Chilinidae

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chilinidae
Shells of the Chilina fulgurata

Shells of the Chilina fulgurata

Systematics
Subclass : Orthogastropoda
Superordinate : Heterobranchia
Order : Lung snails (pulmonata)
Subordination : Water lung snails (Basommatophora)
Superfamily : Chilinoidea
Family : Chilinidae
Scientific name
Chilinidae
Dall , 1870

The Chilinidae are a family of small to medium-sized freshwater snails from the order of the pulmonary snails that occur only in South America . There is no recognized German name. The family is counted here to the subordination of the water snail (Basommatophora).

features

The casings are right-hand wound and spiral, with the last handle often clearly enlarged. The animals can grow to a maximum of 22 mm ( Chilina gibbosa ). They are yellow to brown and often show a pattern on the shell.

distribution and habitat

The representatives of this family occur only in South America (Argentina, Chile, etc.). They live in rivers and also in estuaries .

biology

The mantle cavity (lungs) is partially filled with pure water, but in other ways it should also be used for air breathing.

The animals can move through sandy soft sediment, but also live on hard substrate. During the digging process, they change their bodies somewhat in the direction of more streamlinedness. The speed of movement through sandy sediment is of the order of 15 cm per hour.

The diet may be different. In aquariums it has been observed how they colonize stones and graze the periphyton , but also seek out soft sediment in a targeted manner.

The snails partially harbor representatives of the parasitic digenea (group of flukes).

Paleontology and evolution

The Chilinidae are known as fossils from the lower Pliocene of Argentina. Together with the family of the Latiidae they form the superfamily Chilinoidea, which is a relatively original superfamily of the Hygrophila ( water snails in the sense ) that only occurs in the southern hemisphere .

Systematics

The family consists only of the genus Chilina Gray, but in 1828 there were several species. At least 59 species and subspecies have been described nominally, but a critical taxonomic revision is pending. The following is a selection of more well-known species:

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ VR Flores, LG Semenas: Larval digenean community parasitizing the freshwater snail, Chilina dombeyana (Pulmonata: Chilinidae) in Patagonia, Argentina, with special reference to the notocotylid Catatropis chilinae . J Parasitol. 94: 305-313 (2008)

literature

  • RC Brace: Observations on the morphology and behavior of Chilina fluctuosa Gray (Chilinidae), with a discussion on the early evolution of pulmonate gastropods. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. of London B, Vol. 300: 463-491 (1983).

Web links

Commons : Chilinidae  - Collection of images, videos and audio files