Floridobia is a genus of very small freshwater snails (and one species found in brackish coastal marshes) that have an operculum, in the family Hydrobiidae, the mud snails.[2]

Floridobia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Hydrobiidae
Genus: Floridobia
Thompson & Hershler, 2002[1]
Type species
Amnicola floridana

Floridobia siltsnails are dioecious (having separate male and female individuals). Females are usually much larger and more numerous than males. They are believed to have a life-span of about one year. In the relatively warm waters of Florida springs, reproduction occurs year-round. The snails feed on microbial organisms and detritus attached to surfaces. Floridobia species tolerate low dissolved oxygen levels found near spring vents, which helps protect then from most fish predators.[3]

A study of F. floridana reported that the increased presence of cyanobacteria in its diet slowed its growth. Cyanobacteria blooms are becoming more common in Florida springs due to excess nitrogen entering the groundwater feeding springs, thus threatening the survival of siltsnails.[4]

Species of Floridobia were classified in the genus Cincinnatia prior to 2002, based on the structure of the penis. Thompson and Hershler erected the new genus of Floridobia in 2002, moving 15 species from Cincinnatia, based on the structure of the penis and the female genitalia.[1] A study of mitochondrial DNA in nymphophiline snails published in 2003 found that Floridobia formed a monophyletic clade, with F. winkleyi as a sister to the Florida Floridobia species.[5]

Species edit

Most of the known species in the genus are endemic to a single spring, a set of springs, or a spring run, in Florida. Species within the genus Floridobia include:[1][6][7][4][8]

Species Common name Range
Floridobia alexander
(F. G. Thompson 2000)
Alexander siltsnail Alexander Springs, Florida
Floridobia floridana
(Frauenfeld 1863)
hyacinth siltsnail[9] Northern peninsular Florida,
Cumberland Island, Georgia[10]
Floridobia fraterna
(Thompson, 1968)
creek siltsnail St Johns River drainage, Florida[11]
Floridobia helicogyra
(Thompson, 1968)
Crystal siltsnail Hunter Spring, Florida
Floridobia leptospira
(F. G. Thompson 2000)
flatwood siltsnail,
Glen Branch siltsnail
Glen Branch, Lake County, Florida[12]
Floridobia mica
(Thompson, 1968)
Ichetucknee siltsnail,
Coffee Spring siltsnail
Coffee Spring, Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Florida
Floridobia monroensis
(Dall, 1885)
Enterprise siltsnail Benson's Mineral Spring, in Enterprise, Florida
Floridobia parva
(Thompson, 1968)
pygmy siltsnail Blue Spring, Florida
Floridobia petrifons
(Thompson, 1968)
Rock Springs siltsnail Rock Springs, Florida
Floridobia ponderosa
(Thompson, 1968)
ponderous siltsnail Palm Spring, Sanlando Springs, Florida[11]
Floridobia porterae
(F. G. Thompson, 2000)
Green Cove springsnail[13] Green Cove Springs, Florida
Floridobia vanhyningi
(Vanatta, 1934)
Seminole siltsnail Seminole Springs, Florida
Floridobia wekiwae
(Thompson, 1968)
Wekiwa siltsnail Wekiwa Springs, Florida
Floridobia winkleyi
(Pilsbry, 1912)
New England siltsnail[14] Coastal (brackish) marshs of
Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts;[15]
Hudson River, New York[16]

Two possible new Floridobia species have been identified, but have not been published and accepted as of 2023. Floridobia species A has been reported from the Ogeechee River in Georgia.[17] The Waccamaw Floridobia has been reported from Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina.[18]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Thompson F. G.; Hershler R. (2002). "Two genera of North American freshwater snails: Marstonia Baker, 1926, resurrected to generic status, and Floridobia, new genus (Prosobranchia: Hydrobiidae: Nymphophilinae)". The Veliger. 45 (3): 269–271. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  2. ^ Bouchet, P. (2014). "Floridobia F. G. Thompson & Hershler, 2002". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  3. ^ Warren, Cary L.; Bernatic, Jennifer (November 2015). Status of the Ichetucknee Siltsnail (Floridobia mica) in Coffee Spring, Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Suwannee County, Florida (PDF) (Report). Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. p. 2.
  4. ^ a b Schultheis, Alicia S.; Kellmann, Cailin R. (1 March 2013). "Cyanobacteria-Rich Diet Reduces Growth Rates of the Hyacinth Siltsnail Floridobia floridana:(Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)". Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation. 13 (1): 1–8. doi:10.31931/fmbc.v16i1.2013.1-8.
  5. ^ Hershler, R.; Liu, H.-P. & Thompson, F. G. (2003). "Phylogenetic relationships of North American nymphophiline gastropods based on mitochondrial DNA sequences" (PDF). Zoologica Scripta. 32 (4). The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters: 361–363. doi:10.1046/j.1463-6409.2003.00115.x. S2CID 73702827. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Floridobia". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. IUCN. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Floridobia". UniProt. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Molluscabase - Aphaostracon F. G. Thompson, 1968". molluscabase.org. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  9. ^ "Freshwater Snails of Florida ID Guide". Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  10. ^ "Floridobia floridana". Freshwater Gastropods of North America. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  11. ^ a b Mattson, Robert A. (2011). "Chapter 11. Benthic Macroinvertebrates, Appendix 11. A Description of Benthic Communities in the St Johns River Mainstream" (PDF). St Johns River Water Management District. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  12. ^ "Flatwood Siltsnail" (PDF). Floridas Natural Areas Inventory. January 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  13. ^ "Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  14. ^ "Floridobia winkleyi (New England Silt Snail)" (PDF). Maine 2015 Wildlife Action Plan. January 13, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  15. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". Natureserve Explorer. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  16. ^ Coote, Thomas W. (2015). "New gastropod records for Hudson River, New York". American Malacological Bulletin. 33 (1): 1–4 – via Research Gate.
  17. ^ "Species Account : Floridobia Species A : Freshwater Gastropods of North America". Freshwater Gastropods of North America. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  18. ^ "Species Account : Waccamaw Floridobia : Freshwater Gastropods of North America". Freshwater Gastropods of North America. Retrieved 2023-06-12.