Mexipyrgus churinceanus
| Mexipyrgus churinceanus | |
|---|---|
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| A series of shells of Mexipyrgus churinceanus, showing variation in size, shell sculpture, and color | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Rissooidea |
| Family: | Hydrobiidae |
| Genus: | Mexipyrgus |
| Species: | M. churinceanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Mexipyrgus churinceanus Taylor, 1966 |
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Mexipyrgus churinceanus is a species of very small freshwater snail,[1] an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Hydrobiidae.[1]
Distribution
This species is endemic to Cuatro Ciénegas valley, in Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico.[1]
Ecology
Mexipyrgus churinceanus is generally found only in soft sediment.[2]
Water lily Nymphaea ampla is the most common aquatic macrophyte in abundance in its habitats.[2] According to the isotope analysis by Chaves-Campos et al. (2012)[2] it is probable that Mexipyrgus churinceanus feed on water lily Nymphaea ampla organic matter metabolized by sediment bacteria.[2]
Predators of Mexithauma quadripaludium include the specialized snail-eating (molluscivorous) cichlid fish Herichthys minckleyi.[1]
References
This article incorporates CC-BY-2.5 text from the reference[2]
- ^ a b c d Chaves-Campos J., Johnson S. G. & Hulsey C. D. (2011). "Spatial Geographic Mosaic in an Aquatic Predator-Prey Network". PLoS ONE 6(7): e22472. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022472.
- ^ a b c d e Chaves-Campos J., Coghill L. M., García de León F. J. & Johnson S. G. (2012). "The Effect of Aquatic Plant Abundance on Shell Crushing Resistance in a Freshwater Snail". PLoS ONE 7(9): e44374. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044374.
Further reading
- Johnson S. G. (2005). "Age, phylogeography and population structure of the microendemic banded spring snail, Mexipyrgus churinceanus". Molecular Ecology 14(8): 2299-2311. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2005.02580.x.
- Johnson S. G., Hulsey C. D. & León F. J. G. de (2007). "Spatial mosaic evolution of snail defensive traits". BMC Evolutionary Biology 7: 50. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-7-50.
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