Mariaella
Encyclopedia
Mariaella is a genus
of air-breathing land slug
s, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Ariophantidae
.
Species from Mariaella genus are also pests on vanilla
.
Western Ghats
, from Mahableshwar southwards, and hill-country of Ceylon.
is internal, solid, ovate, convex above, flatly concave beneath, with a small apex
, not coiled, lying on the right side as seen from about near the end.
united into an oval shield, tricarinate above and completely covering the shell, only a small pinhole-like orifice near the posterior end being left open. From this small orifice a distinct line or cicatrix runs to the pneumostome
(the respiratory aperture) on the right side, marking the dividing line of the right and left shell-lobes. The mantle extends forward over the neck, but not behind the shield, which is sunk behind in a depression of the back. The body behind the shield is sharply keeled above and terminates in a large mucous pore. Peripodial groove distinct as usual, but narrow, and sole tripartite longitudinally.
Genitalia and odontophore much resembling those of Girasia. From Girasia the present genus is separated by its almost imperforate shield, the more solid shell of different form, and by several small distinctions in the genitalia.
Reproductive system
: The dart-sac is long and cylindrical. There is a large swelling of the free oviduct (ovitheca) just beyond the point where the vas deferens is given off. The spermatheca is rather irregularly ovate, and increases in size when containing numerous spermatophores. The penis is provided with a small kalc-sac and gives off a short caecum. The retractor muscle is attached to
the bend.
The radula
has a broad band of wider median teeth, tricuspid as a rule, and these pass into bicuspid outer laterals, with the two cusps subequal and terminal as in Girasia.
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 air-breathing land slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
s, 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 mollusks in the family Ariophantidae
Ariophantidae
Ariophantidae is a taxonomic family of air-breathing land snails and semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicarionoidea .- Distribution :...
.
Species from Mariaella genus are also pests on vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
.
Species
Species in the genus Mariaella include:- Mariaella beddomeiMariaella beddomeiMariaella beddomei is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Ariophantidae.The specific name is in honor of Richard Henry Beddome.- Distribution :This species lives in India...
(Godwin-Austen, 1888) - Mariaella dussumieriMariaella dussumieriMariaella dussumieri is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Ariophantidae.Mariaella dussumieri is the type species of the genus Mariaella....
(Gray, 1855) - type species
Distribution
India.Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
, from Mahableshwar southwards, and hill-country of Ceylon.
Shell description
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 internal, solid, ovate, convex above, flatly concave beneath, with a small apex
Apex (mollusc)
Apex is an anatomical term for the tip of the mollusc shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod mollusc.-Gastropods:The word "apex" is most often used to mean the tip of the spire of the shell of a gastropod...
, not coiled, lying on the right side as seen from about near the end.
Anatomy
The animal very similar to that of Girasia, but the lobes of the mantleMantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
united into an oval shield, tricarinate above and completely covering the shell, only a small pinhole-like orifice near the posterior end being left open. From this small orifice a distinct line or cicatrix runs to the pneumostome
Pneumostome
The pneumostome is a feature of the external body anatomy of an air-breathing land slug or land snail. It is a part of the respiratory system of gastropods....
(the respiratory aperture) on the right side, marking the dividing line of the right and left shell-lobes. The mantle extends forward over the neck, but not behind the shield, which is sunk behind in a depression of the back. The body behind the shield is sharply keeled above and terminates in a large mucous pore. Peripodial groove distinct as usual, but narrow, and sole tripartite longitudinally.
Genitalia and odontophore much resembling those of Girasia. From Girasia the present genus is separated by its almost imperforate shield, the more solid shell of different form, and by several small distinctions in the genitalia.
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 dart-sac is long and cylindrical. There is a large swelling of the free oviduct (ovitheca) just beyond the point where the vas deferens is given off. The spermatheca is rather irregularly ovate, and increases in size when containing numerous spermatophores. The penis is provided with a small kalc-sac and gives off a short caecum. The retractor muscle is attached to
the bend.
The radula
Radula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
has a broad band of wider median teeth, tricuspid as a rule, and these pass into bicuspid outer laterals, with the two cusps subequal and terminal as in Girasia.