''Physa'' 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 subfamily Physinae of the family
Physidae
Physidae, common name the bladder snails, is a monophyletic taxonomic family of small air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Lymnaeoidea .MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Physidae Fitzin ...
.
[MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Physa Draparnaud, 1801. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=181551 on 2021-06-26]
These snails eat
alga
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mi ...
e,
diatom
A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group comprising sev ...
s and detritus.
Anatomy
Members of the freshwater pulmonate family
Physidae
Physidae, common name the bladder snails, is a monophyletic taxonomic family of small air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Lymnaeoidea .MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Physidae Fitzin ...
possess a complex of muscles that is unique amongst gastropods. This complex was given the name "physid musculature". The physid musculature has two main components, the physid muscle ''sensu stricto'' and the fan muscle. The physid musculature is responsible for a unique ability of physids to rapidly flick their shells from side to side — a reaction that frequently enables them to escape predation.
Shell description
These small snails, like all the species in the family Physidae, have
shells that are sinistral, which means that when the shell is held with the spire pointing up and the aperture facing the viewer, then the aperture is on the left-hand side.
The shells of ''Physa'' 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 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 include:
* † ''
Physa aplexoides''
Yen, 1969
* ''
Physa arachleica''
Starobogatov & Prozorova, 1989
* † ''
Physa aravanica'' Zharnyl'skaya, 1965
* ''
Physa aridi
''Physa aridi'' is a fossil species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an extinct aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae. This species has a small, left-handed (or sinistral) shell, as is always the case in this family. ...
''
Mezzalira, 1974 - fossil from Brazil
[Simone L. R. L. & Mezzalira S. (1994). "Fossil Molluscs of Brazil". '' Boletim do Instituto Geológico'' 11: 1–202.]
* † ''
Physa bacca''
Pan & Zhu, 2007 †
* † ''
Physa beijiangensis''
W. Yü & X.-Q. Zhang, 1982 †
* † ''
Physa boreaui''
Coquand, 1860
* † ''
Physa bullatula''
White, 1886
* † ''
Physa canadensis''
Whiteaves, 1885
* † ''
Physa carletoni''
Meek, 1873
* † ''
Physa cenomanensis''
Repelin, 1902
* † ''
Physa cepedaensis''
Perrilliat & Vega in Perrilliat et al., 2008
* † ''
Physa changleensis''
Youluo, 1978
* † ''
Physa changzhouensis''
W. Yü, 1977
* ''
Physa chippevarum''
(Taylor, 2003)
* ''
Physa clarkei''
Ingersoll, 1875
* † ''
Physa cokevillensis''
Yen, 1954
* † ''
Physa conispira''
Yen & Reeside, 1946
* † ''
Physa copei''
White, 1877
* ''
Physa dalmatina''
Küster, 1844
* † ''
Physa debilula''
Gu in Gu & Wang, 1989
* † ''
Physa delecta''
Nicolas, 1891 †
* † ''
Physa doeringi''
Doello-Jurado, 1927
* † ''
Physa doliolum''
Matheron, 1843
* † ''
Physa felix''
White, 1878
* ''
Physa fontinalis
''Physa fontinalis'', common name the common bladder snail, is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae. The shells of species in the genus ''Physa'' are left-handed or sinistral.
Desc ...
''
(Linnaeus, 1758) - Fountain bladder snail - type species
* † ''
Physa fuxinensis''
X.-H. Yu, 1987
* † ''
Physa galei''
Russell, 1926
* † ''
Physa galloprovincialis''
Matheron, 1843
* † ''
Physa gaoyouensis''
W. Yü, 1977
* † ''
Physa gardanensis''
Matheron, 1843
* † ''
Physa globosa''
Yen, 1954
* † ''
Physa gracilis''
Nicolas, 1891
* ''
Physa hankensis''
Starobogatov & Prozorova, 1989
* † ''
Physa jingangkouensis''
H.-Z. Pan, 1983
* † ''
Physa kanabensis''
White, 1876
* † ''
Physa lacryma''
F. Sandberger, 1871
* † ''
Physa lacteana''
Russell, 1935
* † ''
Physa liaoxiensis''
X.-H. Yu, 1987
* † ''
Physa longiuscula''
Meek & Hayden, 1856
* ''
Physa megalochlamys''
Taylor, 1988 - Cloaked physa
* ''
Physa meneghinii''
Sacco, 1886 †
* ''
Physa mezzalirai
''Physa mezzalirai'' is a fossil species of extinct air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae. This species has a small and left-handed (or sinistral) shell, as is always the case in this f ...
''
Ghilardi, Carbonaro & Simone, 2011 - fossil from Brazil
[Ghilardi R. P., Carbonaro F. A. & Simone L. R. L. (2011). "''Physa mezzalirai'', a new cretaceous basommatophoran from Adamantina formation, Brazil". ''Strombus'' 18(1-2): 1-14]
abstract
* † ''
Physa michaudii''
Matheron, 1843
* † ''
Physa micra''
Yen & Reeside, 1946
* † ''
Physa minima''
Repelin, 1902
* † ''
Physa miqueli''
Caziot, 1905
* ''
Physa mirollii''
Taylor, 2003
* † ''
Physa montanensis''
Yen, 1951
* † ''
Physa naucatica''
Zharnyl'skaya, 1965
* † ''
Physa nebrascensis''
Meek & Hayden, 1856
* † ''
Physa nisidai''
Suzuki, 1941
* † ''
Physa nucleus''
Repelin, 1902
* † ''
Physa obtusiconica''
X.-H. Yu, 1987
* †''
Physa orientalis''
G.-X. Zhu, 1980
* † ''
Physa paravitimensis''
G.-X. Zhu, 1980
* † ''
Physa patula''
Nicolas, 1891
* † ''
Physa pijiagouensis''
X.-H. Yu, 1987
* ''
Physa pumilia''
Conrad, 1834
* † ''
Physa pygmaea''
Nicolas, 1891
* †''
Physa rhomboidea''
Meek & Hayden, 1856
* † ''
Physa ringentis''
Youluo, 1978
* † ''
Physa saxarubrensis''
Russell, 1957
* † ''
Physa secalina''
Evans & Shumard, 1856
* † ''
Physa shakengensis''
W. Yü & X.-Q. Zhang, 1982
* † ''
Physa shandongensis''
H.-Z. Pan, 1983
* † ''
Physa shantungensis''
Yen, 1969
* † ''
Physa simeyrolsensis''
Repelin, 1902
* † ''
Physa sinensis''
Yen, 1969
* ''
Physa skinneri''
Taylor, 1954
* ''
Physa streletzkajae''
Starobogatov & Budnikova, 1967
* † ''
Physa subacuta''
Benoist, 1873
* † ''
Physa subcylindrica''
Repelin, 1902
* ''
Physa taslei
''Physa'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Physinae of the family Physidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Physa Draparnaud, 1801. Ac ...
''
Bourguignat, 1860
* † ''
Physa tenuicostata''
H.-J. Wang, 1982
* † ''
Physa usitata''
White, 1895
* ''
Physa vernalis''
Taylor et Jokinen, 1984
* † ''
Physa walcotti''
Yen & Reeside, 1946
* † ''
Physa wealdiana''
Coquand, 1856
* † ''
Physa wichmanni''
Parodiz, 1961
* † ''
Physa zhuoxianensis''
Yü & Pan, 1982
* ''Physa'' sp.,
Lake Winnipeg Physa, lives in
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
in Canada. It was classified as endangered by
COSEWIC. COSEWIC recommendation has been forwarded to the
Minister of the Environment of Canada and a decision for listing at the
List of Wildlife Species at Risk
The List of Wildlife Species at Risk currently has more than 800 entries for Canadian wild life species considered vulnerable; including 363 classified as endangered species, —190 threatened species, —235 special concern, and 22 extirpated ...
of the Canadian
Species at Risk Act
The ''Species at Risk Act'' (SARA) (the ''Act'') is a piece of Canadian federal legislation which became law in Canada on December 12, 2002. It is designed to meet one of Canada's key commitments under the International Convention on Biological D ...
was pending in 2005.
;Synonyms:
* ''Physa acuta''
Draparnaud, 1805, ''Physa heterostropha''
(Say, 1817), ''Physa integra''
(Haldeman, 1841) and ''Physa natricina''
Taylor, 1988 are synonyms of ''
Physella acuta
''Physella acuta'' is a species of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae. Common names include European physa, tadpole snail, bladder snail, and acute bladder snail ...
'' (Draparnaud, 1805)
* ''Physa ancillaria''
(Say, 1825) - Pumpkin Physa:
["''Physella''". ]NatureServe
NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and the public. Nat ...
Explorer, accessed 9 April 2010. synonym of ''
Physella ancillaria
''Physella'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae.
These snails eat algae, diatoms and other detritus.
Shell description
Snails in the fami ...
'' (Say, 1825) (original combination)
* ''Physa carolinae''
Wethington, Wise & Dillon, 2009: synonym of ''
Physella carolinae''
(Wethington, Wise & Dillon, 2009)
* ''Physa concolor''
Haldeman, 1841: synonym of ''
Physella gyrina''
(Say, 1821)
* ''Physa columbiana''
(Hemphill, 1890) is a synonym for ''
Physella columbiana
''Physella'' is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae.
These snails eat algae, diatoms and other detritus.
Shell description
Snails in the fami ...
''
(Hemphill, 1890)
* ''Physa gyrina''
(Say, 1821) is a synonym for ''
Physella gyrina''
(Say, 1821)
* ''Physa hordacea''
(I. Lea, 1864): synonym of ''
Physella hordacea''
(I. Lea, 1864)
* ''Physa jennessi''
Dall, 1919: synonym of ''
Beringophysa jennessi''
(Dall, 1919)
* ''Physa lordi''
(Baird, 1863): synonym of ''
Physella lordi''
(Baird, 1863)
* ''Physa marmorata''
Guilding, 1828 - synonyms: ''Physa mosambiquensis'' Clessin, 1886 and ''Physa waterloti'':
[Appleton C. C. & Dana P. (2005). "Re-examination of ''Physa mosambiquensis'' Clessin, 1886 and its relationship with other Aplexinae (Pulmonata: Physidae) reported from Africa". '']African Invertebrates
''African Invertebrates'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal that covers the taxonomy, systematics, biogeography, ecology, conservation, and palaeontology of Afrotropical invertebrates, whether terrestrial, freshwater, or marine. I ...
'' 46: 71-83
abstract
synonym of ''
Stenophysa marmorata
''Stenophysa marmorata'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Stenophysa marmorata (Guilding, 1828). Accessed through: World Register of Mar ...
''
(Guilding, 1828)
* ''Physa natricina''
Taylor, 1988: synonym of ''
Physella natricina''
(D. W. Taylor, 1988)
* ''Physa nuttalli''
I. Lea, 1864: synonym of ''
Physella gyrina''
(Say, 1821)
* ''Physa propingua''
(Tryon, 1865): synonym of ''
Physella propinqua''
(Tryon, 1865)
* ''Physa sibirica''
Westerlund, 1876: synonym of ''
Sibirenauta sibirica''
(Westerlund, 1876)
References
* Janus, Horst, 1965. ‘’The young specialist looks at land and freshwater molluscs’’, Burke, London
External links
* http://www.animalbase.uni-goettingen.de/zooweb/servlet/AnimalBase/list/species?taxongenus=301
* Dillon R. T., Wethington A. R. & Lydeard C. (2011). "The evolution of reproductive isolation in a simultaneous hermaphrodite, the freshwater snail ''Physa''". ''
BMC Evolutionary Biology
''BMC Ecology and Evolution'' (since January 2021), previously ''BMC Evolutionary Biology'' (2001–2020), is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal covering all fields of evolutionary biology, including phylogenetics and palaeontology. It ...
'' 11: 144. .
{{Commons category
Physidae