Edentulina moreleti
Encyclopedia
Edentulina moreleti is a species
of air-breathing land snail
, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Streptaxidae
.
The type locality for this species is Silhouette Island
. It also occurs on Mahé
. Up to 1999 there were only 34 known specimens in collections.
tentacles. Adult snails are dark brown, but Martens (1898) described the body as red.
The reproductive anatomy
and radula
have been described by J. Gerlach & A. C. van Bruggen
(1999). The formula of the radula is 29 + 1 + 29. Salivary glands are bilobed.
The color of the shell
is a tan brown. The width of the shell is 5.3-6.5 mm. The height of the shell is 11.0-14.0 mm. The shape of the shell is bulimoid. The shell has 6.75-7.75 whorls
. There is no spiral sculpture
on the shell.
The only other species of Edentulina on the Seychelles is Edentulina dussumieri, which is the most abundant streptaxid snail there. Edentulina moreleti is smaller than Edentulina dussumieri which is over 14 mm in shell height, and Edentulina dussumieri has spiral sculpture on the shell.
plants. The population density of this species is low: about 160 individuals at locality area of 2 ha. Edentulina moreleti is ovo-viviparous.
Edentulina moreleti is the only known herbivorous streptaxid. Other Streptaxidae are carnivorous. Edentulina moreleti probably feeds on algae
and decomposing plants, that occur on leaves of Dracaena reflexa. They can be fed with carrot, apple and decomposing leaves in captivity.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of air-breathing land snail
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
, a terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Streptaxidae
Streptaxidae
Streptaxidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in theStylommatophora. Six Streptaxidae subfamilies are accepted in the 2005 taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi....
.
Distribution
Edentulina moreleti is endemic to the Seychelles.The type locality for this species is Silhouette Island
Silhouette Island
Silhouette Island lies 20 km northwest of Mahé in the Seychelles. It is the third largest island in the Seychelles. It has an area of 20 km² and has a population of 135, mostly workers on the island. The main settlement is La Passe, where there is a hotel for visitors to Silhouette...
. It also occurs on Mahé
Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...
. Up to 1999 there were only 34 known specimens in collections.
Description
The species gives live birth rather than laying eggs. The newborn snails are yellow in color. Juvenile snails are also yellow with crimsonCrimson
Crimson is a strong, bright, deep red color. It is originally the color of the dye produced from a scale insect, Kermes vermilio, but the name is now also used as a generic term for those slightly bluish-red colors that are between red and rose; besides crimson itself, these colors include...
tentacles. Adult snails are dark brown, but Martens (1898) described the body as red.
The reproductive anatomy
Reproductive system of gastropods
The reproductive system of gastropods varies greatly from one group to another within this very large and diverse taxonomic class of animals...
and radula
Radula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
have been described by J. Gerlach & A. C. van Bruggen
Adolph Cornelis van Bruggen
Adolph Cornelis van Bruggen, also known as A. C. van Bruggen or Dolf van Bruggen is a malacologist, entomologist and botanist from the Netherlands. His interest in the tropics and tropical Africa has dominated his broad scientific interest for more than 50 years now...
(1999). The formula of the radula is 29 + 1 + 29. Salivary glands are bilobed.
The color of the shell
Gastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
is a tan brown. The width of the shell is 5.3-6.5 mm. The height of the shell is 11.0-14.0 mm. The shape of the shell is bulimoid. The shell has 6.75-7.75 whorls
Whorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
. There is no spiral sculpture
Sculpture (mollusc)
The sculpture of a mollusc shell is the three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface, as distinct from the basic shape of the shell itself or colouration. Sculpture may be concave as well as convex. Sometimes it has microscopic detail. Sculpture refers to the calcareous outer layer, not the...
on the shell.
The only other species of Edentulina on the Seychelles is Edentulina dussumieri, which is the most abundant streptaxid snail there. Edentulina moreleti is smaller than Edentulina dussumieri which is over 14 mm in shell height, and Edentulina dussumieri has spiral sculpture on the shell.
Ecology
Edentulina moreleti inhabits habitats with high humidity and with lots of Dracaena reflexaDracaena reflexa
Dracaena reflexa, commonly called Pleomele or the Song of India, is a species of Dracaena which is a tropical tree native to Madagascar, Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean...
plants. The population density of this species is low: about 160 individuals at locality area of 2 ha. Edentulina moreleti is ovo-viviparous.
Edentulina moreleti is the only known herbivorous streptaxid. Other Streptaxidae are carnivorous. Edentulina moreleti probably feeds on algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
and decomposing plants, that occur on leaves of Dracaena reflexa. They can be fed with carrot, apple and decomposing leaves in captivity.
External links
- Moellendorff O. vonOtto Franz von Möllendorff- Bibliography :* - External links :* at Internet Archive...
& Kobelt W.Wilhelm KobeltWilhelm Kobelt was a German zoologist born in Alsfeld, Grand Duchy of Hesse. He specialized in the field of malacology.Kobelt is remembered for his work as curator of the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am Main....
(1902-1904). "Die Raublungenschnecken (Agnatha). Erste Abtheilung: Rhytididae & Enneidae". Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet 1, 12(B1): 1-362. Bauer & Raspe, Nuremberg. page 298, plate 33, figs 9-10.