''Euchondrus'' is a genus of very small air-breathing
land snail
A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as ...
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 ...
Enidae
Enidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Enidae B. B. Woodward, 1903 (1880). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies ...
.
Distribution
The snails in this genus are of
levantine Levantine may refer to:
* Anything pertaining to the Levant, the region centered around modern Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, including any person from the Levant
** Syria (region), corresponding to the modern countries of the Lev ...
distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel and Jordan.
Shell description
The gastropod shell of ''Euchondrus'' is 6.5–13 mm in height in '' Euchondrus parreyssi'', that has very variable size in ''Euchondrus''."Species summary for ''Euchondrus parreyssi''" AnimalBase, last modified 24 February 2009, accessed 7 September 2010. The shell is elongate with 5-7
whorls
A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs).
Whorls in nature
File:Photograph and axial plane floral d ...
This snail species lives in open habitats, under limestone rocks in the desert.
Three species of ''Euchondrus'' in the
Negev desert
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...
are noted for eating
lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.limestone rocks and slabs ( endolithic lichens). They disrupt and eat the limestone. Their grazing resulting in the weathering of the stones, and the subsequent formation of soil.Odling-Smee F. J., Laland K. N. & Feldman M. W. (2003). "Niche Construction: The Neglected Process in Evolution (MPB-37)". Princeton University Press. 468 pp HTM
PDF Chapter 1. page 7-8. They have a significant effect on the region: the total population of snails is estimated to process between 0.7 and 1.1 metric ton per hectare per year of limestone in the Negev desert.
Species
Species within the genus ''Euchondrus'' include:
* ''
Euchondrus albulus
''Euchondrus'' is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Enidae.
Distribution
The snails in this genus are of levantine distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel ...
'' (Mousson, 1861)
* ''
Euchondrus borealis
''Euchondrus'' is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Enidae.
Distribution
The snails in this genus are of levantine distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel ...
'' (Mousson, 1874)"Species in genus ''Euchondrus''" =6AnimalBase, accessed 6 September 2010.
* ''
Euchondrus chondriformis
''Euchondrus'' is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Enidae.
Distribution
The snails in this genus are of levantine distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel ...
'' (Mousson, 1861) - type species
* ''
Euchondrus desertorum
''Euchondrus'' is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Enidae.
Distribution
The snails in this genus are of levantine distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel ...
'' Rochanab, 1981
* ''
Euchondrus ledereri
''Euchondrus'' is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Enidae.
Distribution
The snails in this genus are of levantine distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel ...
'' (L. Pfeiffer, 1868)
* ''
Euchondrus limbodentatus
''Euchondrus'' is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Enidae.
Distribution
The snails in this genus are of levantine distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel ...
'' (Mousson, 1854)
* ''
Euchondrus nucifragus
''Euchondrus'' is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, Terrestrial animal, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Enidae.
Distribution
The snails in this genus are of levant, levantine distribution, ...