Helicinidae
Mites and snails
21-07-2010 20:54
“Quite a spectacular
view” was my thought when I first saw these pictures.
They were taken by Adrián González near Viñales, Sito
del Infierno. An appropriate name (‘Devil’s Place’)
if you come to think of it...
This poor Viana regina (Morelet, 1849) was completely covered with red chigger mites (Acarini: Trombuculidae). In their review of this group, Wharton & Fuller (1952) only cite one species from Cuba, Trombicula (Eutrombicula) alfreddugèsi (Oudemans, 1910). This is a wide-spread species in the Nearctic and Neotropics. At the time of their writing, the hosts on which it was known to occur listed mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibia. There may be a record of snails as host in more recent literature; if not, it is a new record now.
The animals are known to cause scrub typhus and dermititis, caused by feeding on digested host tissue and lymph. It the picture below it can be seen that the chiggers not only dwell on the shell, but also on the snail.
Adrián spotted these mites also on Nodalia species (Urocoptidae).
Thanks to Herman Cremers for pointing me to the right group and source of literature.
Reference:
Wharton, G.W. & Fuller, H.S., 1952. A manual of the chiggers. The biology, classification, distribution and importance to man of the larvae of the family Trombiculidae (Acarina). - Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Washington 4: 1-185.
This poor Viana regina (Morelet, 1849) was completely covered with red chigger mites (Acarini: Trombuculidae). In their review of this group, Wharton & Fuller (1952) only cite one species from Cuba, Trombicula (Eutrombicula) alfreddugèsi (Oudemans, 1910). This is a wide-spread species in the Nearctic and Neotropics. At the time of their writing, the hosts on which it was known to occur listed mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibia. There may be a record of snails as host in more recent literature; if not, it is a new record now.
The animals are known to cause scrub typhus and dermititis, caused by feeding on digested host tissue and lymph. It the picture below it can be seen that the chiggers not only dwell on the shell, but also on the snail.
Adrián spotted these mites also on Nodalia species (Urocoptidae).
Thanks to Herman Cremers for pointing me to the right group and source of literature.
Reference:
Wharton, G.W. & Fuller, H.S., 1952. A manual of the chiggers. The biology, classification, distribution and importance to man of the larvae of the family Trombiculidae (Acarina). - Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Washington 4: 1-185.
Unknown helicinids and cyclophorids
28-04-2010 09:06
Cyclophoridae and
Helicinidae are notorious difficult groups and beyond
my own focus of specialization. I recently received
some pictures of helicinids, one live specimen and
one of a shell only, plus some pictures of live
cyclophorids. Just sharing these pictures with you;
if someone has a name, let me know.
The first helicinid is from Adrián González and was found during a recent trip to the cloud forest in Junín area in Prov. Imbabura, Ecuador. It is as Bourciera helicinaeformis Pfeiffer, 1851 mentioned in literature.
The second species was collected by Raúl Zea in Colombia, Cundinamarca, near Soacha.
He also sent me this picture of a Neocyclotus (?), which was collected by Gilman Santander near Armenía, Quindío, Colombia.
Finally, Adrián González sent me pictures of a similar (but distinct) species, found near Tembor, Chical area, northern Ecuador at 1700 m.
The first helicinid is from Adrián González and was found during a recent trip to the cloud forest in Junín area in Prov. Imbabura, Ecuador. It is as Bourciera helicinaeformis Pfeiffer, 1851 mentioned in literature.
The second species was collected by Raúl Zea in Colombia, Cundinamarca, near Soacha.
He also sent me this picture of a Neocyclotus (?), which was collected by Gilman Santander near Armenía, Quindío, Colombia.
Finally, Adrián González sent me pictures of a similar (but distinct) species, found near Tembor, Chical area, northern Ecuador at 1700 m.
Priotrochatella (2)
08-06-2009 14:51
As a continuation of the previous post, first of all
a picture of
Priotrochatella
torrei
Clapp, 1918. It is the same picture that was
published in the book
Cuba:
the landshells paradise
(Greta
Editores).
The three Cuban species all occur in the northern part of Isla de Pinos, on isolated calcareous hills. This is the map from Clench & Jacobson (1970; reference see previous post), and gives a more or less schematic impression of the situation in the early 1930s.
Distribution of
Priotroachatella species. Blue circle,
P. constellata; green star, P.
torrei; purple triangle, P.
stellata. Modified after Clench &
Jacobson, 1970.
This is how this area looks today, viewed through Google Earth. The city has considerably expanded and the roads have been altered in part, but the hills are still there. However, part of Sierra de Casas has disappeared. See the red box.
Here is a magnification of the boxed area, which shows that a quarry is eating away the hill.
And here is a side view at ground level.
As noted in my previous post, Priotroachatella species are known to dwell on calcareous rocks. Contrary to the reports from Jamaica, the Cuban species are cave dwellers. Both constellata and stellata are seriously threatened by the exploitation of marble quarries, driving these species into extinction.
It may be noted that these species are highly restricted in range and habitat and easily meet the criteria for Critically Endangered of the IUCN Red List. As I have repeatedly argued before, it is a serious omission that so few land snails are included on this List. Many need to be recognized according to the categories of this List and to be protected. Not only on Cuba, but other (Neotropical and other) snails as well.
S.O.S., Save Our Snails!!!
The three Cuban species all occur in the northern part of Isla de Pinos, on isolated calcareous hills. This is the map from Clench & Jacobson (1970; reference see previous post), and gives a more or less schematic impression of the situation in the early 1930s.
Distribution of
Priotroachatella species. Blue circle,
P. constellata; green star, P.
torrei; purple triangle, P.
stellata. Modified after Clench &
Jacobson, 1970.This is how this area looks today, viewed through Google Earth. The city has considerably expanded and the roads have been altered in part, but the hills are still there. However, part of Sierra de Casas has disappeared. See the red box.
Here is a magnification of the boxed area, which shows that a quarry is eating away the hill.
And here is a side view at ground level.
As noted in my previous post, Priotroachatella species are known to dwell on calcareous rocks. Contrary to the reports from Jamaica, the Cuban species are cave dwellers. Both constellata and stellata are seriously threatened by the exploitation of marble quarries, driving these species into extinction.
It may be noted that these species are highly restricted in range and habitat and easily meet the criteria for Critically Endangered of the IUCN Red List. As I have repeatedly argued before, it is a serious omission that so few land snails are included on this List. Many need to be recognized according to the categories of this List and to be protected. Not only on Cuba, but other (Neotropical and other) snails as well.
S.O.S., Save Our Snails!!!
Photo of the day (54): Priotrochatella
05-06-2009 19:12
If you liked my post of
yesterday,
you will even like this post better (I guess).
Today is about the helicinid genus Priotrochatella Fischer, 1893. These snails are very, very beautiful and, to say the least, they are very peculiar.
On Cuba three species have been reported, all from the Isle of Pine. The first one of which I’ve got a picture is P. costellata (Morelet, 1847).
The second species is P. stellata (Poey, 1851).
The third species is P. torrei Clapp, 1918. For a picture, see Clench & Jacobson, 1970.
More on the ecology and conservation of these species in a later post. Many thanks to Adrián González for his kind permission to show these artistic photographs here.
The genus is also known from Jamaica, where two species occur: P. josephinae (C.B. Adams, 1849) and P. pulchra (C.B. Adams, 1851). According to Ira Richling, the former species lives on moss covered calcareous rocks. On Gary Rosenberg’s site on Jamaican landsnails, I found a picture of P. pulchra and it also shows the shell amidst moss and lichens, perfectly camouflaging itself.
Reference:
Clench, W.J. & Jacobson, M.K., 1970. The genus Priotrochatella (Mollusca: Helicinidae) of the Isle of Pine and Jamaica, West Indies. - Occasional Papers On Mollusks 3 (39): 61-80.
Today is about the helicinid genus Priotrochatella Fischer, 1893. These snails are very, very beautiful and, to say the least, they are very peculiar.
On Cuba three species have been reported, all from the Isle of Pine. The first one of which I’ve got a picture is P. costellata (Morelet, 1847).
The second species is P. stellata (Poey, 1851).
The third species is P. torrei Clapp, 1918. For a picture, see Clench & Jacobson, 1970.
More on the ecology and conservation of these species in a later post. Many thanks to Adrián González for his kind permission to show these artistic photographs here.
The genus is also known from Jamaica, where two species occur: P. josephinae (C.B. Adams, 1849) and P. pulchra (C.B. Adams, 1851). According to Ira Richling, the former species lives on moss covered calcareous rocks. On Gary Rosenberg’s site on Jamaican landsnails, I found a picture of P. pulchra and it also shows the shell amidst moss and lichens, perfectly camouflaging itself.
Reference:
Clench, W.J. & Jacobson, M.K., 1970. The genus Priotrochatella (Mollusca: Helicinidae) of the Isle of Pine and Jamaica, West Indies. - Occasional Papers On Mollusks 3 (39): 61-80.
Neotropical Helicinidae
21-04-2009 19:01
Last week I found on the shelf with new publications
in our library (refreshed every two weeks), a number
of the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution; this
journal is published by the Natural History Museum in
Berlin. The number - said to have been published in
September 2008 - contains a paper by Ira Richling and
Matthias Glaubrecht on types of Helicinidae in the
collection of the Berlin museum.
Being important as such, the authors have added in the introduction interesting information on various malacologists who contributed to our knowledge on Cuban land snails: Ludwig Pfeiffer (who signed his letters always with “Louis”), Johann Gundlach, Wilhelm Dunker, Felipe Poey and Eduard von Martens.
Johann Gundlach (1810-1896), after Dathe & González López (2002).
I found it especially interesting to read about the brief trip to Cuba that Pfeiffer made in 1839-1840. He was accompanied by Gundlach, a German who didn’t return to Europe but spent the rest of his life on the island, collecting and studying the fauna. Richling and Glaubrecht provide evidence that Pfeiffer’s descriptions of new taxa from Cuba were often based on material received from Gundlach.
After the annotated type list, a second part gives a list of all taxa with their (in some cases, provisional) generic placement. The references contain several recent publications that will be of interest to malacologists devoted to the Neotropics and interested in biohistory.
References:
Dathe, W. & González López, R.M., 2002. Johann Christoph Gundlach (1810-1896). Naturforscher auf Kuba. Basilikien Presse, Marburg a/d Lahn.
Richling, I. & Glaubrecht, M., 2008. The types of Neotropical Helicinidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Neritopsina) in the malacological collection of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: an annotated catalogue, with emphasis on Cuban land snails. - Zoosystematics and Evolution 84: 265-310.
Being important as such, the authors have added in the introduction interesting information on various malacologists who contributed to our knowledge on Cuban land snails: Ludwig Pfeiffer (who signed his letters always with “Louis”), Johann Gundlach, Wilhelm Dunker, Felipe Poey and Eduard von Martens.
Johann Gundlach (1810-1896), after Dathe & González López (2002).
I found it especially interesting to read about the brief trip to Cuba that Pfeiffer made in 1839-1840. He was accompanied by Gundlach, a German who didn’t return to Europe but spent the rest of his life on the island, collecting and studying the fauna. Richling and Glaubrecht provide evidence that Pfeiffer’s descriptions of new taxa from Cuba were often based on material received from Gundlach.
After the annotated type list, a second part gives a list of all taxa with their (in some cases, provisional) generic placement. The references contain several recent publications that will be of interest to malacologists devoted to the Neotropics and interested in biohistory.
References:
Dathe, W. & González López, R.M., 2002. Johann Christoph Gundlach (1810-1896). Naturforscher auf Kuba. Basilikien Presse, Marburg a/d Lahn.
Richling, I. & Glaubrecht, M., 2008. The types of Neotropical Helicinidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Neritopsina) in the malacological collection of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: an annotated catalogue, with emphasis on Cuban land snails. - Zoosystematics and Evolution 84: 265-310.