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Physella

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Physella
A live individual of Physella acuta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Superorder: Hygrophila
Family: Physidae
Tribe: Physellini
Genus: Physella
Haldeman, 1842[1]

Physella is a genus of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Physidae.

These snails eat algae, diatoms and other detritus.

Shell description

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Snails in the family Physidae have shells that are sinistral, which means that if the shell is held with the spire pointing up and the aperture facing the observer, the aperture is on the left-hand side.

The shells of Physella species have a long and large aperture, a pointed spire, and no operculum. The shells are thin and corneous and rather transparent.

Species

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Species in the genus include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Haldeman, S. S. 1842-1847. A monograph of the freshwater univalve Mollusca of the United States, including notices of species in other parts of North America. pp. [9 parts], [40 plates]. Philadelphia.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Physella". NatureServe Explorer, accessed 9 April 2010.
  3. ^ Dillon R. T., Wethington A. R., Rhett J. M. & Smith T. P. (2002). "Populations of the European freshwater pulmonate Physa acuta are not reproductively isolated from American Physa heterostopha or Physa integra". Invertebrate Biology 121: 226-234.
  4. ^ (2004) Visaya 1(2).