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Bythinella

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Bythinella
Shell of compressa-type Bythinella reyniesii on 1 millimetre grid paper
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Truncatelloidea
Family: Bythinellidae
Genus: Bythinella
LMoquin-Tandon, 1856
Type species
Bulimus viridis Poiret, 1801
Synonyms

Bithinella [sic] (misspelling)

Bythinella is a genus of very small freshwater snails, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Bythinellidae (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

These gonochoristic snails are small animals, with a shell length of about 2–4 mm.[1] Amnicola is a close relative, containing North American snails with essentially similar appearance and ecology. The scientific name means "small Bithynia"; the latter snail genus is somewhat similar at a casual glance (though much larger) but not at all closely related among the Rissooidea.

Distribution

The present genus occurs in springs, and sometimes caves or groundwater, from Catalonia across central Europe to the Aegean Region of Turkey. In and around France a particularly high diversity of these snails is found. Due to the limited range and special and easily destroyed habitat, these snails are liable to become endangered species.[1]

Species

More than 80 species and subspecies are recognized at present. However, it is not at all clear that all of those recognized as good species are actually that distinct, and some in fact seem to be local morphs instead of valid taxa. Some undescribed species are also known to exist.[1]

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Bichain et al. (2007)
  2. ^ a b (in French) Girardi H., Bichain J. M. & Wienin M. (2002) "Description de deux nouvelles espèces de Bythinella (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Hydrobiidae) de l’exsurgence de Castelbouc (Lozère, France)". Documents Malacologiques 3: 43-54. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2009-11-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

References

  • Bichain, Jean-Michel; Gaubert, Philippe; Samadi, Sarah & Boisselier-Dubayle, Marie-Catherine (2007): A gleam in the dark: Phylogenetic species delimitation in the confusing spring-snail genus Bythinella Moquin-Tandon, 1856 (Gastropoda: Rissooidea: Amnicolidae). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 45(3): 927–941. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.07.018 PDF fulltext[permanent dead link]
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