''Vespericola'' is a genus of 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 ...

s, terrestrial

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 ...

mollusc 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 esti ...

s in the family Polygyridae.

Habitat

These snails are found along the Pacific Coast of North America, from southern Alaska and British Columbia to California.

Shell description

The shells of these small to medium, globose or depressed globose snails are usually some shade of brown, sometimes without apertural teeth and sometimes with a single tooth on the parietal wall. Small periostracal hairs may be observed on the shell surface of many specimens, but the shells otherwise resemble those of ''

Praticolella ''Praticolella'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Polygyridae. This genus comprises about 15 species of small snails with semi-globose shells. Shell description The shells of th ...

'' or ''

Mesodon ''Mesodon'' is a genus of land snails in the family Polygyridae. Species Species within the genus ''Mesodon'' include:ITIS''Mesodon'' accessed 1 November 2008. * ''Mesodon altivagus'' (Pilsbry, 1900) – wandering globe * ''Mesodon andrew ...

''.Pilsbry, Henry A. 1940. ''Land Mollusca of North America (North of Mexico)''. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Monograph 3, vol. 1(2): 892-912.

Anatomy

According to

Pilsbry Henry Augustus Pilsbry (7 December 1862 – 26 October 1957) was an American biologist, malacologist and carcinologist, among other areas of study. He was a dominant presence in many fields of invertebrate taxonomy for the better part of a centu ...

(1940), ''Vespericola'' "differs from all other Polygyridae by the possession of a well-developed though rather short verge, and by the peculiar shape of the epiphallus".

Species

Species within the genus ''Vespericola'' include:
''Vespericola'' at ''ITIS'' (''Integrated Taxonomic Information System''); accessed 5 Feb. 2008. *'' Vespericola armigera'' (Ancey, 1881) - Santa Cruz hesperian *'' Vespericola columbiana'' (I. Lea, 1838) - northwest hesperian **'' Vespericola columbiana depressa'' (Pilsbry & Henderson, 1936) **'' Vespericola columbiana latilabrum'' Pilsbry, 1940 *'' Vespericola eritrichius'' (Berry, 1939) - velvet hesperian *'' Vespericola hapla'' (Berry, 1933) - Butte Creek hesperian *'' Vespericola karokorum'' Talmadge, 1962 - Karok hesperian *'' Vespericola klamathicus'' Roth & W. B. Miller, 1995 - Klamath hesperia *'' Vespericola marinensis'' Roth & W. B. Miller, 1993 - Marin hesperian *'' Vespericola megasoma'' (Pilsbry, 1928) - redwood hesperian *'' Vespericola megasoma euthales'' (Berry, 1939) *'' Vespericola oria'' (Berry, 1933) - El Dorado hesperian *''

Vespericola pilosa ''Vespericola'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Polygyridae. Habitat These snails are found along the Pacific Coast of North America, from southern Alaska and British Columbia ...

'' (Henderson, 1928) - brushfield hesperian *''

Vespericola pinicola ''Vespericola'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Polygyridae. Habitat These snails are found along the Pacific Coast of North America, from southern Alaska and British Columbia ...

'' (Berry, 1916) - Monterey hesperian *''

Vespericola pressleyi ''Vespericola'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Polygyridae. Habitat These snails are found along the Pacific Coast of North America, from southern Alaska and British Columbia ...

'' Roth, 1985 - Big Bar hesperian *''

Vespericola rothi ''Vespericola'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Polygyridae. Habitat These snails are found along the Pacific Coast of North America, from southern Alaska and British Columbia ...

'' Cordero & W. B. Miller, 1995 - Ellery Creek hesperian *''

Vespericola scotti ''Vespericola'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial animal, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Polygyridae. Habitat These snails are found along the Pacific Coast of North America, from southern Alaska and Br ...

'' Cordero & W. B. Miller, 1995 - Benson Gulch hesperian *'' Vespericola shasta'' (Berry, 1921) - Shasta hesperian *'' Vespericola sierrana'' (Berry, 1921) - Siskiyou hesperian

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3075689 Polygyridae Gastropod genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot