Cerithidea californica
Encyclopedia
Cerithidea californica, common name
the California hornsnail or the California horn snail, is a species
of sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Potamididae
.
, USA to Baja California Sur
, Mexico.
The type locality is "California, in brackish water
".
is turriform and is about 1 inch in length.
The snails primarily feed on benthic diatom
s.
Throughout its range in California, these snails grow and reproduce from spring through fall (March-October) and cease growth and reproduction during the winter (November-February). Maximum longevity for these snails is at least 6-10 years, and this appears to be the case for uninfected as well as infected snails.
At least 18 trematode species parasitically castrate
California horn snails. A trematode infects a snail with a miracidium
larva that either swims to infect the snail, or hatches after the snail ingests the trematode egg. After infection, the trematode parthenitae clonally replicate and produce free-swimming offspring (cercariae). These offspring infect second intermediate hosts (various invertebrates and fishes) where they form cysts (metacercariae). The trematodes infect bird final hosts when birds eat second intermediate hosts.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
the California hornsnail or the California horn snail, is a species
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 sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Potamididae
Potamididae
Potamididae, common name potamidids , are a family of small to large brackish water snails living in mangroves, gastropod molluscs of the clade Sorbeoconcha. Traditionally, potamidids and batillariids have been confused with each other for having similar shells and living in a similar environment...
.
Distribution
The distribution of Cerithidea californica is from central CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA to Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
, Mexico.
The type locality is "California, in brackish water
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
".
Description
The shape of the shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
is turriform and is about 1 inch in length.
Ecology
Cerithidea californica lives in salt-marsh dominated estuaries.The snails primarily feed on benthic diatom
Diatom
Diatoms are a major group of algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons , fans , zigzags , or stellate colonies . Diatoms are producers within the food chain...
s.
Throughout its range in California, these snails grow and reproduce from spring through fall (March-October) and cease growth and reproduction during the winter (November-February). Maximum longevity for these snails is at least 6-10 years, and this appears to be the case for uninfected as well as infected snails.
At least 18 trematode species parasitically castrate
Parasitic castration
Parasitic castration is the strategy, by a parasite, of blocking reproduction by its host, completely or in part. For example, Hemioniscus balani, a parasitic castrator of hermaphroditic barnacles, feeds on ovarian fluid, so that its host loses female reproductive ability but still can function as...
California horn snails. A trematode infects a snail with a miracidium
Miracidium
Trematodes are small parasitic flatworms that use vertebrates as their definitive host, and molluscs as their intermediate host. In order to accomplish this, they have several varied lifecyle stages....
larva that either swims to infect the snail, or hatches after the snail ingests the trematode egg. After infection, the trematode parthenitae clonally replicate and produce free-swimming offspring (cercariae). These offspring infect second intermediate hosts (various invertebrates and fishes) where they form cysts (metacercariae). The trematodes infect bird final hosts when birds eat second intermediate hosts.
Further reading
- Driscoll A. L. (1972). "Structure and function of the alimentary tract of Batillaria zonalisBatillaria zonalisBatillaria zonalis is a species of small sandy shore snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Batillariidae, the horn snails.- Further reading :...
and Cerithidea californica: style-bearing mesogastropods". Veliger 14: 375-386. - Lafferty K. D. (1993). "Effects of parasitic castration on growth, reproduction and population dynamics of the marine snail Cerithidea californica". Marine Ecology Progress Series 96: 229-237. doi:10.3354/meps096229.
- Lafferty K. D. (1993). "The marine snail, Cerithidea californica, matures at smaller sizes where parasitism is high". OikosOikosAn oikos is the ancient Greek equivalent of a household, house, or family....
68(1): 3-11. JSTOR. - Martin W. E. (1972). "An annotated key to the cercariae that develop in the snail Cerithidea californica". Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 71: 39-43.
- McCloy M. J. (1979). "Population regulation in the deposit feeding mesogastropod Cerithidea californica as it occurs in a San Diego salt marsh habitat". MS. University of California, San Diego.
- Race M. S. (1981). "Field ecology and natural history of Cerithidea californica (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) in San Francisco Bay". Veliger 24: 18-27.
- Sousa W. P. (1983). "Host life history and the effect of parasitic castration on growth a field study of Cerithidea californica (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) and its trematode parasites". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 73(3): 273-296. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(83)90051-5.
- Sousa W. P. (1993). "Size-dependent predation on the salt-marsh snail Cerithidea californica Haldeman". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology & Ecology 166: 19-37.
- Sousa W. P & Gleason M. (1989). "Does parasitic infection compromise host survival under extreme environmental conditions: the case for Cerithidea californica (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia)". OecologiaOecologiaOecologia is an international peer-reviewed English-language journal published by Springer. The journal publishes original research in a range of topics related to plant and animal ecology....
, Berlin 80: 456-464. doi:10.1007/BF00380066.