Cahaba elimia
Encyclopedia
The Cahawba elimia is a species
of freshwater snail
with an operculum
, an aquatic
gastropod mollusk in the family Pleuroceridae
.
This species is endemic to the United States
. It is named after Cahaba, Alabama
and the Cahaba River
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of freshwater snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
with 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...
, an 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 mollusk in the family Pleuroceridae
Pleuroceridae
Pleuroceridae, common name pleurocerids, is a family of small to medium-sized freshwater snails, aquatic gilled gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cerithioidea.These snails have an operculum and typically a robust high-spired shell....
.
This species is endemic to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is named after Cahaba, Alabama
Cahaba, Alabama
Cahaba, also spelled Cahawba, was the first permanent state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825. It is now a ghost town and state historic site. The site is located in Dallas County, southwest of Selma.-Capital:...
and the Cahaba River
Cahaba River
The Cahaba River is the longest free-flowing river in Alabama and is among the most scenic and biologically diverse rivers in the United States. The Cahaba River is a major tributary of the Alabama River and part of the larger Mobile River Basin...
.
Further reading
- Lori R. Tolley-Jordan, Hayleigh Barlar, Alexander Huryn. 2008. Influence of Catchment Land Use on in Situ Growth Rates of Elimia cahawbensis (Gastropoda: Pleuroceridae) in Headwater Streams of the Cahaba River Basin, Alabama USA. The Nabs 56th Annual Meeting (25-28 May, 2008).