Littoraria
Encyclopedia
Littoraria is a genus
of sea snail
s, marine
gastropod mollusks in the family
Littorinidae
, the winkles or periwinkles.
There are more than fifty species in this genus of which more than 20 species arebelieved to besynonyms of Littorina scabra, a very variable species.
Many of the species in this genus occur in the Indo-West Pacific region and in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, where they are found in large numbers on the trunks, trees and prop roots of tropical mangrove
forests a few metres above high tide level. These snails feed on the thin film of algae
, epiphyte
s, fungi
, diatom
s and leaf epidermis
of these mangroves. The species living on higher levels of the trees have thinner shells, and are more variable in shell colour.
Within this genus, Littoraria aberrans is the only ovoviviparous species with an intracapsular metamorphosis.
Species brought into synonymy :
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 sea 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...
s, marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusks 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...
Littorinidae
Littorinidae
Littorinidae is a taxonomic family of over 200 species of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha, commonly known as periwinkles and found world-wide.-Names:...
, the winkles or periwinkles.
There are more than fifty species in this genus of which more than 20 species arebelieved to besynonyms of Littorina scabra, a very variable species.
Many of the species in this genus occur in the Indo-West Pacific region and in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, where they are found in large numbers on the trunks, trees and prop roots of tropical mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
forests a few metres above high tide level. These snails feed on the thin film of algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
, epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s, fungi
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
, 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 and leaf epidermis
Epidermis (botany)
The epidermis is a single-layered group of cells that covers plants' leaves, flowers, roots and stems. It forms a boundary between the plant and the external environment. The epidermis serves several functions, it protects against water loss, regulates gas exchange, secretes metabolic compounds,...
of these mangroves. The species living on higher levels of the trees have thinner shells, and are more variable in shell colour.
Within this genus, Littoraria aberrans is the only ovoviviparous species with an intracapsular metamorphosis.
Species
Species in the genus Littoraria include:- Littoraria aberransLittoraria aberransLittoraria aberrans is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria ahenea Reid, 1986
- Littoraria albicansLittoraria albicansLittoraria albicans is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Metcalfe, 1852 - Littoraria angulifera Lamarck, 1822 - mangrove periwinkle
- Littoraria angulifera hessei Boettger 1912
- Littoraria ardouinianaLittoraria ardouinianaLittoraria ardouiniana is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Heude, 1885 - Littoraria articulataLittoraria articulataLittoraria articulata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria bengalensisLittoraria bengalensisLittoraria bengalensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Reid, 2001 - Littoraria cariniferaLittoraria cariniferaLittoraria carinifera is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Menke, 1830 - Littoraria cingulataLittoraria cingulataLittoraria cingulata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria cinguliferaLittoraria cinguliferaLittoraria cingulifera is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Dunker, 1845 - Littoraria coccineaLittoraria coccineaLittoraria coccinea is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(Gmelin, 1791) - Littoraria conicaLittoraria conicaLittoraria conica is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria delicatulaLittoraria delicatulaLittoraria delicatula is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Nevill, 1885 - Littoraria filosaLittoraria filosaLittoraria filosa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(G.B. Sowerby I, 1832) - Littoraria fasciataLittoraria fasciataLittoraria fasciata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Sowerby, 1832 - † Littoraria flammeaLittoraria flammea†Littoraria flammea was a species of sea snail with a gill and an operculum, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the periwinkles or winkles.This species was endemic to China. It is now extinct....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1847 - Littoraria flavaLittoraria flavaLittoraria flava is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
King & Broderip, 1832 - Littoraria flavaosa King & Broderip, 1832
- Littoraria ianthostomaLittoraria ianthostomaLittoraria ianthostoma is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Stuckey & D.G. Reid, 2002 - Littoraria intermediaLittoraria intermediaLittoraria intermedia is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria irrorataLittoraria irrorataLittoraria irrorata, common name the Marsh periwinkle, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae....
SayThomas SayThomas Say was an American naturalist, entomologist, malacologist, herpetologist and carcinologist. A taxonomist, he is often considered to be the father of descriptive entomology in the United States. He described more than 1,000 new species of beetles and over 400 species of insects of other...
, 1822 - marsh periwinkle - Littoraria kraussi Rosewater, 1970
- Littoraria luteaLittoraria luteaLittoraria lutea is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1847 - Littoraria luteolaLittoraria luteolaLittoraria luteola is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 - Littoraria mauritianaLittoraria mauritianaLittoraria mauritiana is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Lamarck, 1822 - Littoraria melanostomaLittoraria melanostomaLittoraria melanostoma is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Gray, 1839 - Littoraria miodelicatula Oyama, 1950
- Littoraria nebulosaLittoraria nebulosaLittoraria nebulosa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Lamarck, 1822 - cloudy periwinkle - Littoraria obesa GmelinJohann Friedrich GmelinJohann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
, 1791 - Littoraria pallescensLittoraria pallescensLittoraria pallescens is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria philippianaLittoraria philippianaLittoraria philippiana is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Reeve, 1857 - Littoraria pintadoLittoraria pintadoLittoraria pintado is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Wood, 1820- Littoraria pintado pullata CarpenterPhillip Pearsall CarpenterPhilip Pearsall Carpenter Rev. Dr. , who in 1841, was ordained Presbyterian minister in England, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in 1860, and whose field work as a malacologist or conchologist in North America is still well regarded today...
, 1864
- Littoraria pintado pullata Carpenter
- Littoraria planaxis PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria punctata PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria rosewateriLittoraria rosewateriLittoraria rosewateri is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Reid, 1999 - Littoraria scabraLittoraria scabraLittoraria scabra, common name : the mangrove periwinkle, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.-Description:The size of an adult shell varies between 15 mm and 40 mm....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1847 - Littoraria sinensisLittoraria sinensisLittoraria sinensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1847 - Littoraria strigataLittoraria strigataLittoraria strigata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria subvittataLittoraria subvittataLittoraria subvittata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Reid, 1986 - Littoraria sulculosaLittoraria sulculosaLittoraria sulculosa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 - Littoraria tessellataLittoraria tessellataLittoraria tessellata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles. The maximum recorded shell length is 23 mm.-References:...
PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1847 - Littoraria undulataLittoraria undulataLittoraria undulata, common name the robust shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Gray, 1839 - Littoraria variaLittoraria variaLittoraria varia is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Sowerby, 1832 - Littoraria variegataLittoraria variegataLittoraria variegata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.-References:...
Souleyet, in Eydoux & Souleyet, 1852 - Littoraria vespaceaLittoraria vespaceaLittoraria vespacea is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Reid, 1986 - Littoraria zebraLittoraria zebraLittoraria zebra is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Donovan, 1825 - zebra periwinkle
Species brought into synonymy :
- Littoraria glabrata PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
, 1846 : synonym of Littoraria coccinea glabrata (Philippi, 1846)
Further reading
- REID, D G 1986. The Littorinid Molluscs of Mangrove Forests in the Indo-Pacific Region: the genus Littoraria. British Museum (Natural History), London. 228 pp.