''Gundlachia'' 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 minute

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 or

limpet Limpets are a group of aquatic snails that exhibit a conical shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. Limpets are members of the class Gastropoda, but are polyphyletic, meaning the various groups called "limpets" descended indep ...

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 Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Planorbidae Planorbidae, common name the ramshorn snails or ram's horn snails, is a family of air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs. Unlike most molluscs, the blood of ram's horn snails contains iron-based hemoglobin instea ...

, the ram's horn snails and their allies. The generic name is in honor of Cuban naturalist

Juan Gundlach Juan Cristóbal Gundlach (17 July 1810 in Marburg – 14 March 1896 in Havana), born Johannes Christoph Gundlach was a Cuban naturalist and taxonomist. Biography Gundlach graduated from Marburg University, where his father was professor of phys ...

(1810-1896).

Anatomy

These animals have a pallial lung, as do all pulmonate snails, but they also have a false gill or "pseudobranch". This serves as a

gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

as, in their non-tidal habitat, these limpets never reach the surface for air.

Distribution

They have a worldwide distribution.

Species

Species within the genus ''Gundlachia'' include:Silvana C Thiengo, Aline C Mattos, M Fernanda Boaventura, Márcio S Loureiro, Sonia B Santos, Monica A Fernandez. (August) 2004
''Freshwater Snails and Schistosomiasis Mansoni in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: V - Norte Fluminense Mesoregion''
Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Vol. 99, Suppl. 1, pp. 99-103 * ''Gundlachia bakeri''

Pilsbry Henry Augustus Pilsbry (7 December 1862 – 26 October 1957) was an American biologist, malacologist and carcinologist, among other areas of study. He was a dominant presence in many fields of invertebrate taxonomy for the better part of a centu ...

, 1913 * ''Gundlachia leucaspis'' (Ancey, 1901) * ''Gundlachia lucasi'' Suter, 1905 * ''Gundlachia lutzi''

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

, 1925 * ''Gundlachia meehiana'' Stimpson * '' Gundlachia radiata'' (Guilding, 1828) * '' Gundlachia ticaga'' (Marcus & Marcus, 1962) Synonyms: * ''Gundlachia neozelanica'' Suter, 1905 is a synonym for '' Ferrissia neozelanicus'' (Suter, 1905) * ''Gundlachia moricandi'' (d'Orbigny, 1837) is a synonym for ''Hebetancylus moricandi'' (d'Orbigny, 1837) * ''Gundlachia concentrica'' (d’Orbigny, 1835) is a synonym for ''

Uncancylus concentricus ''Uncancylus concentricus'' is a species of small, freshwater, air-breathing limpet, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails and their allies. Distribution ''U. concentricus'' occurs in Costa Ri ...

'' (d'Orbigny, 1835)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q145936 Planorbidae Gastropod genera Taxa named by Juan Gundlach