Gyrotoma
Encyclopedia
† Gyrotoma is a genus
of extinct freshwater snail
s with an operculum
, aquatic
gastropod mollusks in the family Pleuroceridae
. This genus was endemic to the USA.
All of the species within this genus are presumed extinct. They were native to the main channel of the Coosa River
in Alabama
, where the last suitable habitat was destroyed by the filling of the reservoir Logan Martin Lake
in the mid-1960s.
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 extinct 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 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 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 genus was endemic to the USA.
All of the species within this genus are presumed extinct. They were native to the main channel of the Coosa River
Coosa River
The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia. The river is about long altogether.The Coosa River is one of Alabama's most developed rivers...
in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, where the last suitable habitat was destroyed by the filling of the reservoir Logan Martin Lake
Logan Martin Lake
Logan Martin Lake is located in east central Alabama on the Coosa River approximately east of Birmingham, Alabama. This Coosa River reservoir was built in 1965 by Alabama Power Company. The lake, nicknamed Lake of a Thousand Coves by locals, has of shoreline along its length sandwiched between...
in the mid-1960s.
Species
Species within the genus Gyrotoma include:- † Gyrotoma excisa (I. Lea, 1843) - excised slitshellExcised slitshellThe excised slitshell, scientific name †Gyrotoma excisa, was a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct....
- † Gyrotoma lewisii (I. Lea, 1869) - striate slitshellStriate slitshellThe striate slitshell was a species of gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. It was endemic to the United States....
- † Gyrotoma pagoda (I. Lea, 1845) - pagoda slitshellPagoda slitshellThe pagoda slitshell, scientific name †Gyrotoma pagoda, was a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct....
- † Gyrotoma pumila (I. Lea, 1860) - ribbed slitshellRibbed slitshellThe ribbed slitshell was a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. It was endemic to the United States....
- † Gyrotoma pyramidata (Shuttleworth, 1845) - pyramid slitshellPyramid slitshellThe pyramid slitshell, scientific name Gyrotoma pyramidata, was a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. It was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct....
- † Gyrotoma walkeri (H. H. Smith, 1924) - round slitshellRound slitshellThe round slitshell was a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. It was endemic to the United States....
Further reading
- Goodrich C. (1924). "The genus Gyrotoma". Miscellaneous Publications University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology, 12: 1-29.