Akiyoshia is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of freshwater snail

Freshwater snail

A freshwater snail is one kind of freshwater mollusc, the other kind being freshwater clams and mussels, i.e. freshwater bivalves. Specifically a freshwater snail is a gastropod that lives in a watery non-marine habitat. The majority of freshwater gastropods have a shell, with very few exceptions....

s with a gill

Gill

A gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water, afterward excreting carbon dioxide. The gills of some species such as hermit crabs have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist...

 and an operculum

Operculum (gastropod)

The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...

, aquatic

Aquatic animal

An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...

 gastropod mollusks in the family Amnicolidae

Amnicolidae

Amnicolidae is a family of small freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks.This family is in the superfamily Rissooidea and in the clade Littorinimorpha...

.

Distribution

The distribution of Akiyoshia includes Japan from whence it was described.

There are some indications that so-called "Akiyoshia" species from southern China may not be true Akiyoshia.

Description

Species in the subgenus Saganoa from Japan are blind snails. "Akiyoshia" species from China are not blind.

Species

Species within the genus Akiyoshia include:

Subgenus Akiyoshia

• Akiyoshia uenoi Kuroda & Habe, 1954 - the type species, was described from Japan

Subgenus Saganoa Kuroda, Habe & Tamu, 1957

• "Akiyoshia" chinensis Liu, Zhang & Chen, 1982 - anatomy of this Chinese species was described in 1992,
• Akiyoshia kishiiana Kuroda, Habe & Tamu, 1957
• Akiyoshia morimotoi
• "Akiyoshia" yunnanensis Liu, Wang & Zhang, 1982

Nomina nuda:

• Akiyoshia odonta, Akiyoshia (Saganoa) odonta Feng et al, 1985 and Akiyoshia (Saganoa) odonta Feng et al, 1986 are nomina nuda.

Ecology

The habitat for species in the Saganoa subgenus from Japan is caves and wells.

"Akiyoshia" species from China live in streams.

External links

• http://www.palaeos.org/Akiyoshia 波部 忠重 Habe T. (1980). "カワネミジンツボ [Subterranean tiny snail Saganoa]. ちりぼたん Newsletter of the Malacological Society of Japan 11(4): 74-75. CiNIi. 湊 宏 Minato H. (1986). "地下水棲微小巻貝を和歌山県から採集する [Subterranean Minute Snail, Akiyoshia (Saganoa) Collected from Wakayama-ken]". ちりぼたん Newsletter of the Malacological Society of Japan 17(2): 38-39. CiNii. 佐野 基人 [他] (1979). "静岡県における肺吸虫の調査-2-宮崎肺吸虫の第1中間宿主Saganoa sp.およびその幼虫について". Japanese Journal of Parasitology 28(4): 211-217. CiNii.