Orthalicus
Photo of the day (61): Orthalicus
15-09-2009 20:35
A
second
species
of
Orthalicus
was found by Alexander von Bülding in the same area.
With the same stipulations as made yesterday, my opinion is that this picture shows O. prototypus (Pilsbry, 1899).
With the same stipulations as made yesterday, my opinion is that this picture shows O. prototypus (Pilsbry, 1899).
Photo of the day (60): Orthalicus
14-09-2009 20:39
Alexander von Bülding asked me to identify these
photographs of an
Orthalicus
species. This is what I wrote to him:
“It is not an easy question that you poses, to identify some pictures of Orthalicus. Pisbry, one of the giants in malacology, writes on this group: "The group is undoubtedly difficult on account of the general similarity and the frequent occurrence of parallel or convergent variations in stocks of different areas". (Pilsbry, 1930: 360).
Therefore, I should be modest in my opinions, as this group - nearly 80 years later - still needs a revision. Good data on locations, ranges and biology are still scanty available (old collections largely use imprecise, e.g. "Brazil", or incorrect locations) and variation is hardly studied and understood. Given the variation in shell morphology (especially colouration), many names have been introduced which taxonomic status is uncertain.
That having said, I'm inclined to call this specimen O. capax (Pilsbry, 1930). Again, judging by these pictures only and unable to see the shell shape and certain details”.
The pictures were taken in Brazil, Paraiba State, near Araruna.
Many thanks Alexander, for giving me permission to show these pictures here.
Reference:
Pilsbry, H.A., 1930. South American land and freshwater mollusks: notes and descriptions, VII. - Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 82: 355-365.
“It is not an easy question that you poses, to identify some pictures of Orthalicus. Pisbry, one of the giants in malacology, writes on this group: "The group is undoubtedly difficult on account of the general similarity and the frequent occurrence of parallel or convergent variations in stocks of different areas". (Pilsbry, 1930: 360).
Therefore, I should be modest in my opinions, as this group - nearly 80 years later - still needs a revision. Good data on locations, ranges and biology are still scanty available (old collections largely use imprecise, e.g. "Brazil", or incorrect locations) and variation is hardly studied and understood. Given the variation in shell morphology (especially colouration), many names have been introduced which taxonomic status is uncertain.
That having said, I'm inclined to call this specimen O. capax (Pilsbry, 1930). Again, judging by these pictures only and unable to see the shell shape and certain details”.
The pictures were taken in Brazil, Paraiba State, near Araruna.
Many thanks Alexander, for giving me permission to show these pictures here.
Reference:
Pilsbry, H.A., 1930. South American land and freshwater mollusks: notes and descriptions, VII. - Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 82: 355-365.
A new blog
15-06-2009 20:13
Richard Goldberg sent out his Worldwide Shell Notes
#1, containing a link to his recently opened blog
which he called
Art and Science of
Nature.
When I looked it up, I was pleasantly surprised to
see that it very relevant to Neotropical snails.
It contains some nice posts on a recent trip to Jamaica, with some video shots made traveling to rainy Dolphin Head. His observations on annulariids are really nice, given the (wet) circumstances that they were made. My attention was, however, draw by a picture of a crawling orthalicid. It is Orthalicus undatus jamaicensis (Pilsbry, 1899), caught at night. If you hadn’t figured out yet, once more a proof that being a malacologist is a very tough business...
Looking around on his site, I also found a highly attractive picture of Gaeotis nigrolineatus. When I asked Richard about this picture, he said that it was made under controlled conditions. While shooting a series of shots, it deposited its eggs on the leaf.
Notice the blue appearance of the animal. It reminds me of certain blue Drymaeus...
Keep the good work up, Rich.
It contains some nice posts on a recent trip to Jamaica, with some video shots made traveling to rainy Dolphin Head. His observations on annulariids are really nice, given the (wet) circumstances that they were made. My attention was, however, draw by a picture of a crawling orthalicid. It is Orthalicus undatus jamaicensis (Pilsbry, 1899), caught at night. If you hadn’t figured out yet, once more a proof that being a malacologist is a very tough business...
Looking around on his site, I also found a highly attractive picture of Gaeotis nigrolineatus. When I asked Richard about this picture, he said that it was made under controlled conditions. While shooting a series of shots, it deposited its eggs on the leaf.
Notice the blue appearance of the animal. It reminds me of certain blue Drymaeus...
Keep the good work up, Rich.
Photo of the day (50): Orthalicus
22-05-2009 19:28
This
Orthalicus
ponderosus
Strebel & Pfeffer, 1882 originates from Mexico,
Jalisco, Punta Pérula area and was captured on logs
of
Dalbergia
retusa
when imported in the USA.
Photos taken by Eric McDonald, courtesy of David Robinson.
Photos taken by Eric McDonald, courtesy of David Robinson.
Orthalicus as a pest
11-07-2008 12:02
Searching for literature about snails as pest
species, I came across a paper* describing Orthalicus
maracaibensis (Pfeiffer, 1856) attacking Citrus spp.
It was reported from Yumare in northern Venezuela.
The nice thing about the paper was the multitude of
pictures from live specimens :-)
Update: Carl Christensen sent me this paper of Deisler, who states that tree snails may be beneficial "because they feed on epiphytic growths." The only other record I have on Orthalicoidea as agricultural pests, is this paper by Stange. He cites that Amphibulima patula dominicanus Pilsbry, 1899 has been reported as feeding on citrus.
Reference:
Ordosgoitti, A. (1999). Caracoles plagas de cítricas en Yumare, Estado Yaracuy. Agronoía Tropical, 49, 517-525.
Update: Carl Christensen sent me this paper of Deisler, who states that tree snails may be beneficial "because they feed on epiphytic growths." The only other record I have on Orthalicoidea as agricultural pests, is this paper by Stange. He cites that Amphibulima patula dominicanus Pilsbry, 1899 has been reported as feeding on citrus.
Reference:
Ordosgoitti, A. (1999). Caracoles plagas de cítricas en Yumare, Estado Yaracuy. Agronoía Tropical, 49, 517-525.
Photo of the day
09-02-2008 17:32
Perhaps this will become a new thread, not sure
yet... After all, there are not so much new pictures
on Orthalicidae, at least not a daily basis :-)
This I found on a web site dedicated to Liguus in Florida. In human sexology it would be called interracial, in malacology intergenerical??
Liguus fasciatus (Müller, 1774) and Orthalicus floridensus Pilsbry, 1899 mating (photo: Phil Poland)
This I found on a web site dedicated to Liguus in Florida. In human sexology it would be called interracial, in malacology intergenerical??
Liguus fasciatus (Müller, 1774) and Orthalicus floridensus Pilsbry, 1899 mating (photo: Phil Poland)