Megalobulimus is a genus of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Megalobuliminae within the family Strophocheilidae (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).[2]

Megalobulimus
Megalobulimus parafragilior
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Superfamily: Rhytidoidea
Family: Strophocheilidae
Genus: Megalobulimus
K. Miller, 1878[1]
Type species
Bulimus garciamoreni K. Miller, 1878
Synonyms
  • Borus Albers, 1850
  • Bulimus (Megalobulimus) K. Miller, 1878 (original rank)
  • Megalobulimus (Megalobulimus) K. Miller, 1878
  • Phaiopharus Morretes, 1955
  • Psiloicus Morretes, 1955
  • Strophocheilus (Borus) Albers, 1850
  • Strophocheilus (Megalobulimus) K. Miller, 1878
Megalobulimus maximus, also Strophocheilus maximus (Sowerby) in National Museum of Ireland - Natural History

Megalobulimus is the type genus of the subfamily Megalobuliminae.

Species edit

Species within the genus Megalobulimus include (all species from Brazil are listed):[3]

Species brought into synonymy
  • Megalobulimus bereniceae (Lange-de-Morretes, 1952): synonym of Megalobulimus intertextus (Pilsbry, 1895) (superseded combination)
  • Megalobulimus inambarisense [sic]: synonym of Megalobulimus inambarisensis Borda & Ramírez, 2016 (wrong gender agreement of specific epithet)
  • Megalobulimus torii Lange-de-Morretes, 1937: synonym of Megalobulimus yporanganus (Ihering & Pilsbry, 1901)
  • Megalobulimus valenciennesi (L. Pfeiffer, 1842): synonym of Megalobulimus valenciennesii (L. Pfeiffer, 1842) (incorrect spelling)

Human use edit

Shells of terrestrial snails, mainly of the genus Megalobulimus, are found in fluvial shellmound (called sambaqui in Brazil) on the Capelinha archaeological site from Paleo-Indian culture of early Holocene.[6]

The shell of Megalobulimus sp. (local name: "churito") is used in the traditional ethnomedicine of Northwest Argentina when babies are hyperactive and cannot sleep well, then it is advised to put a shell under a pillow.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ Miller K. (1878). Malak. Bl. 25: 172.
  2. ^ MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Megalobulimus K. Miller, 1878. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=882407 on 2021-07-06
  3. ^ (in Portuguese) Norma Campos Salgado & Arnaldo C. dos Santos Coelho. (2003). "Moluscos terrestres do Brasil (Gastrópodes operculados ou não, exclusive Veronicellidae, Milacidae e Limacidae)". Revista de Biología Tropical 51(Suppl. 3): 149-189. PDF Archived October 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. (with English abstract)
  4. ^ Simone, L. R. L. (2012). "Taxonomical study on a sample of pulmonates from Santa Maria da Vitória, Bahia, Brazil, with description of a new genus and four new species (Mollusca: Orthalicidae and Megalobulimidae)". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 52 (36): 431–439. doi:10.1590/S0031-10492012021600001.
  5. ^ Fontenelle, J. H.; Cavallari, D.C.; Simone, L.R.L. "A new species of Megalobulimus (Gastropoda, Strophocheilidae) from Brazilian shell mounds" (PDF). Strombus. 21 (1–2): 30–37. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-02.
  6. ^ Eggers S., Parks M., Grupe G. & Reinhard K. J. (2011). "Paleoamerican Diet, Migration and Morphology in Brazil: Archaeological Complexity of the Earliest Americans". PLoS ONE 6(9): e23962. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023962.
  7. ^ Hilgert N. I. & Gil G. E. (2007). "Reproductive medicine in northwest Argentina: traditional and institutional systems". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 3: 19. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-3-19.

Further reading edit

  • Kawano T. & Moreira Leme J. L. (1994). "Chromosomes of three species of Megalobulimus (Gastropoda: Mesurethra: Megalobulimidae) from Brazil". Malacological review 27(1-2): 47-52. [1]
  • Borda V., Ramírez R. & Romero P. (2010). "Glándula pediosa de moluscos terrestres y sus implicancias evolutivas, con énfasis en Megalobulimus / Pediose gland in land snails and its evolutionary implications, with emphasis on Megalobulimus." Revista Peruana de Biología 17(1): . 43-52. PDF.
  • Rodrigo Salvador, José Fontenelle, Barbara Mizumo Tomotani: Taxonomic reassessment of Megalobulimus toriii (Gastropoda, Strophocheilidae); Journal of Conchology issue 3 vol. 43 p 313-320, 2019.

External links edit