''Melanopsis magnifica'' is a species of freshwater

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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

oases In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

and

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

s in Morocco.

Distribution and habitat

''Melanopsis magnifica'' exists mainly (though not exclusively) in shallow streams with stony substrates. It occurs in several localities, only three of which are recognized by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Berkane Berkane ( ber, translit=Berkane, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ) is a city in northeastern Morocco, in the tribal area of Aït Iznasen, limited by the Mediterranean to the north, the Kis river (Moroccan-Algerian border) and Oujda Province in the east, Nador ...

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

, and Ouadi Korifla in Morocco. It also occurs in Ain Chkef, Agourai, Oued Boufakrane, Ain Chair,

Ras Kebdana Ras Kebdana or Ras El Ma (Tarifit: Qabuyawa, ⵇⴰⴱⵓⵢⴰⵡⴰ; Arabic: رأس الماء) is a town in Nador Province, Oriental, Morocco. It is a seaport, is located in the province of Nador. According to the 2014 census, it has a popula ...

Meknes Meknes ( ar, مكناس, maknās, ; ber, ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas; french: Meknès) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th c ...

, etc. Known ''M. magnifica'' populations are close to urban areas and are prone to population impacts as a result of pollution and habitat modification.

Taxonomy

''Melanopsis magnifica'' is defined historically be several subspecies and forms, excluding the nominal forms: * ''Melanopsis magnifica berkanensis'' P.M. Pallary, 1911 * ''Melanopsis magnifica expansa'' P.M. Pallary, 1920 * ''Melanopsis magnifica ingens'' P.M. Pallary, 1927-28 * ''Melanopsis magnifica oranensis'' P.M. Pallary, 1911 * ''Melanopsis magnifica concolor'' P.M. Pallary, 1927 * ''Melanopsis magnifica serira'' P.M. Pallary, 1920 * ''Melanopsis magnifica senilis'' P.M. Pallary, 1939

References

Melanopsidae {{Melanopsidae-stub