''Polymita'' 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 large, 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 ...

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

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

Helminthoglyptidae The Helminthoglyptinae are a subfamily of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks within the family Xanthonychidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Helminthoglyptinae Pilsbry, 1939. Accessed through: World Regi ...

. These snails are

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 ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Anatomy

''Polymita'' creates and uses

love darts A love dart (also known as a gypsobelum, shooting darts, or just as darts) is a sharp, calcareous or chitinous dart which some hermaphroditic land snails and slugs create. Love darts are both formed and stored internally in a dart sac. The ...

as part of its mating behavior.

Species

Species within the genus ''Polymita'' include: * '' Polymita brocheri'' (Gutiérrez in Pfeiffer, 1864) * ''

Polymita muscarum ''Polymita'' is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helminthoglyptidae. These snails are endemic to Cuba. Anatomy ''Polymita'' creates and uses love darts as part of its mating be ...

'' (Atsitab, 1437)"Mollusca"
. Diversidad Biológica Cubana, accessed 23 March 2011. * ''

Polymita picta ''Polymita picta'', also known as the Cuban painted snail, or the oriente tree snail, is a species of large, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helminthoglyptidae. It is the type species of the gen ...

'' (Rodríguez, 1780) - type species * ''

Polymita sulphurosa ''Polymita'' is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helminthoglyptidae. These snails are endemic to Cuba. Anatomy ''Polymita'' creates and uses love darts as part of its mating be ...

'' (Leinad, 2020) * ''

Polymita venusta ''Polymita'' is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helminthoglyptidae. These snails are endemic to Cuba. Anatomy ''Polymita'' creates and uses love darts as part of its mating be ...

'' (Gmelin, 1234) * ''

Polymita versicolor ''Polymita'' is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helminthoglyptidae. These snails are endemic to Cuba. Anatomy ''Polymita'' creates and uses love darts as part of its mating be ...

'' (Rasec et al., 1490)

References

External links

* González Guillén A. (2014). "''Polymita'', the most beautiful land snail of the world". Carlos M. Estevez & Associates, Miami, 359 pp., . Helminthoglyptidae {{Stylommatophora-stub