''Ecrobia'' 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 very small aquatic

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...

operculate The operculum (; ) is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure like a trapdoor that exists in many (but not all) groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails; the structure is found in some marine and ...

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 ...

Hydrobiidae Hydrobiidae, commonly known as mud snails, is a large cosmopolitan family of very small freshwater and brackish water snails with an operculum; they are in the order Littorinimorpha. Distribution Hydrobiidae are found in much of the world, ...

Species

Species within the genus ''Ecrobia'' include: * ''

Ecrobia grimmi ''Ecrobia'' is a genus of very small aquatic snails, operculate gastropod mollusks in the family Hydrobiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Ecrobia'' include: * '' Ecrobia grimmi'' (Clessin & Dybowski, 1888) * '' Ecrobia maritima'' (Milasc ...

'' ( Clessin & Dybowski, 1888) * ''

Ecrobia maritima ''Ecrobia maritima'' is a species of very small aquatic snail, an operculate gastropod mollusk in the family Hydrobiidae. Description The size of an adult shell reaches 4 mm. Distribution ''Ecrobia maritima'' live in Pomorie Lake, a hy ...

'' (Milaschewitsch, 1916) * ''

Ecrobia truncata ''Ecrobia truncata'', common name the truncated marsh hydrobia or minute hydrobia, is a species of very small aquatic snail, an operculate gastropod mollusk in the family Hydrobiidae. Distribution This species can be found along the coasts of V ...

'' ( Vanatta, 1924) * ''

Ecrobia ventrosa ''Ecrobia ventrosa'', common name spire snail, is a European species of small brackish water snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Hydrobiidae. Distribution This species occurs on the coasts of: * Ice ...

'' ( Montagu, 1803) ;Species brought into synonymy: * ''Ecrobia pontieuxini'' (Radoman, 1973): synonym of ''Ecrobia maritima'' (Milaschewitsch, 1916)

Taxonomy

Davis et al. (1989: 341-342, 347) suggested that the North American ''Hydrobia truncata'' (Vanatta, 1924), the type species of ''Ecrobia'', was introduced from Europe and would then possibly be a synonym of ''Hydrobia ventrosa'' which is representative of ''

Ventrosia ''Ecrobia'' is a genus of very small aquatic snails, operculate gastropod mollusks in the family Hydrobiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Ecrobia'' include: * '' Ecrobia grimmi'' (Clessin Stefan Clessin (13 November 1833, Würzburg – 2 ...

'' Radoman, 1977. Even if the species are considered as separate, they are to be considered congeneric and therefore the older name ''Ecrobia'' must be given preference over ''Ventrosia''. Haase et al. (2010) use ''Ecrobia'' as valid genus.

References

* de Kluijver, M.J.; Ingalsuo, S.S.; de Bruyne, R.H. (2000). ''Macrobenthos of the North Sea'' D-ROM 1. Keys to Mollusca and Brachiopoda. World Biodiversity Database CD-ROM Series. Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification (ETI): Amsterdam, The Netherlands. . 1 cd-rom pp * Rolán E., 2005. ''Malacological Fauna From The Cape Verde Archipelago. Part 1, Polyplacophora and Gastropoda''.

External links

Oliverio, Marco (2006). ''Gastropoda Prosobranchia Caenogastropoda'', in: Revisione della Checklist della fauna marina Italiana
Hydrobiidae {{Hydrobiidae-stub