Corona pfeifferi
Encyclopedia
Corona pfeifferi is a species
of air-breathing land snail
, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Orthalicidae
.
s are greyish, with a blue hue near the tips.
The shell
has 8 whorls
.
The height of the shell of the type specimen is 59 mm. The width of the shell of the type specimen is 26 mm. The height of the aperture
of the type specimen is 25 mm.
Reproductive system
: The penis is proximally slender and subcylindrical, constricted at the base; median part is swollen, pear-shaped, tapering towards the distal part which is subcylindrical again. Transition to the epiphallus with a kink, thereafter gradually tapering; twisted. Vas deferens is adhering to and partially inside the penial complex. Flagellum has ca. 1/5 the total length of the penial complex. Internal structure of penial complex is with longitudinal folds in proximal part of penis, changing into a dense tubular network and a widened lumen in the distal part of the penis. The epiphallus has 3-4 longitudinal folds proximally, transversing into anatosmosing folds more distally. In the specimen dissected, a chitinous spermatophore
was being formed with the shape of flagellum and epiphallus, its initial stage inside the flagellum and extending to the distal part of the penis.
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 air-breathing land snail
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
, a terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Orthalicidae
Orthalicidae
Orthalicidae are a family of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks are classified in the informal group Sigmurethra of the clade Stylommatophora...
.
Distribution
The distribution of Corona pfeifferi includes:- Ecuador. It was described from Pastaza ProvincePastaza ProvincePastaza is a province in the Oriente of Ecuador located in the eastern jungle. The capital is Puyo, founded on May 12, 1899 and which boasts 25,800 inhabitants...
, CanelosCanelosCanelos is a rural parish of the canton of Pastaza, in the province of Pastaza. It is located to the southeast of the city of Puyo.In the 1860s, Canelos was a canton itself, comprising the villages of Canelos, Sarayaku, Lliquino, Andoas and the Sapara and Jíbara tribes. In 1897, the "Oriental...
. It was known only from Ecuador until the species was found in Peru in 2010. - Peru - since 2010
Description
The living animal of Corona pfeifferi has coarse, orange tubercles on a whitish skin. The tentacleTentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
s are greyish, with a blue hue near the tips.
The shell
Gastropod 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...
has 8 whorls
Whorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
.
The height of the shell of the type specimen is 59 mm. The width of the shell of the type specimen is 26 mm. The height of the aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
of the type specimen is 25 mm.
Reproductive system
Reproductive system of gastropods
The reproductive system of gastropods varies greatly from one group to another within this very large and diverse taxonomic class of animals...
: The penis is proximally slender and subcylindrical, constricted at the base; median part is swollen, pear-shaped, tapering towards the distal part which is subcylindrical again. Transition to the epiphallus with a kink, thereafter gradually tapering; twisted. Vas deferens is adhering to and partially inside the penial complex. Flagellum has ca. 1/5 the total length of the penial complex. Internal structure of penial complex is with longitudinal folds in proximal part of penis, changing into a dense tubular network and a widened lumen in the distal part of the penis. The epiphallus has 3-4 longitudinal folds proximally, transversing into anatosmosing folds more distally. In the specimen dissected, a chitinous spermatophore
Spermatophore
A spermatophore or sperm ampulla is a capsule or mass created by males of various animal species, containing spermatozoa and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during copulation...
was being formed with the shape of flagellum and epiphallus, its initial stage inside the flagellum and extending to the distal part of the penis.