''Gundlachia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of minute

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks that 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 t ...

s or

limpet Limpets are a group of aquatic snails with a conical gastropod shell, shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. This general category of conical shell is known as "patelliform" (dish-shaped). Existing within the class Gastropoda, ...

aquatic Aquatic means relating to water; living in or near water or taking place in water; does not include groundwater, as "aquatic" implies an environment where plants and animals live. Aquatic(s) may also refer to: * Aquatic animal, either vertebrate ...

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 inclu ...

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Planorbidae Planorbidae, common name the ramshorn snails or ram's horn snails, is a family (biology), family of air-breathing freshwater snails, Aquatic animal, aquatic pulmonate gastropod Mollusca, molluscs. Unlike most molluscs, the blood of ram's horn sn ...

, the ram's horn snails and their allies. The generic name is in honor of Cuban naturalist

Juan Gundlach Juan Cristóbal Gundlach (July 17, 1810 - March 14, 1896) was a German-Cuban naturalist and taxonomist. Biography Gundlach graduated from Marburg University, where his father was professor of physics, as Doctor of Philosophy in 1837. In 1839, h ...

(1810-1896).

Anatomy

These animals have a pallial lung, as do all pulmonate snails, but they also have a false gill or "pseudobranch". This serves as a

gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

as, in their non-tidal habitat, these limpets never reach the surface for air.

Distribution

They have a worldwide distribution.

Species

Species within the genus ''Gundlachia'' include:Silvana C Thiengo, Aline C Mattos, M Fernanda Boaventura, Márcio S Loureiro, Sonia B Santos, Monica A Fernandez. (August) 2004
''Freshwater Snails and Schistosomiasis Mansoni in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: V - Norte Fluminense Mesoregion''
Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Vol. 99, Suppl. 1, pp. 99-103 * ''Gundlachia bakeri''

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 cent ...

, 1913 * ''Gundlachia leucaspis'' (Ancey, 1901) * ''Gundlachia lucasi''

Suter Suter is a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Alexis P. Suter (born 1963), American blues, and soul blues singer and songwriter * Andrew Burn Suter (1830–1895), Bishop of the Diocese of Nelson, New Zealand * Andrina Suter (bor ...

, 1905 * ''Gundlachia lutzi''

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

, 1925 * ''Gundlachia meehiana'' Stimpson * '' Gundlachia radiata'' (Guilding, 1828) * '' Gundlachia ticaga'' (Marcus & Marcus, 1962) Synonyms: * ''Gundlachia neozelanica'' Suter, 1905 is a synonym for '' Ferrissia neozelanicus'' (Suter, 1905) * ''Gundlachia moricandi'' (d'Orbigny, 1837) is a synonym for ''Hebetancylus moricandi'' (d'Orbigny, 1837) * ''Gundlachia concentrica'' (d’Orbigny, 1835) is a synonym for '' Uncancylus concentricus'' (d'Orbigny, 1835)

References

{{Authority control Planorbidae Gastropod genera Taxa named by Juan Gundlach