Melampus coffea
Encyclopedia
Melampus coffea, commonly known
as the coffee bean snail, is a species
of small air-breathing salt marsh
snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Ellobiidae
.
and throughout the Caribbean
.
This small snail is commonly found in the intertidal zone of mangrove
s amongst the roots and branches. It is similar in appearance to Melampus bidentatus
and the two are often confused. Melampus bidentatus is slightly larger and is more likely to be found in a salt marsh
as opposed to mangrove habitat for Melampus coffea.
Like other species of Melampus, the coffee bean snail is one of the few pulmonate snails to reproduce via planktonic larvae called veliger
s (Ruppert & Barnes 1994). Upon hatching, the veligers will spend between 4-6 weeks in the plankton
, and then return to the mangroves on a high tide, and metamorphose
into juvenile snails.
This species is a detritivore
and herbivore
, foraging upon fresh and decaying mangrove leaf litter. The coffee bean snail engages in vertical migration leading up to the time of high tide, in order to to escape inundation and the increased risk of predation
by various fish species.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
as the coffee bean snail, is a species
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 small air-breathing salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Ellobiidae
Ellobiidae
Ellobiidae is a family of small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the clade Eupulmonata. This is the only family in the superfamily Ellobioidea, according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005)....
.
Distribution
The coffee bean snail is found on both coasts of FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and throughout the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Ecology
Minimum recorded depth is -0.3 m. Maximum recorded depth is 0.3 m.This small snail is commonly found in the intertidal zone of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s amongst the roots and branches. It is similar in appearance to Melampus bidentatus
Melampus bidentatus
Melampus bidentatus common name the "common marsh snail", or "eastern melampus", is a species of small, amphibious air-breathing snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Ellobiidae.- Habitat :...
and the two are often confused. Melampus bidentatus is slightly larger and is more likely to be found in a salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
as opposed to mangrove habitat for Melampus coffea.
Like other species of Melampus, the coffee bean snail is one of the few pulmonate snails to reproduce via planktonic larvae called veliger
Veliger
A veliger is the planktonic larva of many kinds of marine and freshwater gastropod molluscs, as well as most bivalve mollusks.- Description :...
s (Ruppert & Barnes 1994). Upon hatching, the veligers will spend between 4-6 weeks in the plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
, and then return to the mangroves on a high tide, and metamorphose
Métamorphose
"Métamorphose" - a song by French singer Amanda Lear released in 1989 by Carrere Records.- Song information :"Métamorphose" was the first single from Amanda's French-Italian album Tant qu'il y aura des hommes. The album was actually a re-release of Uomini più uomini, and consisted mostly of down-...
into juvenile snails.
This species is a detritivore
Detritivore
Detritivores, also known as detritophages or detritus feeders or detritus eaters or saprophages, are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus . By doing so, they contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles...
and herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
, foraging upon fresh and decaying mangrove leaf litter. The coffee bean snail engages in vertical migration leading up to the time of high tide, in order to to escape inundation and the increased risk of predation
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
by various fish species.