''Aplexa'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs ...

s, aquatic

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s in the family Physidae.

Shell description

These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that are sinistral, which means that if you hold the shell such that the spire is pointing up, then the aperture is on the left-hand side. The shells of ''Aplexa'' species have a long and large

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An opt ...

, a relatively high and pointed

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

, and no operculum. The shells are thin and corneous and rather transparent.

Species

Species in the genus ''Aplexa'' include: * ''

Aplexa atava ''Aplexa'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae. Shell description These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that a ...

'' White, 1877 * ''

Aplexa brevispirata ''Aplexa'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae. Shell description These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that a ...

'' (Cossmann, 1913) * ''

Aplexa disjuncta ''Aplexa'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae. Shell description These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that a ...

'' (White, 1879) * ''

Aplexa elongata ''Sibirenauta elongata'' is a species of gastropods belonging to the family Physidae Physidae, common name the bladder snails, is a monophyletic taxonomic family of small air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs ...

'' (Say, 1821) - the lance aplexa * ''

Aplexa gigantea ''Aplexa'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae. Shell description These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that a ...

'' (Michaud, 1837) * ''

Aplexa grasseti ''Aplexa'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae. Shell description These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that a ...

'' (Matheron, 1878) * ''

Aplexa heberti ''Aplexa'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae. Shell description These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that a ...

'' (Deshayes, 1863) * ''

Aplexa hypnorum ''Aplexa hypnorum'', or by the common name, the moss bladder snail, is a species of small air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae, a family which are sometimes known as the bladder snails ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) - the moss bladder snail * ''

Aplexa jaimei ''Aplexa'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae. Shell description These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that a ...

'' (Hermite, 1879) * ''

Aplexa kasekikabe ''Aplexa'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae. Shell description These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that a ...

'' (Isaji, 2010) * '' Aplexa macerata'' (Russell, 1937) * '' Aplexa militaria'' (Yen & Reeside, 1946) * '' Aplexa morrisonana'' (Yen & Reeside, 1946) * '' Aplexa praelonga'' (Matheron ex Heer, 1861) * '' Aplexa primigenia'' (Deshayes, 1863) * '' Aplexa prisca'' (Noulet, 1854) * '' Aplexa pseudogigantea'' (F. Sandberger, 1870) * '' Aplexa pulchella'' (A. d'Orbigny, 1850) * '' Aplexa ricei'' (Russell, 1957) * '' Aplexa rivalis'' (Maton & Rackett, 1807) * '' Aplexa subelongata'' (Meek & Hayden, 1856) * '' Aplexa subhypnorum'' (Gottschick, 1920)

Shell description

Species

References

Further reading