Littoraria
The shell of this individual of Littoraria irrorata is covered with the lichen Pyrenocollema halodytes
The shell of this individual of Littoraria irrorata is covered with the lichen Pyrenocollema halodytes
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Littorinoidea
Family: Littorinidae
Subfamily: Littorininae
Genus: Littoraria
Griffith & Pidgeon, 1834[1]
Type species
Littorina pulchra
Sowerby, 1832
Synonyms
  • Littoraria (Bulimilittorina) D. Reid, 1989· accepted, alternate representation
  • Littoraria (Lamellilitorina) Tryon, 1887· accepted, alternate representation
  • Littoraria (Lamellitorina) [sic] (misspelling)
  • Littoraria (Littoraria) Gray, 1833· accepted, alternate representation
  • Littoraria (Littorinopsis) Mörch, 1876· accepted, alternate representation
  • Littoraria (Palustorina) D. Reid, 1986· accepted, alternate representation
  • Littoraria (Protolittoraria) D. Reid, 1989· accepted, alternate representation
  • Littorina (Littoraria) Gray, 1833
  • Littorina (Littorinopsis) Mörch, 1876 (basionym)
  • Littorinopsis Mörch, 1876
  • Littorinopsis (Touzinia) Cossmann, 1916 (original rank)

Littoraria is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.[2]

There are more than fifty species in this genus of which more than 20 species are believed to be synonyms of Littoraria scabra, a very variable species.[3]

Many of the species in this genus occur in the Indo-West Pacific region and in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, where they are found in large numbers on the trunks, trees and prop roots of tropical mangrove forests a few metres above high tide level. These snails feed on the thin film of algae, epiphytes, fungi, diatoms and leaf epidermis of these mangroves.[4] The species living on higher levels of the trees have thinner shells, and are more variable in shell colour.

Within this genus, Littoraria aberrans is the only ovoviviparous species with an intracapsular metamorphosis.

Species

Species in the genus Littoraria include:

Species brought into synonymy
  • Littoraria dantaae Y.-F. Fang, Y.-J. Peng, G.-J. Zhang & J. He, 2012: synonym of Mainwaringia dantaae Y.-F. Fang, Y.-J. Peng, G.-J. Zhang & J. He, 2012
  • Littoraria glabrata Philippi, 1846 : synonym of Littoraria coccinea glabrata (Philippi, 1846)
  • Littoraria kraussi (Rosewater, 1970): synonym of Littoraria coccinea glabrata (Philippi, 1846)
  • Littoraria pulchra Gray, 1833: synonym of Littoraria zebra (Donovan, 1825) (junior synonym)

References

  1. Griffith & Pidgeon (1834). In: Griffith's Cuvier, Anim. Kingd., Moll., etc.: 578.
  2. Reid, David G. (2011). Littoraria Griffith & Pidgeon, 1834. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=206218 on 2011-04-15
  3. Reid, D.G. (1986). The littorinid molluscs of mangrove forests in the Indo-Pacific region. British Museum (Natural History), London
  4. J.T. Christensen (1998). "Diet in Littoraria". Hydrobiologia. 378: 235–236. doi:10.1023/A:1003226713667.

Further reading

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