''Potamolithus'' 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
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 that have an
operculum,
aquatic 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
Tateidae
Tateidae is a family of very small and minute aquatic snails with an operculum, gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Truncatelloidea.Bouchet, P. (2014). Tateidae Thiele, 1925. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.ma ...
.
[Davis G. M. & Pons da Silva M. C. (1984). "''Potamolithus'': morphology, convergence, and relationships among hydrobioid snails". '']Malacologia
''Malacologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of malacology, the study of mollusks. The journal publishes articles in the fields of molluscan systematics, ecology, population ecology, genetics, molecular genetics, evolution, an ...
'' 25
73
108.[Bouchet, P. (2014). Potamolithus Pilsbry, 1896. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=724574 on 2014-07-29]
''Potamolithus'' was traditionally classified within the Hydrobiidae.
However, anatomical study of ''Potamolithus'' by Davis & Pons da Silva (1984)
showed its relationship with ''
Lithoglyphus'',
and it is then placed within the family Lithoglyphidae.
The first appearance of the name ''Potamolithus'' was in November 1896 as a
nomen nudum
In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate descr ...
(a bare name with no description or illustration).
[Lopez Armengol M. F. & Mancefiido M. O. (1992). "Case 2801. ''Potamolithus'' Pilsbry, 1896 (Mollusca, Gastropoda): proposed confirmation of ''P. rushii'' Pilsbry, 1896 as the type species". '']Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries.
Orga ...
'' 49(2)
109
The genus was formally defined by Pilsbry in December 1896.
Distribution
''Potamolithus'' is the only genus of the family Tateidae in South America. Distribution of ''Potamolithus'' includes
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
(22 species, 11 species are endemic to Argentina),
[Rumi A., Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V. & Darrigran G. A. (2008). "Malacología Latinoamericana. Moluscos de agua dulce de Argentina". '' Revista de Biología Tropical'' 56(1): 77-111]
HTM
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
(17 species)
[ Scarabino F. (2004). "Lista sistemática de los Gastropoda dulciacuícolas vivientes de Uruguay". '']Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay
Comunicaciones Fútbol Club S.A., better known as Comunicaciones F.C. or Comunicaciones, are a football club based in Guatemala City. They compete in the Liga Nacional, the top tier of Guatemalan football. The most popular and successful footba ...
'' 8(84–85/86–87): 347-355
PDF
. and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
''Potamolithus'' is the largest genus (i.e. the one with the highest
species richness
Species richness is the number of different species represented in an ecological community, landscape or region. Species richness is simply a count of species, and it does not take into account the abundances of the species or their relative a ...
) of recent freshwater snails in Argentina
and in Uruguay.
Species
Species within the genus ''Potamolithus'' include:
* ''
Potamolithus agapetus'' Pilsbry, 1911
[Rumi A., Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V., César I. I., Roche M. A., Tassara M. P., Martín S. M. & Armengol M. F. L. (2006). "Freshwater Gastropoda from Argentina: Species Richness, Distribution Patterns, and an Evaluation of Endangered Species". '']Malacologia
''Malacologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of malacology, the study of mollusks. The journal publishes articles in the fields of molluscan systematics, ecology, population ecology, genetics, molecular genetics, evolution, an ...
'' 49(1): 189-208.
table
[Pilsbry H. A. (1911). "Non-marine Mollusca of Patagonia". In: Scott W. B. (ed.) ''Reports of the Princeton University Expedition to Patagonia 1896–1899'' 3]
513
633. ''Potamolithus'' is on page
566
602, plate
38
41.[Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V., Rumi A. & Roche M. A. (2006). "Freshwater gastropods from del Plata basin, Argentina. Checklist and new locality records". '']Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay
Comunicaciones Fútbol Club S.A., better known as Comunicaciones F.C. or Comunicaciones, are a football club based in Guatemala City. They compete in the Liga Nacional, the top tier of Guatemalan football. The most popular and successful footba ...
'' 9(89): 51-60
PDF
* ''
Potamolithus bushii
''Potamolithus'' is a genus of small freshwater snails that have an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Tateidae.Davis G. M. & Pons da Silva M. C. (1984). "''Potamolithus'': morphology, convergence, and relationships among hydr ...
'' (Frauenfeld, 1865)
* ''
Potamolithus callosus
''Potamolithus'' is a genus of small freshwater snails that have an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Tateidae.Davis G. M. & Pons da Silva M. C. (1984). "''Potamolithus'': morphology, convergence, and relationships among hydr ...
'' Pilsbry, 1925
* ''
Potamolithus carinifer
''Potamolithus'' is a genus of small freshwater snails that have an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Tateidae.Davis G. M. & Pons da Silva M. C. (1984). "''Potamolithus'': morphology, convergence, and relationships among hydr ...
'' Pilsbry, 1911
* ''
Potamolithus catharinae'' Pilsbry, 1911
* ''
Potamolithus concordianus'' Parodiz, 1966
* ''
Potamolithus conicus'' (Brot, 1867)
* ''
Potamolithus dinochilus'' Pilsbry, 1896
* ''
Potamolithus doeringi'' Pilsbry, 1911
* ''
Potamolithus felipponei'' Ihering, 1910
* ''
Potamolithus hidalgoi'' Pilsbry, 1896
- synonyms: ''Potamolithus microthauma'' Pilsbry, 1896; ''Potamolithus dinochilus'' Pilsbry, 1896; ''Potamolithus hatcheri'' Pilsbry, 1911
* ''
Potamolithus iheringi'' Pilsbry, 1896
* ''
Potamolithus karsticus'' Simone & Moracchioli, 1994
* ''
Potamolithus lapidum'' (d'Orbigny, 1835)
- synonyms: ''Potamolithus lapidum supersulcatus'' Pilsbry, 1896; ''Potamolithus paysanduanus'' Ihering, 1910; ''Potamolithus lapidum'' var. ''elatior'' Pilsbry, 1911; ''Potamolithus callosus'' Pilsbry, 1926
* ''
Potamolithus microthauma'' Pilsbry, 1896
* ''
Potamolithus orbignyi'' Pilsbry, 1896
* ''
Potamolithus paranensis'' Pilsbry, 1911
* ''
Potamolithus peristomatus'' (d'Orbigny, 1835)
* ''
Potamolithus petitianus'' (d'Orbigny, 1840)
** ''Potamolithus petitianus sykesii'' Pilsbry, 1896 - synonyms: ''Potamolithus bisinuatus bisinuatus'' Pilsbry, 1896; ''Potamolithus bisinuatus obsoletus'' Pilsbry, 1896; ''Potamolithus gracilis gracilis'' Pilsbry, 1896; ''Potamolithus gracilis viridis'' Pilsbry, 1896
* ''
Potamolithus philipianus'' Pilsbry, 1911
* ''
Potamolithus quadratus'' Pilsbry & Ihering, 1911
* ''
Potamolithus rushii
''Potamolithus rushii'' is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Lithoglyphidae.
''Potamolithus rushii'' is the type species of the genus ''Potamolithus''.
The specific name ''rushii'' is ...
'' Pilsbry, 1896
- type genus
* ''
Potamolithus ribeirensis'' Pilsbry, 1911
[Bichuette M. E. & Trajano E. (2003). "A population study of epigean and subterranean ''Potamolithus'' snails from southeast Brazil (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)". '']Hydrobiologia
''Hydrobiologia'', ''The International Journal of Aquatic Sciences'', is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing 21 issues per year, for a total of well over 4000 pages per year. ''Hydrobiologia'' publishes original research, reviews and opi ...
'' 505: 107-117
abstract
PDF
* ''
Potamolithus simplex'' Pilsbry, 1911
* ''
Potamolithus tricostatus'' (Brot, 1867)
* ''
Potamolithus troglobius'' Simone & Moracchioli, 1994
* ''
Potamolithus valchetensis'' Miquel, 1998
Ecology
''Potamolithus'' species live in streams. Some species are
subterranean
Subterranean(s) or The Subterranean(s) may refer to:
* Subterranea (geography), underground structures, both natural and man-made
Literature
* ''Subterranean'' (novel), a 1998 novel by James Rollins
* ''Subterranean Magazine'', an American fa ...
, living in caves (for example ''
Potamolithus troglobius'' and ''
Potamolithus karsticus'').
References
Further reading
* Bichuette M. E. (1998). "Distribuição e biologia de gastrópodes de água doce, gênero ''Potamolithus'', no Vale do Alto Ribeira, São Paulo (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)". M. Sc. Thesis – Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil. 127 pp.
* López Armengol M. F. (1985). "Estudio sistemaco y bioecológico del género ''Potamolithus'' (Hydrobiidae) utilizando técnicas de taxonomía numérica Tesis Doctoral (N°. 455)". Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
* López Armengol M. F. & Darrigran G. (1998). "Distribución del género neotropical ''Potamolithus'' Pilsbry & Rush, 1896 (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) en el estuario del Río de la Plata". ''Iberus'' 16: 267-274.
* Parodiz J. J. (1965). "Relaciones y evidencias paleontológicas de ''Potamolithus''". ''
Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay
Comunicaciones Fútbol Club S.A., better known as Comunicaciones F.C. or Comunicaciones, are a football club based in Guatemala City. They compete in the Liga Nacional, the top tier of Guatemalan football. The most popular and successful footba ...
'' 1: 273-278.
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7234645
Tateidae