread throughout the eastern United States, occurring in lakes and slow-flowing rivers.^[3]

Anatomy[edit]

These animals have a pallial lung, as do all pulmonate snails, but they also have a false gill or "pseudobranch" which can serve perfectly well as a gill when they are unable to reach the surface for air.^[3]

Members of this genus are characterised by their smooth apex.^[3]

Species[edit]

Species within the genus Laevapex include:^[1]^[2]^[4]

Laevapex diaphanus Haldeman, 1841
Laevapex fuscus C. B. Adams, 1841
Laevapex peninsulae Pilsbry, 1903
Laevapex vazi Santos, 1989

Walther (2008) considers North American Laevapex monotypic, collectively synonymising L. diaphanus, L. peninsulae and unidentified Laevapex sp. with L. fuscus, the type species.^[3]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Laevapex Walker, 1903". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
^ ^a ^b Roskov Y.; Kunze T.; Orrell T.; Abucay L.; Paglinawan L.; Culham A.; Bailly N.; Kirk P.; Bourgoin T.; Baillargeon G.; Decock W.; De Wever A.; Didžiulis V. (eds.). "Laevapex". Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 2014 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Walther, A. C. (2008). "E Pluribus Unum: A Phylogenetic and Phylogeographic Reassessment of Laevapex (Pulmonata: Ancylidae), a North American Genus of Freshwater Limpets". A systematic study of North American freshwater limpets (Gastropoda: Hygrophila: Ancylidae) (PDF) (Ph.D. thesis). The University of Michigan.
^ dos Santos; S. B. (2003). "Estado atual do conhecimento dos ancilídeos na América do Sul (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Basommatophora)" [Current state of knowledge of ancylids in South America (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Basommatophora)] (PDF). Revista de Biología Tropical (in Portuguese). 51 (3): 191–223. Retrieved 29 June 2014.

External links[edit]

"Laevapex: Pictures". The Animal Diversity Web - University of Michigan.

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[itis-1] "Laevapex Walker, 1903". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 June 2014.

[CoL-2] Roskov Y.; Kunze T.; Orrell T.; Abucay L.; Paglinawan L.; Culham A.; Bailly N.; Kirk P.; Bourgoin T.; Baillargeon G.; Decock W.; De Wever A.; Didžiulis V. (eds.). "Laevapex". Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 2014 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 29 June 2014.

[walther-3] Walther, A. C. (2008). "E Pluribus Unum: A Phylogenetic and Phylogeographic Reassessment of Laevapex (Pulmonata: Ancylidae), a North American Genus of Freshwater Limpets". A systematic study of North American freshwater limpets (Gastropoda: Hygrophila: Ancylidae) (PDF) (Ph.D. thesis). The University of Michigan.

[4] s Santos; S. B. (2003). "Estado atual do conhecimento dos ancilídeos na América do Sul (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Basommatophora)" [Current state of knowledge of ancylids in South America (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Basommatophora)] (PDF). Revista de Biología Tropical (in Portuguese). 51 (3): 191–223. Retrieved 29 June 2014.

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