Portal:Gastropods/Did you know/archive

Did you know? section on the Wikipedia Main Page has included interesting facts (aka "hooks") from the following gastropod-related articles. In addition some of the hooks listed were created specially for the Portal and did not appear as a Main Page DYK.

2011

a shell of Madagasikara johnsoni
... that nothing is known about the anatomy of the 7 cm long freshwater snail Madagasikara johnsoni (shell pictured)?

a shell of Madagasikara spinosa
... that Madagasikara spinosa (shell pictured) is the type species of the poorly known genus Madagasicara from Madagascar?

... that in the computer game Steg, an adult slug feeds young slugs with maggots caught in bubbles of slime?

... that there are at least 101 species of freshwater snails in Argentina?

... that there are at least 79 species of Recent non-marine molluscs in Malta?

a shell of Potamolithus rushii
... that Potamolithus (shell of Potamolithus rushii pictured) is the largest genus of recent freshwater snails in Uruguay?

... that there are no freshwater snails in the Thirlmere Lakes National Park?

... that the upthrust of Stark's Knob has been studied using snails between pillows?

a shell of Clappia cahabensis
... that both species of freshwater snails in the genus Clappia were thought to be extinct, but Clappia cahabensis (shell pictured) is believed to have survived?

drawing of two views of Cryptella canariensis
... that there are more species of semi-slugs (example pictured) than of slugs?

a shell of Chytra kirki
... that the freshwater snail Chytra kirki (shell pictured) from Lake Tanganyika is named after explorer John Kirk?

a live adult Limicolaria flammea
... that there has been a proposal for the urgent eradication of Limicolaria flammea (pictured) in Singapore?

shell of Lanistes ovum
... that the shell of Lanistes (pictured) appears to be sinistral, but the body is dextral?

shell of Afropomus balanoidea
... that Afropomus balanoidea (shell pictured) from Africa is the most primitive apple snail?

live Theba pisana
... that Theba pisana (pictured) is an invasive land snail?

... that undescribed alpine land snails such as Powelliphanta "Nelson Lakes" and Powelliphanta "Matakitaki" occur in the Braeburn Range?

live Cepaea nemoralis
... that the coloration of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis (pictured) has recently been the subject of a citizen science project in Europe?

two live Pseudofusulus varians
... that the land snail Pseudofusulus varians (pictured) is endangered in the whole of Europe?

statue of Spiridon Brusina
... that there is a statue of the Croatian malacologist Spiridon Brusina (pictured) in Zagreb?

1972 cover of The Nautilus
... that Henry Augustus Pilsbry edited The Nautilus (cover pictured) for 69 years?

... that the first freshwater snail from Antarctica was reported from the Meyer Desert Formation in 2003?

shell of Theodoxus fluviatilis
... that Theodoxus fluviatilis (shells pictured) can reach population density up to 6412 snails per m²?

shells of Theodoxus fluviatilis
... that Theodoxus (shells of Theodoxus fluviatilis pictured) are like humans in that they also have no cellulases?

... that Cesare Maria Tapparone-Canefri was an Italian malacologist of the 19th century?

apertural view of the shell of Radix natalensis
... that Radix natalensis (shell pictured) is a widespread freshwater snail in Africa?

... that the subulinid Euonyma laeocochlis from South Africa has not been collected for more than 100 years since its original description?

three views of the shell of Spelaeoconcha paganettii
... that the land snail Spelaeoconcha paganettii (shells pictured) is the only member of the family Spelaeoconchidae?

... that Haliotid herpesvirus 1 was described in 2010 and that it infects abalones?

apertural view of the shell of Pseudosuccinea columella
... that in Europe, the lymnaeid Pseudosuccinea columella (shell pictured) lives predominantly in greenhouses?

larva of Alecton discoidalis predation a snail Oleacina sp.
... that the larva of the Cuban endemic firefly Alecton discoidalis (pictured) attacks land snails, including carnivorous ones?

a live Trochulus oreinos
... that Trochulus oreinos (pictured) is endemic to Austria?

shell of Pleioptygma helenae
... that Pleioptygma helenae (shell pictured) is the only extant species in the familyPleioptygmatidae?

... that Terebrellidae is not a valid name?

... that Otina ovata has huge eyes, no tentacles, and is the only species in the family Otinidae?

shell of Cerithidea californica
... that at least 18 species of trematodes parasitically castrate California horn snails Cerithidea californica (shell pictured)?

The lantern bug Enchophora sanguinea
... that the snail Pittieria aurantiaca feeds off honeydew produced by Enchophora sanguinea (pictured), the first recorded trophobiotic interaction between an insect and a gastropod?

... that Lymnaeidae are of major medical and veterinary importance since they act as vectors of parasites?

Limacina antarctica
... that Limacina antarctica (pictured) is a keystone species in Antarctic pelagic ecosystems?

drawing of Limacina helicina
... that Limacina helicina (pictured) is a keystone species in Arctic pelagic ecosystems and that it is vulnerable to ocean acidification?

shell of Cerithidea decollata
... that Cerithidea decollata (shell pictured) is a sea snail that can foresee the future?

shells of Bolinus cornutus
... that a Tyrian purple dye can be extracted from the West African Horned Murex Bolinus cornutus (shell pictured)?

2010

live Deroceras laeve
... that the land slug Deroceras laeve (pictured) goes deliberately into water?

live Tethys fimbria
... that the sea slug Tethys fimbria (pictured) captures crustaceans, although it has no radula?

live Scutalus mariopenai
... that the orthalicid land snail Scutalus mariopenai (pictured) was described from Peru in 2010?

detail of Phyllodesmium rudmani
... that the nudibranch Phyllodesmium rudmani (cerata pictured) looks like the coral Xenia?

shell of Bullacta exarata
... that the Korean mud snail Bullacta exarata (shell pictured) is a commercially important sea snail in eastern China?

birch-tar
... that birch-tar oil (birch-tar pictured) is an effective repellent of gastropods?

... that the nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita is used to kill slug pests?

Laevaricella perlucens
... that the land snail Laevaricella perlucens (pictured) was figured for the first time 141 years after it was officially described?

shell of Achatina vassei
... that shells of Achatina vassei (pictured) are held by only two museums worldwide?

... that research on the acochlidians (Acochlidium fijiiensis pictured), a group of less than 30 species, resulted in the redefinition of the Heterobranchia, the largest clade of gastropods, and led to the creation of the new clades Euopisthobranchia and Panpulmonata in 2010?

... that the sea slug Aiteng ater feeds on insects?

... that the small white nudibranch Okenia felis (pictured) has so far only been observed in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California?

... that the slipper snail Crepidula fornicata is a sequential hermaphrodite, starting out male and then turning female?

... that the first troglobite slug was described in 1965?

Eobania vermiculata
... that land snail Eobania vermiculata (pictured) is collected for food in Mediterranean?

... that Napaeus barquini actively adds lichens to its shell as camouflage?

shell of Edentulina moreleti
... that Edentulina moreleti (shell pictured) is the only known herbivorous streptaxid?

shell of Careoradula perelegans
... that the streptaxid Careoradula perelegans (shell pictured) is the only known terrestrial gastropod which has no radula?

César Marie Félix Ancey
... that César Marie Félix Ancey (pictured) was a French conchologist?

... that the largest known species of land snail was Pebasiconcha immanis?

Bielzia coerulans
... that the blue Carpathian slug Bielzia coerulans (pictured) is brown when it is a juvenile?

Boettgerilla pallens
... that Boettgerilla pallens (pictured), originating in the Caucasus, has spread to almost all of Europe?

Wilhelm Dunker
... that the German geologist, paleontologist and zoologist Wilhelm Dunker (pictured) was one of the most important malacologists of his time?

shell of Staffordia daflaensis
... that the family Staffordiidae (shell of Staffordia daflaensis pictured) is endemic to Dafla Hills, India?

map of Cuba
... that 42 species of freshwater molluscs occur in Cuba (map pictured) and 94% of land snails are endemic there?

Amphibulima patula
... that the land snail Amphibulima patula (pictured) can be either orange-yellowish or brown?

Ovachlamys fulgens
... that the important orchid pest snail Ovachlamys fulgens (pictured) can suddenly move several inches?

... that the slug Milax gagates dies 30 days after egg-laying?

Tandonia budapestensis
... that the copulation of slug Tandonia budapestensis (pictured) may last 15 hours or more?

Shell of Oxygyrus keraudrenii
... that the snail Oxygyrus keraudrenii (shell pictured) shows a reduction of its gastropod shell due to evolution for living in the open sea?

Shell of Atlanta lesueurii
... that 6 mm snails of the species Atlanta lesueurii (shell pictured) undergo vertical migration of a few tens of meters each day?

Shell of Inchoatia haussknechti
... that snails from the genus Inchoatia (shells pictured) live only in Greece?

Shell of Tarebia granifera
... that the common aquarium snail known as the quilted melania (shell pictured) can block water pipes?

... that a gas slug is not a gastropod?

Shell gorget from Spiro Mounds
... that shell gorgets (example pictured) were usually made from lightning whelks?

basal view of Macklintockia scabra
... that the snail Macklintockia scabra (pictured) has ghostly bars on the inside of the shell?

... that Pupilla pratensis (Clessin, 1871) was elevated to species level in 2009?

... that there are still a large number of gastropods that remain to be discovered in Afghanistan?

Indoplanorbis exustus
... that the widely distributed Asian freshwater snail Indoplanorbis exustus (pictured) is an important intermediate host for several trematode parasites?

Gulella streptostelopsis
... that the minute land snail Gulella streptostelopsis (shell pictured) may in fact represent an as yet unnamed genus?

... that the family Helicostoidae contains only one species?

Pomacea bridgesii
... that within the class Gastropoda there are 33 families that contain species of freshwater snails (one species pictured)?

A. C. van Bruggen
... that the Dutch malacologist Adolph Cornelis van Bruggen (pictured) is an expert in African land snails?

Semisulcospira kurodai
... that the Semisulcospiridae (Semisulcospira kurodai pictured) attained family level in 2009?

... that there have been many significant changes in the taxonomy of gastropods since 2005?

... that the liver fluke species Fasciola gigantica is transferred to mammals by freshwater snails in the family Lymnaeidae?

Amphidromus perversus
... that shells of Amphidromus (Amphidromus perversus pictured) were among the first Indonesian land snails brought to Europe?

... that the nerite Bathynerita naticoidea lives in submarine oil seeps in the northern Gulf of Mexico?

Arion ater
... that Black slugs Arion ater (pictured) were used as axle-grease in Sweden?

apertural view of Xerocrassa geyeri
... that the active dispersal capacity of Xerocrassa geyeri (shell pictured) is about 3 metres during its one-year lifetime?

A shell of Eustrombus goliath
... that the Goliath conch, Eustrombus goliath (shell pictured), is the largest of all the true conchs?

... that the family Eoacmaeidae is the most basal group within the Patellogastropoda?

Onchidella nigricans
... that there is currently no living malacologist who can correctly identify all the species of Onchidiidae (pictured: Onchidella nigricans)?

Megathura crenulata
... that keyhole limpet hemocyanin from the great keyhole limpet Megathura crenulata (pictured) is used as vaccine carrier protein?

... that the malacologist Matthew William Kemble Connolly was the father of writer and critic Cyril Connolly?

Amphibulima browni
... that Amphibulima browni (pictured), an endemic land snail species from Dominica, has not been reported alive during the whole of the 20th century?

... that populations of Deroceras rodnae from western Europe (for example from Germany) were identified as Deroceras juranum in 2009, and that these two species are externally indistinguishable?

Moais on Easter Island
... that Conus miliaris preys on a more diverse assemblage of prey at Easter Island (pictured)?

... that the bacterium Moraxella osloensis can kill the land slug Deroceras reticulatum?

Tamayoa decolorata
... that the island of Dominica has one of the richest land snail faunas (one of its land snails pictured) in the Lesser Antilles?

Amphicyclotulus amethystinus
... that 38% of the species of non-marine gastropods of Dominica are endemic (Amphicyclotulus amethystinus pictured)?

... that Conus ebraeus (a shell pictured) prefers different prey at different localities?

... that New Zealand geologist Patrick Marshall (pictured) also studied fossil gastropods?

... that the Belgian malacologist Paul Pelseneer described 43 new marine species?

... that Aeolidiella stephanieae (pictured) is a nudibranch which is commonly used in saltwater aquaria to control the anemone Aiptasia?

...that several families of land gastropods reach a maximum of biodiversity in Turkey?

...that the sacoglossan sea slug Costasiella coronata is amphibious?

...that sacoglossan sea slugs are the only known animals with kleptoplasty?

...that because of its aquatic origin and resemblance to the vulva, the shankha (carved examples pictured) is linked with female fertility and is an integral part of Tantric rites?

...that Rudolph Bergh (pictured) specialized in sexually transmitted diseases and in nudibranchs?

...that there are 36 taxa of gastropods federally listed endangered or threatened in the USA (map pictured)?

...that Orthalicus reses (shell pictured) lives only in tropical hardwood hammocks in Florida?

...that Robert C. Murdoch (pictured) did malacological research in New Zealand?

2009

...that Hyperaulax ridleyi (pictured) is the only living species in the genus Hyperaulax?

...that although Fiona pinnata (pictured) lives in open sea worldwide, it cannot swim?

...that the nudibranch Murphydoris uses spicules for defense, like a hedgehog?

...that the nudibranch Roboastra luteolineata (pictured) hunts other nudibranchs?

...that the nudibranch Onchidoris bilamellata (pictured) can be found at a population density of over 1,000 sea slugs per square metre?

...that there are over a thousand species in the family Hydrobiidae? (Shell of Hydrobia ventrosa pictured)

...that empty shells of the land snail Paryphanta busbyi (shell pictured) explode when they dry out?

...that Quantula striata is the only land snail that gives off flashes of light?

...that Latia neritoides is the only known freshwater snail that emits light?

...that Biomphalaria freshwater snails such as Biomphalaria glabrata (pictured) and Biomphalaria tenagophila are vectors for disease-causing parasites that affect 83 million people?

...that the freshwater Neotropical snail Biomphalaria tenagophila (shell pictured) also lives in Romania, Europe?

...that the land gastropod Schizoglossa novoseelandica (pictured) from the New Zealand is predatory and also cannibalistic?

...that the adult Cape silvertip nudibranch is visually indistinguishable from the Medallion silvertip nudibranch (one of them pictured)?

...that Feathered doto (pictured) is a nudibranch from the family Dotidae?

...that at least 14 species of land snails (Sinployea decorticata pictured) from the Cook Islands are extinct?

...that the Chittenango ovate amber snail Novisuccinea chittenangoensis (pictured) lives only in Chittenango Falls State Park, New York?

...that the land snail Euglandina rosea is a significant threat to the freshwater snail known as Newcomb's snail Erinna newcombi (pictured) from Hawaii, because the predatory Euglandina is able to hunt Erinna under water?

...that the land flatworm Platydemus manokwari (pictured) is a serious threat to many species of land snails in some Pacific Islands?

...that the Aldabra banded snail Rhachistia aldabrae from the Seychelles died out because of climate change?

...that non-marine molluscs are one of the most imperilled groups of animals: numerous species have recently become extinct?

... that a complete 3D reconstruction is available for the minute marine slug Pseudunela cornuta (pictured)?

... that the Manual of the New Zealand Mollusca was written by Henry Suter (pictured) who was from Switzerland?

... that the 18th century Central European naturalist Ignaz von Born (pictured) described numerous marine gastropods?

... that the Japanese malacologist Kikutaro Baba collaborated with His Majesty the Emperor of Japan?

... that "caudal gland" is an incorrect name for the caudal mucous pit (pictured)?

... that Byne's disease ("infected" bivalve shell pictured) attacks shells of molluscs that are in storage?

...that six new species of marine slugs in the genus Phyllodesmium (Phyllodesmium kabiranum is pictured) have been described in the last two years?

...that the map cowry Leporicypraea mappa (pictured) is collected both for its shell and for food?

...that the collection of molluscs in Manchester Museum is the fourth largest in Britain, with 166,000 lots?

...that botanist Thomas Frederic Cheeseman (pictured) had a wide range of interests: he also described a few species of marine gastropods?

Murphydoris December 20
Onchidoris bilamellata December 19
Paryphanta busbyi December 9
Quantula striata November 30
Biomphalaria tenagophila November 26
Biomphalaria glabrata November 26
Schizoglossa novoseelandica: November 16
Chittenango ovate amber snail: November 10
Newcomb's snail: November 8
Platydemus manokwari: November 2
Pseudunela cornuta: October 24
Aldabra banded snail: October 23
Byne's disease: October 5
Phyllodesmium: October 2
Leporicypraea mappa: October 2
Thomas Frederic Cheeseman: September 21
Cypraea tigris: September 14
Syrinx aruanus: August 14
Socorro springsnail: August 2
Escargot de Quimper: July 16
Holospira: June 27
Juliidae: May 16
Indrella ampulla: March 11
Red triangle slug: March 6
Sphincterochila boissieri: April 21
Painted rocksnail, Leptoxis ampla and Plicate rocksnail: April 15
Anostoma and Ringicella: February 26

2008

Siphon (mollusc): November 21
Triodopsis platysayoides: November 17
Patera clarki nantahala: November 9
Papillifera bidens: November 9
Elimia virginica: November 6
Elimia virginica: November 6
Gillia altilis: November 5
Radix auricularia: October 29
Valvata piscinalis: October 28
Viviparus georgianus: October 24
Love dart: October 9th, second highest ever DYK rating at that time: 30,100 hits!
Pseudofeces: September 30
Ghost slug: 16 July

2007

Liguus: 13 November
Powelliphanta augusta: 5 January

2006

Kanab ambersnail: 28 November