Gastropods (/ˈɡæstrəpɒdz/; previously known as Univalves; class Gastropoda/ɡæsˈtrɒpədə/) are a vast and diverse group of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca, comprising the animals commonly known as snails and slugs. With an estimated 65,000 to 80,000 living species, they form the second-largest animal class after the insects. The fossil record of gastropods extends back to the Late Cambrian. As of 2017[update], 721 families are recognized—476 extant (some with fossil representatives) and 245 extinct known only from fossils.
Gastropods inhabit an extraordinary range of environments, including marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. They occur in gardens, woodlands, deserts, mountains, rivers, lakes, estuaries, mudflats, intertidal zones, the deep sea, hydrothermal vents, and even in parasitic niches.
The term snail generally refers to gastropods with a large external shell into which the body can fully retract, while slugs have no shell or a small internal one, and semislugs can only partially withdraw into their reduced shell. Marine gastropods include familiar forms such as abalones, conches, periwinkles, whelks, and cowries, whose shells are usually coiled in adulthood. In contrast, limpets and related groups coil their shells only in the larval stage, retaining a simple conical form as adults.
Because of their vast diversity, gastropods exhibit remarkable variation in anatomy, behavior, feeding, and reproduction, making broad generalizations difficult. Gastropods remain one of evolution's most successful and adaptable animal lineages. (Full article...)
Byne's disease, more accurately known as Bynesian decay, is a peculiar and permanently damaging condition (resulting from an on-going chemical reaction) which often attacks mollusk shells that are in storage or on display for long periods of time. Bynesian decay is a form of efflorescence of salts formed by the reaction of acidic vapors with the basic shell surface. This can superficially resemble a growth of mold.
Although this condition was first described in the early 19th century, Bynesian decay was not well understood until almost a hundred years later. The condition is named after the man (Loftus Byne) who is best known for describing it in the late 19th century, even though he was not the first person to describe this condition in a publication. In addition, Byne mistakenly assumed that the condition was caused by bacteria, and thus the condition came to be referred to as a "disease".
As well as mollusk shells, various other natural historyspecimens are susceptible to this form of decay, including eggshells and some fossils and mineral samples that are composed of calcium carbonate. This condition is of concern for museum scientists, and also for anyone who has a private collection of specimens of these kinds. (Read more...)
Baldwin was born on November 26, 1831 in Honolulu. His father was early missionary doctor Dwight Baldwin (1798–1886), and his mother was Charlotte Fowler Baldwin (1805–1873). After a few years living in Waimea, the family moved to the island of Maui in about 1837. Baldwin lived in Connecticut for a time and received both his undergraduate degree and a Master of Arts from Yale.
In 1890, he moved to Haʻikū, where his younger brother Henry Perrine Baldwin (1842–1911) had founded the agricultural venture Alexander & Baldwin with his brother-in-law Samuel Thomas Alexander (1836–1904). At this time Baldwin devoted much of his efforts to studying mollusks, i.e. to malacology, specifically the study of Hawaiian land snails, some of which he named and described. In addition, several land snail species in the family Achatinellidae were named in honor of him, as well as a subgenus Baldwinia of the genus Partulina. He produced the first catalog of Hawaiian land snails and freshwater snails in 1893. (Read more...)
Photo of an apertural view of Sinotaia aeruginosa... that Sinotaia aeruginosa(shell pictured) is common in restaurants in China?
Drawing of an apertural view of Acmella nana... that Acmella nana(shell pictured) is the smallest known land snail?
Drawing of an apertural view of Semisulcospira libertina... that Semisulcospira libertina(shell pictured) is the most common freshwater snail in Japan?
Drawing of two Carinaria cristata, the upper one without the shell... that the fragile shell of the glassy nautilus Carinaria cristata(pictured) was at one time considered to be worth more than its weight in gold?
Photo of dorsal view of Spurilla neapolitana... that Spurilla neapolitana(pictured) defends itself with stinging cells derived from the sea anemones it eats?
Photo of an apertural view of Pupilla pratensis... that Pupilla pratensis(shell pictured) has long been neglected in the malacological literature?
Map of Lake Skadar... that there are 12 endemic species of freshwater snails in Lake Skadar(map pictured)?
Photo of an apertural view of Balea sarsii ... that the land snail Balea sarsii(shell pictured) has been overlooked for a long time?
Photo of an apertural view of Vertigo ultimathule ... that the land snail Vertigo ultimathule(shell pictured) is endemic to the northernmost part of Scandinavia?
Drawing of an apertural view of Hinea brasiliana ... that flashes of light emitted by the sea snail Hinea brasiliana(shell pictured) may act as a "burglar alarm"?
Photo of an apertural view of Halystina umberlee ... that the sea snail Halystina umberlee(pictured) was named after Umberlee, a fictional evil goddess from the Forgotten Realms role-playing game?
... that Candidula arganica, a snail found in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, lives primarily in meadows?
... that Candidula spadae, a snail native to Central Italy, is at risk in part because of tourist activities?
Drawing of dorsal view of Rathouisia leonina ... that the land slug Rathouisia leonina(pictured) from China is carnivorous?
a shell of Hauffenia sp. from Slovakia... that the subterranean freshwater snail Hauffenia sp. from Slovakia(shell pictured) has been an undescribed species since the 1980s?
a live Oxychilus camelinus... that the land snail Oxychilus camelinus(pictured) was described from Lebanon?
shell of holotype of Abbottella calliotropis... that land snails of the genus Abbottella (Abbottella calliotropis shell pictured) live on the islands of Hispaniola and Cuba?
a live Tonna galea out of water... that the snail Tonna galea(pictured) is one of very few species of prosobranch gastropods that are luminescent?
shell of holotype of Notodiscus hookeri heardensis... that the land snail Notodiscus hookeri (shell pictured) has unique shell structure among all gastropods?
a live Zospeum tholussum... that the microscopic cave snail Zospeum tholussum (pictured) is so slow that in a week's time it may only move a few millimeters or centimeters in circles?
live Omalonyx convexus... that the land snail Omalonyx convexus(pictured) can also be found submerged among macrophytes?
... that the malacologist S. Peter Dance said the shell of Pterynotus loebbeckei, (pictured), was the "most exquisite natural object" he had ever seen?
... that marine biologist Frederick Bayer discovered 170 new species, including a number of sea snails?
shell of Faunus ater... that the only brackish-water pachychilid species, Faunus ater(shell pictured), has a shell that is unique among all the Cerithioidea?
The image shows five different views of one shell of the sea snail species Melo aethiopica, one of the bailer shells. This snail is a tropical species that is very large and predatory.
The shell is almost spherical in overall shape with a very large aperture and a low spire. The shell of this species is in demand as a decorative object, and thus is part of the international shell trade.
Request to editors: please do not create any more categories of gastropods by country. Instead create list articles, article with a list of the marine or non-marine gastropods of whichever country or area you are interested in. We would also like to empty and delete the two remaining country categories we have, adding that information to list articles instead. Thank you.
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