Aegopinella

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Aegopinella
Lesser gloss snail (Aegopinella pura)

Lesser gloss snail ( Aegopinella pura )

Systematics
Superordinate : Heterobranchia
Order : Lung snails (pulmonata)
Subordination : Land snails (Stylommatophora)
Superfamily : Gastrodontoidea
Family : Gloss snails (Oxychilidae)
Genre : Aegopinella
Scientific name
Aegopinella
Lindholm , 1927

Aegopinella is a genus of land- dwelling snails in the family of shining snails (Oxychilidae). The species of the genus are difficult to determine, only three recent species can be reliably determined based on the housing morphology. The other species can only be determined on the basis of the place where they were found and / or by examining the genital apparatus.

features

The right-hand winding cases are low-conical, in some species with a slightly rounded apex. They reach a diameter in the adult stage of 5 to 15 mm, with a corresponding height of 2.7 to 8 mm. In the adult stage they have 3½ to 5, more or less well rounded coils, which increase regularly and more or less quickly. The seams are mostly flat. The end quarter of the last turn is often widened to a greater or lesser extent and can also drop more or less clearly from the turn axis. The mouth is rounded to flattened elliptical; it is more or less oblique to the winding axis. The edge of the mouth is straight and sharp. The navel is open and more or less wide, often a little eccentric.

The skin is thin and translucent, but the base is often milky white. The color varies from colorless, yellowish brown, light brown to red brown. The embryonic convolutions are smooth. The surface of the Teleoconch has more or less clear growth stripes, which are crossed in some types of spiral stripes and thus form a grid-like pattern.

All species of the genus Aegopinella are hermaphrodites . In the male genital tract, the vas deferens enter a short to very long epiphallus. It can be a little swollen or remain thin. In some species it forms a 180 ° loop. The penis varies in length and thickness, and can also be structured by constrictions. However, there is no cecum (blind sac). In some species, the 180 ° loop is barely in the penis area. The penile retractor muscle can attach to the penis / epiphallus transition area at the apex of the 180 ° loop or at different positions of the epiphallus. In the female tract of the genital apparatus the free fallopian tube is more or less long, as is the vagina. The upper part of the vagina or fallopian tube is surrounded by a perivaginal gland. The stem of the spermathek is usually very short and the bladder (reservoir) is still attached to the fallopian tube or egg duct (spermoviduct). There is no diverticulum.

Similar genera

The species of the genus Retinella are very similar in habit, but mostly larger (up to 32 mm). A flagellum is present on the penis of the species of this genus in the genital system. In the female tract, the fallopian tube is quite long and surrounded by a perivaginal gland. The vagina is practically non-existent. The stem of the spermathec is quite long and comes to rest by the albumin gland.

Geographical distribution, habitat and way of life

The species of the genus occur in Europe to the Caucasus and northern Iran.

Mostly more or less moist habitats in the litter or humus layer of forests, field trees, rows of hedges and also meadows, mostly calcareous soil.

Taxonomy

The taxon Aegopinella was established in 1927 by Wassili Adolfowitsch Lindholm . He determined Helix pura Alder, in 1830, to be the type species. Although the genus is generally recognized, membership of a particular family has been controversial until now. In older publications it is placed in the family Zonitidae Mörch, 1864 and the subfamily Zinitinae Mörch, 1864, Francisco Welter-Schultes also follows this idea. The MolluscaBase, however, lists the genus without evidence in the family Gastrodontidae. Schileyko (2003) places them in the subfamily Godwiniinae Cooke, 1921 of the family Zonitidae. The Fauna Europaea also lists the genus in the subfamily Godwiniinae, but places this subfamily in the younger family Oxychilidae Hesse, 1927, contrary to priority. Vollrath Wiese places the genus Aegopinella Lindhol, 1927 in the family Oxychilidae Hesse, 1927, which he does not subdivide into subfamilies.

According to Adolf Riedel, only three recent species can be reliably identified using the housing morphology. The other species can only be determined by the location and / or by examination of the genital apparatus. Even an examination of the genital system sometimes gives inconclusive results if the genital organs are not fully or abnormally developed. Molecular biological investigations have to be awaited here.

literature

  • Adolf Riedel: About the Aegopinella species (Gastropoda, Zonitidae) from Yugoslavia, Italy and France. Annales Zoologici, 37 (5): 235-258, 1983 PDF

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wassili Adolfowitsch Lindholm: On the nomenclature of some Palearctic land snail genera. Archiv für Molluskenkunde, 59: 321–331, 1927, p. 324.
  2. ↑ Klaus Bogon: Landschnecken biology, ecology, biotope protection. 404 p., Natur Verlag, Augsburg 1990, ISBN 3-89440-002-1 , p. 184ff.
  3. ↑ Michael P. Kerney, RAD Cameron, Jürgen H. Jungbluth: The land snails of northern and central Europe. 384 pp., Paul Parey, Hamburg & Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-490-17918-8 , pp. 158ff.
  4. ↑ AnimalBase: Aegopinella Lindholm, 1927
  5. ↑ Francisco W. Welter-Schultes: European non-marine molluscs, a guide for species identification = identification book for European land and freshwater mollusks. A1-A3 S., 679 S., Q1-Q78 S., Göttingen, Planet Poster Ed., 2012 ISBN 3-933922-75-5 , ISBN 978-3-933922-75-5 (S. 395ff.)
  6. ↑ MolluscaBase: Aegopinella Lindholm, 1927
  7. ↑ Fauna Europaea: Aegopinella Lindholm, 1927
  8. ^ Vollrath Wiese: The land snails of Germany. 352 p., Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2014 ISBN 978-3-494-01551-4 (p. 172/73)
  9. ^ Mathias Neubauer, Thomas A. Neubauer: Opole (Poland) - a ley locality for middle Miocene terrestrial mollusc faunas. Bulletin of Geosciences 93 (1): 71-146, 2018 doi : 10.3140 / bull.geosci.1692