JANUARY 27, 1977
THE
NAUTILUS
Vol. 91
No. 1
A quarterly
devoted to
malacology and
the interests of
conchologists
Founded 1889 by Henry A. Pilsbry. Continued by H. Burrington Baker.
Editor-in-Chief: R. Tucker Abbott
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
CONSULTING EDITORS
Dr. Arthur H. Clarke, Jr.
Department of Mollusks
National Museum of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A-0M8
Dr. William J. Clench
Curator Emeritus
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Dr. William K. Emerson
Department of Living Invertebrates
The American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York 10024
Mr. Morris K. Jacobson
Department of Living Invertebrates
The American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York 10024
Dr. Aurele La Rocque
Department of Geology
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Dr. James H. McLean
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
Dr. Arthur S. Merrill
Biological Laboratory
National Marine Fisheries Service
Oxford, Maryland 21654
Dr. Donald R. Moore
Division of Marine Geology
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
10 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Florida 33149
Dr. Joseph Rosewater
Division of MoUusks
U. S. National Museum
Washington, D.C. 20560
Dr. G. Alan Solem
Department of Invertebrates
Field Museum of Natural History
Chicago, Illinois 60605
Dr. David H. Stansbery
duseum of Zoology
/he Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Dr. Ruth D. Turner
Department of Mollusks
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Dr. Gilbert L. Voss
Division of Biology
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
1 0 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Florida 33149
Dr. Charles B. Wurtz
3220 Penn Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129
KDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Dr. R. Tucker Abbott
Delaware Museum of Natural History
Box 3937, GreenvUle, Delaware 19807
Mrs. Horace B. Baker
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THE
NAUTILUS
Volume 91, Number 1— January 27, 1977
CONTENTS
Raymond W. Neck
Geographical Range of Praticolla griseola (Polygyridae, Correction and Analysis 1
David Nicol
Geographic Relationship of Benthic Marine Molluscs of Florida 4
William F. Gale
Growth of the Fingernail Clam, Sphaerium transversum (Say) in the Field
and Laboratory Experiments 8
Eileen H. Jokinen
The Formation and Structure of the Shell Varix in Stagnicola elodes (Say)
(Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) 13
WiUiam H. Gilbert and Ellen F. Suchow
Predation by Winter Flounder (Psevdopleuronectes amerkanus) on the
Siphons of the Clam, Tellina agilis 16
Dee S. Dundee and Anna Paine
Ecology of the Snail, Melanoides tuberculata (Miiller), Intermediate Host of the
Human Liver Fluke (Opisthorrhiii sinerms) in New Orleans, Louisiana 17
Joseph C. Britton and Clifford E. Murphy
New Records and Ex;ological Notes for Corincvla manilensis in Texas 20
Elizabeth V. Gardo
Opisthobranchs Found Off Little Egg Inlet, New Jersey, with Notes on Three
Species New to the State 23
William G. Lyons
Notes on Occurence of Eupleura sulcidentata Dall (Gastropoda: Muricidae) 28
Henk K. Mienis
North American Land Snails in Israel 30
S. K. Raut and K. C. Ghose
Effect of Upwardly-directed Shell Aperture on the Aestivating Land Snail, Achatina fuiica 31
Ralph W. Taylor and Clement L. Counts, III
The Asiatic Clam, Corbicula manilensis, as a Food of the Northern Racoon, Procyon lotor 34
Obituary of Allyn Goodwin Smith (1893-1976) 37
Publications received 7
Book review: (of) S. van der Spoel 36
STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIR-
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4396 Title 39. United States Code, and postal regulation
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Titleof publication: THE NAUTILUS
Date of filing, September 25, 1976.
Frequency of Issue: Quarterly (4 per year).
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De 19807.
Names and addresses of publisher, editor, and
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Baker, 11 Chelten Rd., Havertown, Pa. 19083. Editor,
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LIVING MARINE
MOLLUSCS
C. M. Yonge and T. E. Thompson
BEHAVIOUR
Two distinguished British marine biologists have combined their knowledge and talents to
produce a compact, well-rounded account of the largest marine group of animals.
"The first modem book on the biology of marine moUusks
that is of textbook quality, yet so beautifully written
and illustrated that the legions of amateur conchologists
will readily absorb its wealth of information"—/?. Tucker
Abbott, Ph.D.
Send check or money order to:
American Mulacologistx, Puhl.
P.O. Box 4208
Greenville, De. 19807 U.S.A.
Available March 1977
Clothbound, 288 pp., 162 text figures, 16 plates with 18 glorious color photographs of living
marine molluscs. Only $13.9.5.
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 1
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE OF PRATICOLELLA GRISEOLA (POLYGYRIDAE)
CORRECTION AND ANALYSIS
Raymond W. Neck
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
John H. Reagan Office Bldg.
Austin, Texas 78701
ABSTRACT
The geographical range of Praticolella griseola (Pfeiffer) in Texas and Mexico is
discussed; erroneous but published collecting sites are discussed. The climatic
causes of the discontinuity of geographic range of the species are discussed.
Three species of Praticolella von Martens
(Polygyridae) occur in Texas: pachyloma (Menke),
berlandieriana (Moricand) and griseola (Pfeiffer).
Early records placed griseola over much of
southern and central Texas; these records were
later corrected only to be subsequently
republished. In light of the reoccurrence of
this misinformation, all literature records are
reconsidered and the geographical range of
griseola is re-evaluated. Mexican and Central
American records of this species are also discussed.
Confusion of the range of griseola is no doubt
due to a lack of definite phenotypic breaking
points between griseola and berlandieriana even
though the classic types are quite different. Some
workers have felt that these two species definite-
ly blend together (von Martens 1892; Singley
1893) while others such as Pilsbry (1940:695) felt
that there were "no common links" between
them. Genitalia of berlandieriana and griseola
are similar but distinguishable (Webb 1967). A
definitive solution to the taxonomic problem wall
be difficult to obtain and may be impossible due
to contemporary habitat destruction. Adding to
the complexity is the possibility of hybridization
involving all three species in southern Texas
(Hubricht 1961; in Cheatum and Fullington 1971).
The first published records of P. griseola that I
have found are those of Binney (1885:394) for
Calhoun (at Indianola) and Bosque Counties.
Townsend (1897) reported it on the "lower Rio
Grande." Pilsbry (1940:690-692) completely dis-
counted the Bosque County record and doubted
the Indianola record. P. griseola is native in
neither county. Pilsbry gave the range of griseola
as "environs of Brownsville" which is in Cameron
County.
In the first synthesis of Texas molluscan
records, J. A. Singley (1893) reported griseola
from the following counties: Caldwell, Cameron,
Duval, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Kendall,
Milam (from Askew); Lampasas (from Mrs.
Sinks); Williamson (from Walker); Bexar, Comal,
Hays, Travis (Strecker's personal records).
In the next compilation of Texas snail records,
J. K. Strecker (1935) reported specimens in his
collection from Cameron and Hidalgo Counties.
He stated that "all other counties Singley men-
tions for P. griseola are no doubt based on P.
berlandienana" except Duval County. No reason
was given for acceptance of the Duval County
record.
The latest compilation of Texas polygyrid snail
records (Cheatum & Fullington 1971) re-publishes
the suspect records of Singley with no mention of
the intervening correction by Strecker. No men-
tion is made, however, of the records of Binney.
Significantly, all post-Singley records listed by
Cheatum and Fullington come from Cameron and
Hidalgo Counties in south Texas along the Rio
Grande River.
Thus, we are left with positive records for only
two counties for griseola in Texas. Personal col-
lecting in most of the central Texas counties has
revealed no populations of griseola. I have per-
sonal records from Brownsville (southern
Cameron County) and Laguna Atascosa Wildlife
Refuge (northeastern Cameron County). Webb
2 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. HI (1)
(1967) worked with griseola collected at Harl-
ingen (central Cameron County) by J. Campbell.
Such a restricted Texas range for land snails is
not unique, as Euglandina texasiana (Pfeiffer)
and Thiisdiinphiira plaginpt i)cha (Shuttlewnrth)
exhibit similar distributions. These snails in
Texas are restricted to soils of the modem delta
of the Rio Grande River which includes southern
and eastern Hidalgo County, all of Cameron
County and most of Willacy County. Shells of
griseola have not yet been repwrted from Willacy
County although the Laguna Atascosa locality is
no more than thirteen kilometers from the
Cameron-Willacy county line. Shells collected by
Ideker in Willacy County in 1974 included no
definite griseola shells although some berlan-
dieriana shells from this area may indicate in-
trogression with griseola. Populations of gyiseola
are to be expected in southern Willacy County.
The south Texas populations of g-riseola are
isolated from Mexican populations (except for
those in the southern Rio Grande delta) which oc-
cur no further north than the Tampico area at the
border between Vera Cruz and Tamaulipas. Other
populations occur at scattered localities in north-
ern Yucatan, Guatemala and Nicaragua (Rehder
1966).
Other populations have resulted from introduc-
tions. McLellan (19.50) reported griseola (could it
have been berlandieriana?) to be abundant in his
yard and adjacent lots in Bellaire, Harris County,
Texas. Other adventive populations include Cuba
(probably from Vera Cruz) and Key West,
possibly from Cuba (Pilsbry 1940:642).
The disjunction of populations of griseola is
similar to the dry lowland tropical Gulf Arc
distribution as exhibited by several species of
reptiles and amphibians (Martin 1958:92-94).
Herptile migration between these areas may have
occurred via a dry corridor through presently wet
tropical woodland areas at some time in the
Pleistocene. The occurrence of the Texas popula-
tions of griseola indicates a northward extension
of its normal range. At some time in the recent
past grifiPola apparently existed over large areas
of coastal Central America, Mexico and (at least
southern) Texas.
Environmental change may have resulted in
widespread extinction of griseola, with survival
occurring only in a few scattered refugia. The
restriction of griseola in Texas to the relatively
mesic deltaic soils of the Rio Grande River in-
dicates that increased aridity was the en-
vironmental factor involved. The area between
the Rio Grande delta and the Panuco River
floodplain (Tampico area) contains only one
significant drainage system. The floodplain of the
Rio Soto La Marina in Tamaulipas should be ex-
amined for populations of griseola. Although the
entire area is arid, these rivers provide suitable
moisture as a result of periodic flooding. The
decline of griseola may have been accompanied
by an expansion of berlandieriana, as the latter
species occurs (possibly sparingly) in the area
between the Rio Grande River and Rio Soto La
Marina (Rehder 1966). A similar range disjunc-
tion in northeastern Mexico is exhibited by the
Texas pocket gopher (Selander et al. 1962).
The second break is apparently not due to
aridity. On the contrary, the break below Vera
Cruz may result from excess moisture in the
humid forest of the Campeche Lowlands. This
area exhibits higher temperature, rainfall and
humidity levels than either bordering area which
contains griseola (Vivo E. 1964), Competition
from tropical snail species specifically adapted to
warm, moist habitats may exclude griseola.
Much additional field work on geographic and
habitat distribution of griseola is needed before a
definitive answer to the reasons for range
fragmentation and existence of particular refugia.
It is difficult at best to correlate the distributions
of organisms with compilations of environmental
data from the literature. The refugia of griseola
apparently represent areas of varied vegetation,
geological and climatic regimes (Leopold 1950;
Wagner 1964; West 1964; Vivo E. 1964). Alter-
nate wet-dry cycles could be important because
Webb (1967) indicated such conditions were
necessary for the culture of both griseola and
berlandieriana.
Fragmentation of the species range of griseola
would be favorable for genetic differentiation be-
tween refugia. This has, apparently, occurred as
Rehder (1966) reported "P. griseola consists of a
number of more or less well-characterized races"
which he based on shell characters.
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 3
One additional factor may be involved in the
spotty distribution of griseola. A number of
workers have suggested that griseola is not native
to Yucatan and Guatemala (Bequaert & Clench
1936; Harry 1950). All Guatemalan material (see
Goodrich & van der Schalie 1957) was probably
collected within a 20 km radius of each other ac-
cording to Harry (1950); furthermore all Yucatan
material collected by Harry (1950) definitely was
from such a small area. These two centers of
distribution are about 500 km apart. In these
areas griseola is found exclusively in sites with
orchards, railroad embankments, urban areas and
savannahs managed for cattle grazing (see Be-
quaert & Clench 1933; Goodrich & van der
Schalie 1937). Basch (1959) did not find griseola
in Tikal National Park, Guatemala. Other
workers failed to find griseola when collecting in
various parts of Guatemala and the Yucatan
(Hinkley 1920: Pilsbry 1891; van der Schalie 1940).
Stating that griseola is a species of open, rather
than forested areas, Branson & McCoy (1963) felt
that "man may augment the distribution of this
form by his clearing activities, rather than ac-
tually transporting it to new localities."
Time and source of these putative introduc-
tions into these southern areas are unknown. The
existence of noticeable phenotypic types or
"races" in the various areas of occurrence in-
dicates the possibility of early introduction
(pre-Conquest). Mayan and pre-Mayan set-
tlements have existed in this area for centuries.
Introduction of a limited stock (founder effect)
and/or natural selection for individuals better
adapted to local conditions would result in such
genetic differentiation. The most likely source
would be the Tampico-Vera Cruz populations,
simply because of its close proximity. Branson &
McCoy (1965) reported that specimens from
Campeche were intermediate between Yucatan
and Guatemalan material but closer to the
Guatemalan specimens.
The possibility of these populations being in-
troduced to southern Texas is a strong possibility.
Although almost all areas of the southern tip of
Texas have been cleared or overgrazed at some
time in the past century, griseola does not appear
to be particularly associated with human impact
areas. One would not expect a snail from tropical
Mexico to flourish in natural habitats of sub-
tropical Texas. Frosts occur in most years and
hard freezes are not unkown. Additionally, long
periods of dryness accompanied by high temper-
atures are common in this area. A number of
foreign snails have become established in this
area (Neck, R. W. 1976). These snails, however, are
generally restricted to human -associated sites.
LITERATURE CITED
Basch. P. F. 19.59. Land molluscs of the Tikal National Park.
Guatemala. Mas. Zoot. Univ. Mich. Occ. Pap. 612: 1.5 pp.
Bequaert, J. C. and W. J. Clench. 19,33. The non-marine
mollusks of Yucatan. Carnegie Inst. Wash. Pub.
431:525-545.
Bequaert, J. C. and W. J. Clench. 1936. A second contribution
to the moUuscan fauna of Yucatan. Carnegie Inst. Wash.
Pub. 457:61-75.
Binney, W. G. 1885. A manual of American land snails. Bidl.
U.S.N.M.2S:52Spp.
Branson. B. A. and C. J. McCoy. 1963. Gastropoda of the 1961
University of Colorado Museum expedition in Mexico. The
NautUus'76:Wl-im.
Branson, B. A. and C. J. McCoy. 1965. Gastropoda of the 1962
University of Colorado Museum expedition in Mexico. Univ.
Colo. Stud. Ser. Biol. 13:16 pp.
Cheatum, E. P. and R. W. Fullington. 1971. The Recent and
Pleistocene members of the gastropod family Polygyridae in
Texas. Bull. Dallas Mus. Nat. Hist. 1(1):74 pp.
Goodrich, C. and H. van der Schalie. 1937. Mollusca of Peten
and North Alta Vera Paz, Guatemala. Univ. Mich. Mus.
Zool. Misc. Pubt. 34:.50 pp.
Harry. H. W. 1950. Studies on the nonmarine mollusca of
Yucatan. Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich. Occ. Pap. 524:34 pp.
Hinkley. A. A. 1920. Guatemala mollusca. The Nautilus
34:.37-.55.
Hubricht, L. 1961. Eight new species of land snails from the
southern United States. The Nautilus 75:26-32. 60-63.
Leopold. A. S. 1950. Vegetation zones of Mexico. Ecology
32:.507-518.
von Martens, E. 1892. Land and fresh-water molluscs.
Bioldgia Centrali-Americana. 708 pp.
Martin. P. S. 1958. A biogeography of reptiles and amphibians
in the Gomez Farias region, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Mus. Zool.
Utiiv. Mich. Misc. Pub. 101:102 pp.
McClellan. J. H. 1950. Texas snails. The Nautilus 64:41.
Neck, R. W. 1976. Adventive land snails in the Brownsville.
Texas aLTea.Southwestem Nai uralist 21: 133-135.
Pilsbry, H. A. 1891. Land and fresh-water mollusks collected
in Yucatan and Mexico. Pr(x. Adad. Nat. Sci. Phil, for
1891:310-334.
Pilsbry, H. A. 1940. Land mollusca of North America (north
of Mexico). Monoy. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. (3): vol. 1, pt. 2.
4 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91(1)
Rehder, H. A. 1966. TTie non-marine molluscs of Quintana
Roo, Mexico, with the description of a new species of
IMfmaeus (Pu!monata:Buiimulidae). /Vw. BioL Soc. Wash.
79:27.3-296.
van der Schalie. H. 1940. Notes on mollusca from Alta Vera
Paz, Guatemala. Mxis. Zool. Univ. Mich. Orr. Pap. 413:11 pp.
Selander. R. K.. R. F. .Johnston, B. .J. Wilks and G. G. Raun.
1962. Vertebrates from the barrier islands of Tamaulipas.
Mexico. Univ. Kan. Pub. Mus. Nat. Huit. 12:309-.34.5.
Singley, J. A. 189.3. A preliminar>' list of the land.
fresh-water, and marine mollusca of Texas. Fourth Annual
Rep. Geol. Survey Tex. (1892), Contri. Nat. Hist. Tex. Part
1:299-34.3.
Strecker, .J. K. .Jr. 193.5. Land and fresh-water snails of Texas.
Trans. Tex. Acad. Sci. 17:4-44.
Townsend, C. H. T. 1897. On the biogeography of Mexico and
the southwestern United States. II. Thins. Tex. Acad. Sd.
2(1): 33-86.
Vivo E., J. A. 1964. Weather and climate of Mexico and Cen-
tral .America. In Natural environment and early cultures
(R. C. West. ed.). Handbook of Middle American Indians
1:187-21.5.
Wagner, P. L. 1964. Natural vegetation of Middle America. In
Natural environment and early cultures (R. C. West, ed.).
Handbook of Middle American htdians 1:216-264.
Webb, G. R. 1967. Erotology of three species of Pratieolella,
and ofPolygifra pustula. The Nautilus 80:133-140; 81:11-18.
West. R. C. 196^1. Surface configuration and asscx-iated
geology of Middle America. In Natural environment and
early cultures (R. C. West, ed.). Handbook <f Middle
America Indians 1:43-83.
GEOGRAPHIC RELATIONSHIP OF
BENTHIC MARINE MOLLUSCS OF FLORIDA
David Nicol
Box 14376, University Station,
Gainesville, Florida 32604
ABSTRACT
The geographic distributions of 1,137 species of benthic marine molluscs of
Florida were analyzed. The number of Floridian endemics i'; 110, and those species
not ranging north of Cape Hatteras is 159. The number of boreal or arctic species
that range southward to Florida is only ki. Some species have migrated easticard
to Florida along the Gulf Coast, and these number 158. The majority of Florida's
benthic molluscs appear to have originated in the Caribbean region, and these
species number 779 or 68.i percent of all the species analyzed.
The gastropods have a higher percentage of species endemic to Florida (12. 7 per
cent) as compared to only 3.6 per cent of all the species of pelecypods. and the
pelecypods aymmonly have a higher percentage of geographically wide-ranging
species than the gastropods.
Florida probably has the most diverse marine
shallow-water molluscan fauna in the con-
tinental United States. Because of this, it has
long been a favorite site for shell collectors, and
the molluscs have been thoroughly described by
malacologists. Certainly one of the reasons for
the richness of this molluscan fauna is the fact
that Florida is surrounded by warm shallow
water, and the Florida Keys are less than two
degrees north of the Trupic of Cancer. The
powerful Florida Current sweeps between Cuba
and the Florida Keys and can easily carry
planktonic larvae of Caribbean species north-
ward from Florida to Cape Hatteras, North
Carolina.
In order to show the close relation.ship of the
Caribbean and Floridian molluscan faunas, the
geographic distributions given in two molluscan
faunal monographs were analyzed: Abbott's
American .'<eashplls (second edition, 1974) and
Warmke and Abbott's Caribbean .^eashrlls
(1961). Only the distributions of the benthic
gastropods (mainly prosobranchs), the
pelecypods, the scaphopods, and the
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 5
polyplacophorans were studied. Species living at
depths of 200 metere or more were largely
eliminated because they commonly were known
from only one or two dredging stations. The
sample of molluscs analyzed included 750
species of gastropods, 335 species of pelecypods,
30 species of scaphopods, and 22 species of
polyplacophorans. The total number of species
analyzed was 1,137.
The derivation of Florida's benthic marine
molluscan species can be summarized by
grouping them into four categories of
distribution: (1) species probably originating in
Florida and Floridian endemics; (2) species ex-
panding their range southward to Florida along
the Atlantic Coast or those mainly of boreal or
arctic origin; (3) species expanding their range
eastward in the Gulf of Mexico to Florida; (4)
species expanding their range northward to
Florida from the Caribbean region. These are
the categories shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1. Derivation of the benthic molluscs of Florida.
Region
N'l I'J. species Pi'r cent
The number of endemic species, those con-
fined to Florida, is 110. This comprises a sur-
prising 9.7 per cent of all of the molluscs whose
distributions were studied. Besides the species
that are Floridian endemics, there are a few
that are limited to the region extending from
Florida to Cape Hatteras. Most of these
probably originated in Florida and have ex-
panded their range northward. The number of
species that have this limited geographic
distribution is 49, or only 4.3 per cent of all of
the molluscan species studied. K one combines
the number of Floridian endemic species with
those that have a limited range from Florida to
no farther north than Cape Hatteras, the per-
centage of the total fauna in these two classes
is 14 per cent.
The number of boreal or arctic species that
also live in Florida, commonly in moderately
deep water, is only 42, or 3.7 per cent of the
total benthic fauna. Most of these species range
as far north as New England and eastern
Canada and some even have a circum-boreal
and arctic distribution. Some of these boreal
and arctic species that reach Florida are
Solemya velum Say, Nitcula proxima Say,
Niwulana acuta (Conrad), Limopsis cristata Jef-
freys, Limnpsis minuta Philippi, Argopecten
uradians (Lamarck), Limatula subauriculata
(Montagu), Astarie crenata subequilatera Sower-
by, Tlujasira tiisimiata Orbigny, Hiatella arctica
(Linne), Calliostoma bairdii Verrill and Smith,
Crepidula fomicata (Linne), Urosalpinx cinerea
(Say), Anachis lafresnayi (Fischer and Bernardi),
and Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say).
Some of Florida's molluscs are probably im-
migrants from the Gulf Coast that migrated
eastward into Floridian waters. The number of
these species is 158 or 13.9 per cent of the total
fauna analyzed.
The majority of the molluscs of Florida ap-
pear to have had a Caribbean or West Indian
origin. These species number 779 or 68.4 per
cent of all of the species studied. Many of these
species range as far north as Cape Hatteras,
but some are found only in the Florida Keys.
Some of these Caribbean species range as far
north as Cape Canaveral on the east coast of
Florida, and a few live as far north on the
west coast of Florida as Tampa Bay. The mol-
luscan fauna of Florida has been enriched by
many tropical genera from the West Indies
such as: Astraea, Nenta (four species each),
Strombus (five of six species), Triiia (seven
species), Cypraea (five species). Cassis (three
species), Cymatium (eleven species), Tonna (two
species). Bursa (six species), Mitrv, (five species).
Area (two species), Barbatia (four species),
Isognomon (three species), Pinctada (one
species), Spondylus (two species), Lima (three
species), Chama (six species), Pseudochama (one
of two species), and Asaphis (one species). There
are a few notable exceptions to the rule that
6 THE NAUTILUS
January 27. 1977
Vol. 91 (1)
m(jst genera and species originated in the West
Indian area. One of these is the genus Busycon.
with five species living in Florida, and none
found in the Caribbean region proper. Other e.x-
ceptions are Dinocardium robu.'itum (Lightfoot)
and Scaphella junonia (Lamarck).
Waller (1973. p. 32) states that the West In-
dian character of the moUuscan fauna of Ber-
muda has long been known. Many species of
molluscs of Caribbean origin are found in
Florida and also Bermuda. It appears that
almost all of the non-endemic molluscan species
of Bermuda were derived from the Caribbean
region. The distribution maps presented by
Warmke and Abbott (1961) are most helpful in
obtaining some idea of the distribution of the
molluscs of Florida. These distribution maps
clearly show that many of the benthic marine
molluscan species came to Florida from the
Caribbean region. For the Florida Keys and
much of peninsular Florida, more than two
thirds of the molluscan species came from the
Caribbean area.
'Riere are some striking differences in
geographic distribution when one compares the
ranges of the gastropods, pelecypods.
scaphopods, and polyplacophorans with one
another. There are at least two main factors
that influence the differences among these four
classes of molluscs. One is the type of sub-
strate; whether the bottom consists of soft
sediments, which is ideal for burrowing or in-
faunal animals, or whether the substrate is
rockj', which is ideal for epifaunal animals. The
other factor is the mode of reproduction. Are
eggs and sperm simply released into the water
and the eggs fertilized and followed by a long
free-swimming larval stage as. for example, most
pelecypods? Or is fertilization commonly internal
and with a short free-swimming larval stage or
none at all as, for example, in many gastropods?
The comparison of the scaphopod and
polyplacophoran distributions is an example of
TABLE 2. Species endemic to FJimda
Cla^.t Size of sample No. of species Percent
Gastropoda
Peleo'poda
Scaphopcxia
Polyplacophora
750
335
30
22
95 12.7
12 ae
1 3.3
2 9.1
two groups that occupy different types of sub-
strates. The fX)lyplacophorans are found on a
rock or hard shelly substrates or are epifaunal,
whereas the scaphopods live partially buried in
soft sediments, or are basically infaunal. In
Table 4 one sees that five, or 16.7 per cent, of
all scaphopod species appear to have migrated
eastward into Florida along the Gulf Coast, but
none of the polyplacophoran species has this
distribution. Perhaps the lack of a rocky
shoreline along much of the Gulf Coast has
prevented species of polyplacophorans from
moving eastward into Florida. As shown in
Table 3. only one scaphopod species and no
polyplacophorans appear to have a boreal or arctic
origin. Table 2 shows that Floridian endemics are
higher among the polyplacophorans. (two species
or 9.1 per cent as compared to the scaphopods with
one species or 3.3 per cent of thier total species.
This higher rate of endemism among the
polyplacophorans may be caused by the lack of
a rocky shoreline in areas adjacent to Florida.
The polyplacophorans have a higher percentage
of species originating in Caribbean waters as
compared to the scaphopods as shown in Table
5. However, these differences between the
scaphopod and polyplacophoran distributions in
the latter three instances may not be
significant because of the small sample sizes in
these two classes of molluscs.
TABLE 3. Species migrating southivard along the
Atlantic Coast to Florida.
Ga^ Size of sample No. of species Per cent
TABLE 4. Species migrating ecustwat-d along the
Gulf of Mexico to Floiida.
Owi-s
Size of sample Xo. of species Percent
(lastropoda
Pelerypoda
Scaphopcxia
Polyplacophora
TTie pelecypods have a higher percentage of
infaunal species and also a higher percentage of
species that have a free-swimming larval stage
VoJ. 91 (1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 7
TABLE 5. Species migrating northtmrdfrnm the
Caribbean region to Florida.
(IfLss Size o/Saviple No. of species Percent
than the benthic gastropods. The latter factor
is probably the main one as to why the
gastropods have a much higher percentage than
the pelecypods (12.7 per cent as compared to 3.6
per cent) of endemic species. This marked dif-
ference in endemic species is seen in Table 2.
However, some of the apparent greater amount
of endemism among the gastropods may be
because there are many smaller-sized species of
gastropods than pelecypods and because of this,
their geographic distributions are less com-
pletely known. Some of the gastropod species
that Abbott (1974) states are endemic to
Florida are species of small size, 10.0 mm or
less. This does not explain all of the difference
in amount of endemism between the gastropods
and the pelecypods, and it is generally true that
the pelecypods in the Floridian fauna have a
higher percentage of wide-ranging species than
the gastropods. This comparison between the geo-
graphic distributions of benthic pelecypods and
gastropods should be made in other regions to see
if it holds true everywhere because of its
significance to biostratigraphy.
The type of substrate is probably the main
factor that causes pelecypods to have 17.3 per
cent of their species migrating eastward along
the Gulf Coast into Florida as compared to
only 12.7 per cent of all of the species of
gastropods. This difference is seen in Table 4.
As seen in Table 3, the pelecypods also have a
higher percentage of species of boreal or arctic
origin, 6.3 as compared to 2.7 per cent among
all gastropod species. The fact that a higher
percentage of the pelecypods are infaunal as
compared to the gastropods is probably the
main factor because as Thorson (19-57) has faint-
ed out, the diversity of infaunal sf)ecies in-
creases little from the polar regions to the
tropics, but the diversity of the epifaunal
species increases greatly from the polar regions
to the tropics. The percentage of pelecypod
species and gastropod species migrating from
the Caribbean region to Florida is nearly iden-
tical. This is shown in Table 5.
LITERATURE CITED
Abbott, R. T. 1974. American seashells. 2nd. ed., Van Nos-
trand Reinhold Co., New York, 663 p.
Thorson. G. 1957. Bottom communities (sublittoral or shallow
shelf), in Treatise on marine ecology and paleoecology. 1
Ecology, Geol. Soc. Am. Mem. 67, p. 461-.534.
Waller, T. R. 1973. The habits and habitats of some Ber-
mudian marine mollusks. The Nautilus 87(3): 31-52.
Warmke, G. L., and R. T. Abbott. 1%1. Caribbean seashells.
Livingston Publishing G)., Narberth, Penn., 346 p. (Dover
Paperback. 1975).
PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED
Tebble, Norman. 1976. British Bivalve Seashells. Edinburgh.
212 pp. Second Edition. Evidently no changes, except for
four previously black-and-white plates now being in color.
This is really a second printing.
Narchi, Walter. 1974. Functional Morphology of Petricola
(Rupellarm) typica (Bivalvia; Petricolidae). Marine Biology,
vol. 27, pp. 123-129, 9 figs. Excellent.
Sandved, K. B. and R. T. Abbott. Sept. 1976. Shells in Color
112 pp., 101 colored plates. Viking Penguin Books,
Baltimore. Paperback, $4.95.
Leathem, Wayne and Don Maurer. Oct. 1976. Phylum
Mollusca: A Ouide to the Mollusca of the Delaware Bay
Region 43 pp., mimeographed. Contains list, keys and
bibliographies. $3.00. Publications Office, College of Marine
Studies, Newark, De. 19711.
Mayissian, S. 1974. Coquillages de No^ivelle-Caledonie et de
Melanesie. 72 pp., 28 colored plates. Privately printed, S.
Mayissian, Noumea. Sumptious.
Lefevre, George and W. C. Curtis. 1912 (1976 reprint). Studies
on the Reproduction and Artificial Propagation of
Freshwater Mussels. Bull. Bureau Fish., vol. 30, for 1910.
Softback reprint by Aurele La Rocque, Columbus, Ohio.
$4.00.
Pojeta, John Jr. and Bruce Runnegar. 1976. T^e Paleontology
of Rostroconch Mollusks and the Early History of the
Phylum Mollusca. U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 968, 88 pp.,
54 pis. $3.40. Four subphyla and eight classes of mollusks
are recognized. New are two families, six genera and 18
species in the fossil Rostroconchia.
Colloque International de Malacologie Marine Appliqee. 1976.
Haliotis, vol. 5, pp. 1-300. Research reviews on various aspects
of conchyliculture, pollution and commercial shellfisheries
in Europe.
Abbott. R. Tucker. 1975. Muscheln and Schnecken des Meeres.
Delphin Verlag, Stuttgart. German translation of Golden
Nature Guide, 1962.
Chen. T. P. 1976. Aquaculture Practices in Taiwan. 162 pp., 98
figs. Fishing News Books, Ltd., Surrey, England £2. Covers
culture of oysters, Meretrix, Anadara and Corbiatla, as well
as fish and frogs.
Dance, S. Peter. Nov. 1976. TTie Shell Collector's Guide, An In-
troduction to the World of Shells. 192 pp., 34 color pis., text
figs. Entertaining and well-done beginner's guide to con-
chology. David and Charles, London.
8 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol, 91(1)
GROWTH OF THE FINGERNAIL CLAM, SPHAERIUM TRANSVERSUM (SAY)
IN FIELD AND LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS'
William F. Gale^^
Department of Zof)logy and Entomology
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50010
ABSTRACT
Field and laboratoi-y experiments on Pool 19 of the Mississippi River in summer
and fall of 1967 revealed that S. transversum can complete its life cycle in about a
month or less. In laboratory experiments, many newborn clams entered a resting
state and did not grow for 33 days after they were bom; later, some grew large.
Medium-sized clams grew slowly but gave birth to young that often grew faster
and larger than their parents. In field experiments, clams that were moved from
an open-river site (where the clam poptdation was high) to a retainer in a cove
(ivhere the population was low) grew faster and became larger than those remain-
ing at the collection site; they also grew larger than clams in laboratory ex-
periments.
Fingernail clams were abundant in Pool 19 of
the Mississippi River during a 1966-68 survey of
the benthos. Densities of Sphaerium transversum
reached over 100,000/m' in some areas (Gale,
1969) in spite of heavy predation by leeches, fish,
and waterfowl. In autumn of 1967, diving ducks
harvested about 24% (2,085,125 kg) of September's
standing crop of fingernail clams (Gale, 1973;
Thompson, 1973). Life history data were collected
in an effort to determine the cause of the clam's
success. The objective in this study was to deter-
mine how fast S. transversum grows.
PROCEDURES
Growth experiments were conducted during the
summer and fall of 1967. Laboratory experiments
' Journal Paper No. J-7982 of the Iowa Agriculture and
Home Economics Ejcperiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project
1373. A contribution from the Iowa Cooperative Fishery Unit
sponsored by the Iowa State Conservation Commission. Iowa
State University of Science and Technology, and the Fish and
Wildlife Service (U. S. Department of the Interior) (Contract
14-16-0003-12204),
' Present address: Ichthyological As.sociates, Inc.. Berwick.
Pennsylvania 18603.
' I thank Dr. Kenneth D. Carlander and Dr. R. Jess Muncy.
of the Department of Zoolog>' and Entomology, Iowa State
University, who directed the research and made many helpful
suggestions concerning the manuscript.
were conducted in a field laboratory above Ft.
Madison, Iowa (about 200 m upstream from the
Ft. Madison/Niota bridge). Water pumped from
near the river channel into the laboratory kept
temperatures and chemical conditions similar to
those in the river and provided clams with food.
Clams were housed in individual plexiglass
rearing chambers, 3.8 cm square and 5.0 cm deep
inside (Fig. 1, A); the upper 3.3 cm of the
chambers were covered on two sides with plastic
screen (mesh with 12 openings/cm) for water
passage. A set of nine rearing chambers was
placed in each of nine painted plywood compart-
ments (Fig. 1, B). A 5-cm baffle kept water levels
about 6 mm below the top of the rearing
chambers. Clams could not escape or move be-
tween chambers without crawling out of the
water.
Each rearing chamber contained about 10 cc of
strained clayey silt from the river bottom where
experimental clams were collected. Water in the
chambers was initially 3.5 cm deep but decreased
to about 2.5 cm as chambers silted in. Compart-
ments holding the chambers had a maximum
flush rate of 6 minutes; fluctuating pump
discharge and partial clogging of distribution tub-
ing reduced flushing rate.
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 9
^L
^9,C.
41 CM
(" (' r' r' r' r' r'
SCREEN
^
PLEXIGLASS STRIP
4CM
I-4CMH
^BAFFLE
B
42 CM
X-
■^
t
+
+
FLOW
2ICM
-SPLASH BOARD
FIG. 1. Rearing apparatus. A, set of nine rearing chambers
(side view). B, compartment ivith rearing chambers in place
(top view).
TABLE 1. Reproduction and growth o/S. transversum in chambers in the laboratory between 21 July and 23 August. 1967. and
numbers present on November 7.5.
One large (over 10.0 mm long), two medium
(4.0-6.0 mm long) or four small (newborn) clams
were randomly assigned to each chamber; each
compartment had three chambers of clams of
each size group (chamber identification numbers
were adjusted for presentation in Table 1). Large
and medium-sized clams were collected in the
river, but small clams were born in the
laboratory. Small clams were removed with
camel-hair brushes (Thomas, 1959) within an hour
after their birth in pans of river water and
measured with an ocular micrometer. Larger
clams were measured with a vernier caliper;
damaged clams were discarded. Similar sized
clams were used as chambermates so that mark-
ing was unnecessary and handling was
minimized.
The laboratory growth experiment began July
21, 1967; after 33 days, 3 units were removed, the
27 chambers cleaned, and the contents screened.
Clams were measured as before and living ones
returned to their respective chambers (Table 1)
with fresh substrates.
To measure clam growth in the field, two re-
tainers with 80 clams each were submerged in
the river on July 6. One retainer was put in a
sheltered cove adjacent to emergent and
Chambers 7 and 8 were treated the same as 1-6 and 9, but are listed separately since the clams showed reproduction and more
growth. The clams with shells broken in handling on August 23 had not grown, nor had the dead clams in 1-6 or 19-27, but five
in 10-18 had grown 0.1 to 2.6 mm and one showed no growth.
10 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (1)
submergent vegetation (transect 5 station 2 of
Gale, 1969, p. 11) where there were less than 1,000
clams/m^; the other was placed in open water
(transect 4 station 14 of Gale, 1969, p. 11) where
there were about 42,000 clams/m^
Each retainer (Fig. 2, A) held 40 rearing tubes
(Fig. 2, B) suspended through holes in a plex-
iglass plate by aluminum rods. Rearing tubes
were 7 to 8 cm lengths of polyvinylchloride pipe
(I.D. 2.5 cm) with plastic screen attached near the
bottom: a painted wooden disk closed the lower
end of the screen. A tube like that in Figure 2, C
could be constructed and cleaned more easily.
Two randomly selected clams 5-7 mm long and
10 cc of strained clayey silt from station 14 were
placed into each tube. The retainer was then
forced into the river bottom until the two plex-
iglass flanges on the sides halted penetration
with the rearing tubes just above the substrate.
The retainer at station 2 was removed on
September 6. It had been turned over and many
tubes nearly filled wath mud. Tube contents were
screened and the clams counted and preserved in
PLASTIC TUBE
PLEXIGLASS
PLATE
FIG. 2. Rearing apparatus used in maintaining S. transver-
sum in the field. A, clam retaining apparatus: B, enlarged
side view of a rearing tube used in 1967: C, rearing tube with
alterations.
10% buffered formalin. Buoys marking the re-
tainer at station 14 disappeared by September,
and the retainer was lost.
RESULTS
Clam Growth in the Laboratory
Although the nine large clams stocked in
chambers 19-27 died shortly after the experi-
ment started, 53 young, 1.6-9.0 mm long
(Table 1), were produced (some may have been
second generation offspring). In only 33 days,
or less, one of the offspring had grown approx-
imately 7.0 mm in length (newborn clams in
Pool 19 average 2.2 mm long) (Gale, 1969) to
near maximum size.(S. transversum usually do
not exceed 12.0 mm in Pool 19, but clams up to
15.9 mm long and 8.1 mm thick were found.)
Reproduction in chambers 7 and 8, where
newborn clams had been stocked, demonstrated
that S. transversum not only could grow large in
a month but could complete its life cycle as well.
Many newborn clams, stocked in chambers 1-9,
had not grown by August 23 (Table 1) and some
of them did not move for several minutes after
removal from their chambers; some seemed dor-
mant (in a resting state). The periostraca of the
nongrowing clams were discolored and chalky.
Most of the 12 medium-sized clams that sur-
vived in chambers 10-18 grew slowly with a mean
length increase of 1.3 mm. Clam growth in
chamber 12 was not determined because five
clams exceeded the initial size of parental stock
and offspring and parents could not be
distinguished. In most instances, offspring of the
medium-sized clams grew rapidly and one was 9.0
mm long.
By November 15, when the chambers were
reexamined, reproduction had occurred in all but
two of the 27 chambers. Reproduction was max-
imum in chambers where one large clam had
originally been stocked (19-27) and one clam left
79 descendants. Many of the clams that seemed
dormant in August (chambers 1-9) had grovm to
9.0 mm or longer (Fig. 3). Most of the clams
stocked in chambers 10-18 had died without
reaching 9.0 mm, and many were smaller than
their offspring. Because observations of growth in
chambers 28-81 did little more than confirm
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 11
observations in chambers 1-27, precise data were
not collected.
In November the periostraca of nearly all
clams longer than 2.5 mm were speckled with
dark deposits and some were nearly black. S
transversum usually seems very clean, and it is
not known why deposits had accumulated on the
clams.
Clam Growth in Field Experiments
Clams grew well in the rearing tubes at station
2, and after 62 days, 45 were 4.0 mm or more
thick; the largest was 13.8 mm long and 6.6 mm
thick. Clams in the tubes were larger than those
living at station 14, the collection site (over 5,000
clams were examined there in mid-September but
none was 4.0 mm thick). That four clams in each
of 2 tubes were over 5.0 mm thick means that
within 62 days, one or both stocked clams grew to
maturity and discharged young that also had
grown large.
Clams in the tubes contained many embryos
and one large individual that seemed to have
given birth to 35 young (its chambermate had
died before reaching reproductive size) contained
86 embryos. A few of the 35 young may have
been second generation offspring.
A specimen of Sphaerium striatinum, placed
into a tube by mistake, had growm to a thickness
of over 4.0 mm but had not given birth.
Clams in 21 tubes were dead, perhaps from
senility, leech predation, or other causes (Gale,
1973). One live clam had a fungal growth nearly
covering outer portions of the inner gill; embr>'os
in the gill seemed unaffected.
DISCUSSION
In laboratory and field experiments, S.
transversum grew extremely fast and completed
its life cycle in about a month or less. Rapid
grow1;h has been noted for some other species of
Sphaerium. Sphaerium partumeium grew large in
7 to 10 weeks in laboratory experiments (Thomas,
1965) and gave birth when less than 14 weeks
old; clams grew even faster in the field. S. par-
tumeium (as M. partumeium) reared by Krull
(1936) grew to 4.5 to 5.0 mm long in about two
months and gave birth. Sphaerium corneum,
Sphaerium rivicola, and Sphaerium solidum
JUL. AUG ' NOV.
FIG. 3. Length changes in small and medium-sized S.
transversum in the laboratory, 1967.
suspended in baskets in the Elbe River grew
rapidly (Thiel, 1928, 1930), and some S corneum.
born in early summer, matured, gave birth, and
died that autumn.
If S. transversum in the natural environment
grew as rapidly as those in laboratory and field
experiments, several generations could be pro-
duced annually. At station 14, however, medium-
sized clams seemed to have grown only 2 mm
longer in July and 3 mm in August (Gale, 1972),
considerably less than those in growth ex-
periments. Clam grovrth may have been hindered
at station 14 by high clam density. Also, the
clams were probably debilitated by high infesta-
tions of larval trematodes (Gale, 1973).
Although clam growth rates in the laboratory
and at station 2 were similar, clams grew much
larger at station 2. Because parental stock of both
groups came from the same site and presumably
from the same genetic stock, some factor or fac-
12 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91(1)
tors in the laboratory seem to have stunted the
clams. Clams at some sites in the river did not
reach ma.ximum size either. Thiel (1928) observed
that 5. comeum in the Elbe River did not grow
to maximum size in "overpopulated" areas. The
fact that some medium-sized S. transvermm.
which did not grow much during the first :33 days
of the laboratory experiment, remained smaller
than their offspring in November (Fig. 3), sug-
gests that, once growth is arrested or retarded, it
is not completely compensated for later, when
growth conditions become favorable.
Why some clams had initial growth lags and
their chambermates did not is not clear, but
delayed growth does not seem to have been
genetically controlled (Gale, 1972). Delayed
growth may involve metabolic slowdown that
enables clams to bury themselves deep in the
substrate to escape predation, parasitism, or un-
favorable water conditions (Gale. 1973). In tem-
porary ponds in Michigan, Kenk (1949) found
that only fairly young Sphaerium ocddentale and
S. partumemm (as S. truncatum) survived the
dry period.
It is sometimes pointed out that fast growth is
of great advantage to inhabitants (such as some
fingernail clams) of temporary ponds, because
they can take advantage of a short growing
period. One might conclude that, through evolu-
tion and natural selection, the advantage of being
able to survive short growing periods has pro-
duced clams with tremendous growth rates. But,
the fact that S. transversum grows rapidly but
does not often inhabit temporary ponds, suggests
that other factors produced rapid growth. This
rapid growth may be a form of preadaptation.
That S. transversum may have originated in tem-
porary ponds and then moved to other habitats
merits consideration.
But, regardless of why S. transversum grows
rapidly, the fact that it can complete its life cycle
in about a month may be a major factor in its
success in Pool 19, where predation pressures are
great. If a population is to sustain itself under
heavy predation, quick growth and reproduction
would be advantageous, if not essential, for the
shorter the prereproductive period, the greater
the probability an organism has of reproducing
before being consumed.
LITERATURE CITED
Gale. W. F. 1969. Bottom fauna of Pool 19, Mississippi River
with emphasis on the life history of the fingernail clam,
Sphaerium transversnm. Ph.D. thesis. Iowa State Univ.,
Ames. Univ. Microfilm No. 69-20642. Ann Arbor. Mich.
Gale, W. F. 1972. Seasonal variability in calyculism in
Sphaerium transversum (Say). The Nautilits S6: 20-22.
Gale. W. F. 1973. Predation and parasitism as factors affecting
Sphaerium transversum (Say) populations in Pool 19,
Mississippi River. Res. Popul. Ecol. 14: 169-187.
Kenk. R. 1949. The animal life of temporary and permanent
ponds in Southern Michigan. Misc. Publ Mus. Zioi. Univ.
Mich. 71: ,5-66.
Krull. W. H. 19136. Raising Musculium partumeium (Say)
under laboratory conditions. Papers Mich. Acad. Sci. Arts,
ami Letters 21: ^35-638.
Thiel. M. E. 1928. Zur Biologie unserer Siisswasser-muscheln.
Z Mnrphol Okol. Tiere 13: 65-116.
Thiel. M. E. 1930. Untersuchungen liber den Einflti-ss der Ab-
wasser von Hamburg-Altona auf die Verbreitung der Arten
der Gattung Sphaerium in der Elbe bei Hamburg. Int. Rev.
gesam. Hydrobiol. Hydrogr. 24: 467-484.
Thomas. G. J. 19.59. Self-fertilization and production of young
in a sphaeriid clam. The Nautilus 72: 131-140.
Thomas. G. J. 1965. Growth in one species of sphaeriid
clam. The Nautilus 79: 47-54.
Thompson. .1. D. 1973. Feeding ecology of diving ducks on
Keiikuk Pool. Mississippi River. Jmir. Wikil. Manage. 37:
:i67-:3Kl.
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 13
THE FORMATION AND STRUCTURE
OF THE SHELL VARIX IN STAGNICOLA ELODES (SAY)
(GASTROPODA: LYMNAEIDAE)
Eileen H. Jokinen
Biology Department
Suffolk University
Boston, MA. 02114
ABSTRACT
A life history study carried out in 1970-71 on a population of Stagnicola elodes
in a temporary pond in lower Michigan reveals that a varix is laid damn at the
cessation of a period of shell growth which may or may not be followed by a
period of dormancy. The adult snails of the Michigan population have 2 varices,
one deposited before estivation of the juvenile snail, the other deposited after adult
spring growth. It appears that the number of varices cannot be used to estimate
the age of the snails unless the annual life cycle and environmental conditions are
examined.
The microstructure of the varix was determined by microscopic examination of
acetate peels of shell sections made at right angles to the varix. The varix is
fonned from greatly elongated (.5-6X normal) crystals of the prismatic layer. The
probable function of the varix is to add strength to the outer lip.
INTRODUCTION
The freshwater snail Stagnicola elodes (Say)
periodically puts down additional shell material,
the varix (Baker, 1911), on the inside of the outer
lip. In S. elodes the varix is purple-brown in col-
or and parallels the outer lip. In Baker's opinion,
varices, normally three in number in Lymnaea
palustris ( = S. elodes), mark periods of "hiberna-
tion" when the animal is "buried in
mud" and do not represent annual growth mark-
ings. However, Baker was not positive of this in-
terpretation.
DeWitt (1954) reports that when "growth in
Physa gyrina is interrupted for some reason, the
inner edge of the outer lip of the aperture is
strengthened by a triangular thickened band . . .
Conditions which arrest growth and lead to for-
mation of these bands are obscure; production
does not appear to be dependent upon en-
vironmental factors, rather they are a result of a
physiological pattern developed within the species
and perhaps modified to some extent by environ-
ment." DeWitt states that the bands might be ac-
counted for in terms of periodic drying of the
habitat but felt it unlikely that such a thickening
would be produced under adverse conditions of
drought or estivation. Herrmann & Harman
(1975) believe that varices in Helisoma anceps
(Menke) reflect slow winter growth.
FIELD OBSERVATIONS
During 1970-71 a study was carried out on the
life history of a population of Stagnicola elodes
(Say) in a woodland pond in the Pontiac Lake
Recreation Area, Oakland County, Michigan. The
annual life cycle begins in May when eggs are
laid. Egg laying continues through July. The new-
ly hatched generation feeds until the snails reach
2-7 mm in length. At this point the young cease
growth and actively leave the water to estivate
on grasses and tree trunks above ground. The ma-
jority of the older snails follow the receding pond
water to become stranded on the dry pond floor
and there be preyed upon, most commonly by
sciomyzid (Diptera) larvae. The young estivating
snails eventually leave their above-ground loca-
tions and come to lie under the pond leaf litter to
14 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91(1)
over-winter. TTie immature snails (mean shell
length = 8 mm) become active in the spring as
soon as the ice melts. The snails grow rapidly so
that by June the mean shell length is approx-
imately 15mm (Jokinen, in prep.).
The snails of the Michigan population of S.
elodes were noted to deposit several varices dur-
ing their life times. In 1970, varices on the outer
lips were first noted on July 12 on 4 snails (shell
lengths from 10.3 to 21.7 mm) out of 123 (3.3%).
Egg masses were in evidence by this date. By Ju-
ly 26, 13 out of 121 snails (10.7%) had varices. On
August 9, estivating immature snails were first
observed and noted to have varices (100%). In
1971, 5 snails were collected from under the ice
in February and March. The snails ranged from
3.7 mm to 11.8 mm and all 5 had varices on their
outer lips. On April 20, 1971, 34 snails were col-
lected. The winter varix was evident on all of the
snails, and 32 had new, fragile, and thin shell
growth beyond the varix. The mean linear incre-
ment of new growth beyond the varix was 1.5
mm (range .2-3.5 mm). Shell growth was rapid
during May and egg masses appeared by the end
of the month. By June 6, the entire sample
population of 153 snails (except one) had
deposited new varices.
MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURE OF THE VARIX
In order to determine the structure of the
varix of S elodes, a portion of shell was cut at
right angles to the aperture, so that the section
was at right angles to the length of the varix
(Figure 1). Acetate peels were made from
polished shell sections following the method of
Boardman & Utgaard (1964).
a: PLANE OF
FIGURE 2
VARIX
FIG. 1. Locaticn of the varix in Stagnicola elodes (Say).
FIG. 2A. Acetate peel of a polished shell section cut at right
angles to the varix. The normal shell iMth i's demonstrated
in the tipper portion of the photograph. The thicker portion is
the varix. p., peroist racum : 1.1., longitudinal lamellar layer;
c.1.1, first crossed lamellar layer; c.1.2, second crossed
lamellar layer; pr., prisniatie layer.
FIG. 2B. 7.5X magnification of the area between the arrows
of A. There are two layers of periastracum and a space
beneath the periostracum. p., periosiranim ; I.I., longitudinaJ
lamellar layer; c.1.1, first crossed lamellar layer; pr.
prismatk layer. (?50x total magnificatian).
According to Boggild (1950), the calcareous por-
tion of the shell of Stagnicola pitluxtriit (= S.
elodes) is composed of aragonite deposited in four
distinct layers. The shells of S. elodes from
Michigan were examined and found to also
possess four calcareous layers arranged as
follows: (1) a very thin outer longitudinal
lamellar layer under the periostracum; (2) a
crossed lamellar layer; (3) a prismatic layer; and
(4) a second crossed lamellar layer (Figure 2). As
illustrated, the varix is formed by an increase in
the length of the crystals of the prismatic layer.
The crystals are approximately 5-6 times as long
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 15
in the varix as in the normal shell. Gross ex-
amination of a ground section demonstrates that
the purple-brown color of the varix is due to
streaks of pigment laid down in the thickened
prismatic layer. The thickened outer lip of
mature Helix IThebnl pisana MUller is also formed
by elongated prismatic crystals (Matthes, 1914).
CONCLUSIONS
Field evidence shows the pattern of varix
deposition to be associated with cessation of
growth. Snails without a varix were rapidly
growing individuals, including the newly hatched.
Snails with a terminal varix were estivating
juveniles, overwintering individuals, and egg-lay-
ing adults which had completed their spring
grovrth. The varix is laid down at the end of a
period of growth and not during a period of dor-
mancy. Therefore, the number of varices cannot
be used to estimate the age of snails unless the
annual life cycle and environmental conditions
are examined.
The number of varices in adult snails will dif-
fer, depending upon annual activity. If a pond
dries up in summer, gains water again before
temperatures become too cold for gastropod ac-
tivity, and then warms up again the following
spring, breeding adult snails will have 3 varices;
two representing periods of pre-dormancy and
one the termination of growth before egg deposi-
tion. This is probably the situation observed by
Baker (1911) who found 3 varices normal for L.
palustris (= S. elodes), one varix on the third
whorl, one on the fifth, and a third on the aper-
tural lip of the adult.
The snails from Michigan all had a varix inside
the outer lip in early spring before the ice
thawed. In this case the summer-fall estivation,
marked by a varix on the juveniles, had con-
tinued into the overwintering period, the pond
not refilling until freezing temperatures had ar-
rived. Therefore, the snails were not given the op-
portunity to renew growth in the fall. After the
pond thawed and the water warmed, new shell
material was rapidly laid dovm, the pur-
ple-brown color of the summer-fall varix mark-
ing the initiation of dormancy. By June the
snails had grovra considerably in length and the
new shell growth was very thin. Then linear
growth slowed, the new shell material thickened
and another varix was deposited. Under such con-
ditions an adult snail will exhibit only two
varices.
Microscopic examination suggests that the
varix adds considerable strength to the shell lip
as is the case with the shell lamellae found in
Biomphalaria (Richards, 1964). It is doubtful that
the varix would protect against desiccation since
it extends into the shell aperture only a short
distance. A likely function would be to
strengthen the shell lip and thus protect against
breakage between f)eriods of growth, whether or
not the snails are active.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Dr.
David R. Cook for his advice and encouragement.
Dr. Osborn B. Nye for technical instruction, and
Dr. Peter H. Rich for critically reviewing the
manuscript. Preparation of the manuscript was
aided by the facilities of the Biological Sciences
Group at the University of Connecticut.
LITERATURE CITED
Baker, F. C. 1911. The Lymnaeidae of North and Middle
America, recent and fossil. Spec. Publ. No. 3. Chicago Acad.
Sci.
Boardman, R. S. & Utgaard, J. 1964. Modifications of study
methods for Palezoic Bryozoa. J. Palemit. 38:768-785
Boggild, 0. B. 1930. The shell structure of the mollusca. K.
danske Vidensk. Selsk. Skr., Natunndensk. math. Afd. (9)
2(2):231-3a5
DeWitt, R. M. 1954 Reproduction, embryonic development
and growth in the pond snail Physa gyrina Say. TVans.
Amer. Micros. Soc. 73:124-137
Herrmann, S. A. & Harman, W. N. 1975. Population studies
on Helisoma anceps (Menke) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae).
A'ojrfi7jis89(l):5-ll
Jokinen, E. H. (in prep). Estivation in Stagnicola elodes (Say)
(Gastropoda: L>Tnnaeidae).
Matthes, W. 1914. Beitrage zur Anatomie von Helix pisana
Mull. Je«a Z. Naiiirwiss. 53: 1-.50.
Richards, C. S. 1964. Apertural lamellae as supporting struc-
tures in Australorbis glabrattis (Say). The Nautilvs 78:
57-60.
16 THE NAUTILUS
January 27. 1977
Vol. 91 (1)
PREDATION BY WINTER FLOUNDER
(PSEUDOPLEURONECTESAMERICANUSJ
ON THE SIPHONS OF THE CLAM, TELLINA AGILIS
William H. Gilbert >
Department of Biology
Colby College
Waterville. Maine 04901
and Ellen F. Suchow
Belle W. Baruch Institute
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina 29208
The bivalve Tellina agilis Stimpson commonly
inhabits marine, shallowwater, sand-mud
sediments (see Maurer, et ai, 1974). These small
clams (max. length = 1.6 cm) burrow 1-3 cm into
the sediment and deposit -feed on the sediment
surface with separate, extensible, inhalent
siphons (Gilbert, 1970), movements of which may
attract visual predators such as the commercially
important winter flounder, Psendopleuronedes
americanus (Walbaum). Edwards, et al. (1970)
have shown that small flounder, Pleumnectes
platessa (L.), in Scotland obtain a large part of
their food by preying on siphons of Tellina tenuh
da Costa, which can regenerate their siphons. The
aim of our study was to seek evidence that small
winter flounder prey on siphons of T. agilis in
nature.
Eight winter flounder (lengths = 4-6 cm) were
collected (27 September 1969) at the mouth of
Barnstable Harbor (Cape Cod Bay),
Massachusetts. The fish were captured by hand
net during the flooding tide on a sand flat 0.5 m
above mean low water. An abundant population
of T. agiUs (100-600/m^) occurred on the flat, but
other clams with similar siphons (e.g., Cumingia,
Macoma, and Petricola) were rare or absent (see
Edwards, 1975). The fish were placed immediately
in 95% ethyl alcohol to terminate digestion, and
stomach contents were examined later in the
laboratory.
Stomachs of four of the eight fish contained 1-3
siphon fragments (9 total). These fragments and
intact siphons of T. agilis collected at the site had
similar measurements (made at 7X power with
an eye-piece micrometer) for total width, width
of circular muscle bands, and width of
longitudinal bands (Fig. 1). The length of an ex-
tended siphon is 3-4 times shell-length; the
fragments ranged from 0.5-2.5 mm in length and
were usually identifiable as the siphon tip.
Levinton (1971; Levinton & Bambach, 1975)
report that Macoma tenia (a subtidal clam)
deposit-feeds on detritus at night when its
siphons are not visible to fish predators, but that
T. agilis deposit-feeds on benthic diatoms during
the day. Many benthic diatoms concentrate dur-
ing the day at the sediment surface, which turns
a golden-brown hue as a result (Sanders, et al.,
1962). Thus the efficiency of daytime grazing by
T. agilis may outweigh the hazard of exposing
siphons to fish predators.
In the laboratory, we observed the behavior of
a small winter flounder placed in a water tank
with a tray of sediment containing several live T.
agilis. On two occasions, the fish uncovered clams
by lunging at the sediment surface where siphons
were deposit-feeding. When each clam attempted
to burrow back into the sediment, the fish took a
bite out of its foot.
' Present address: Environmental Studies Program, Ottawa
University, Ottawa. Kansas 66067.
FIG. 1. Intact .-tiphim of a Tellina agilis (shell-length = 1.0
cm) in .W/o ethyl alcohol.
Vol.91 (1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 17
Martin (1940) reports that T. agilis (as T.
tenera) is an intermediate host for Monorcheides
cumingiae, a parasitic trematode which encysts
(as metacercariae) in siphon and foot tissues of
the clam. Martin fed infected clams to eels and
flounders (species unspecified) and obtained adult
Monorcheides later from intestinal mucusa of the
fish. Our observation that small winter flounder
prey on T. agilis suggests that these fish might
take in Monorcheides. Further studies are needed
to determine (1) whether or not winter flounder
is a definitive host for this parasite, and (2) the
importance of T. agilis siphons in the diet of
young winter flounder.
We thank Drs. D. C. Edwards, J. S. Levinton,
and F. J. Vemberg for their comments about this
manuscript.
LITERATURE CITED
Edwards, R. R. C, J. H. Steele, and A. Trevallion. 1970. The
ecology of 0-group plaice and common dabs in Lock Ewe.
III. Prey-predator experiments with plaice. J. Exp. Mar.
fto/.£coU: 156- 173.
Gilbert, W. H. 1970. Territoriality observed in a population of
Tellma agilis (Bivalvia: MoUusca). Biot. Bvll 139:423-424
(abstr.).
Levinton, J. S. 1971. Control of tellinacean (Bivalvia:
MoUusca) feeding behavior by predation. Limnol. Oceanogr.
16:660-662.
Levinton, J. S., and R. K. Bambach. 197.5. A comparative
study of Silurian and Recent deposit-feeding bivalve com-
munities. Paleobiology 1:97-124.
Martin, W. E. 1940. Studies on the trematodes of Woods Hole.
III. The life cycle of Monorcheides cumingiae (Martin) with
special reference to its effect on the invertebrate host. Biol.
Bull. 79:131-144.
Maurer. D., L. Watling, and G. Aprill. 1974. The Distribution
and Ecology of Common Marine and Estuarine Pelecypods
in the Delaware Bay area. The Nautilus 88: 38-45.
Sanders. H. L.. E. M. Goudsmit, E. L. Mills, and G. E. Hamp-
son. 1962. A study of the intertidal fauna of Barnstable
Harbor, Massachusetts. Limnol. Oceanogr. 7:63-79.
ECOLOGY OF THE SNAIL, MELANOIDES TUBERCULATA (MULLER),
INTERMEDIATE HOST OF THE HUMAN LIVER FLUKE
(OPISTHORCmS SINENSIS) IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
Dee S. Dundee and Anna Paine
Department of Biological Sciences
University of New Orleans, Louisiana 70122
ABSTRA(Jr
The habitat and associates of a series of populations of the prosobranch snail,
Melanoides tuberculata (Thiaridae) introduced to a drainage canal in New
Orleans, Louisiana, are described. These snails, and associated fish, could serve
as intermediate hosts of the Chinese Liver Fluke, Opisthorchis sinensis.
In the spring of 1975, two populations of
Melanoides tuberculata (Miiller) (Thiaridae) were
discovered in New Orleans, one in the People's
Avenue Canal, Orleans Parish, and the other in
the canal on the neutral ground of General
DeGaulle Drive, Jefferson Parish. A third popula-
tion has recently been reported to us in 1975
from the west Metairie canal in Jefferson Parish.
This oriental prosobranch had previously been
reported from two localities in Texas (Murray,
1964; Murray and Wopschell, 1965), one in
Arizona and another in Oregon (Murray, 1971).
Abbott (1973) summarized its spread into Mexico
at Vera Cruz and in Panama and Puerto Rico.
The role of M. tuberculata as an intermediate
host in the life cycle of the Chinese Liver Fluke,
18 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol, 91(1)
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
lEGEM:
CANALS
PIPE LINES
JTyPT AREA
SrHESTS
PUUPING STATIONS
! 1 i I f 1 I !
MALE M METIM
FIG. 1. A portion of the New Orleans drainage system in rela-
tion to the Peopk's Avenue carud.
Opisthorchis sinensis, makes the occurrence of it
in the U. S. of more than casual interest.
This study was done in a section of People's
Avenue Canal which is part of the New Orleans
storm drainage system. Since this city is largely
below sea level, drainage is accomplished by pump-
ing stations at intervals in the drainage canal
network (Fig. 1). This locality (Fig. 2) is per-
manently supplied with slightly brackish water
from a 600' well tapped by American Standard
Co. for use as cooling water in their air condi-
tioning system.
THE HABITAT
The reported habitat of Melanoides tuberculata
elsewhere in the U. S. is freshwater springs with
a pH of 7.0-7.5, a water temperature of 18-25° C,
and soft mud or gravelly-mud bottoms (Murray,
1971). The People's Avenue habitat is similar to
this. With few exceptions the stream bed is 50-70
cm wide and 10-40 cm deep. The flow during the
study was 42-51 cm/sec. Once we noticed a brief
threefold flow increase, from an unknowoi source.
At this time the level in the basin at the north
end rose 20 cm in a five minute period. The non-
vegetated bottom is sandy with scattered pebbles
and shells of Ravgia cuneata, a brackish -water
mactroid clam which is used for gravel. Few
Melanoides are found in this type of bottom.
Flow is much slower and the accumulation of silt
and detritus much greater behind the overhang-
ing stems and protruding roots of the bank
vegetation. This seems to be the prime
Melanoides microhabitat, supporting up to 251
snails/sq. ft. (2700/m^).
The canal banks are covered with vegetation.
The predominant cover is a prostrate species of
medium-height grass (probably Eragrostiit) with
Tifpha and Lysimachia constituting most of the
rest of the cover. The grass and Lysimachia are
IQ
8
<o
9
>o
en
z
I
r
20
30
I
LENGTHimm)'
FIG. 2. Histogram shounng population aye groups in the spring of 1975.
mill IIIL^iiiik..
40
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 19
ES.
AA4
■ ■■■
b rrggi
1 ♦
2 X
AAA
All
7AV I —
ot
n , smsh
AAA
AAA
-> 8 X
9 X
drain
pipe
10 A
11 A
■ ■■■
■ pipe IXIII
■over canal ■
12 A
aaAa
E N
AAAA
_D
23
scale in meters
FIG. 3. Diaymm of People s Avenue Canal showiny di.
the only plant species directly in contact with
Melanoides. At the stream bank they create the
sheltered environment that Melanoides seems to
prefer. Other plants in the area are: Polygonum
sp., Spartina altemiflora, Phragmites communis,
and Sagittariafalcata.
Animal species associated with Melanoides at
this site include insects (Ranatra and Pelocoris,
both predaceous hemipterans; Chironomidae,
dipterans), crayfish, oligochaetes, and fishes
(Poecilia latipina and Heterandria formosa). The
fishes are of particular interest since various
poecilids are known to be second intermediate
hosts for Opisthorchis sinensis, the human liver
fluke which has Melanx)ides tuberculata as its
first intermediate host.
POPULATION SAMPLINGS
Square foot (.093 m) quadrat samples were
taken starting from the northernmost end of the
canal (Fig. 3) at 46-meter intervals downstream
(12 stations in all) to the point where the canal
turns westward and goes underground. Two
samples were taken at each station, at opposite
banks just underwater and at the surface. In-
dividuals were returned to the lab, counted,
measured, and whorl counts made. Histograms
were then plotted from these data for each sta-
tion. The population for September-October 197.5
follows a normal curve pattern with a few young
of 10 mm and 8 whorls, a few older individuals of
44 mm and 14.5 whorls, and the bulk of the
population in-between. The best-represented size
class is 25 mm long with 12 whorls. Fig. 2 is a
histogram of the snail total lengths— lumping all
Uribii tlon ofsnails in relation to substrate and vegetation.
of the stations (656 individuals) to present an
overview of the population. The histogram
will doubtlessly shift considerably during
reproductive seasons. Only one cluster of young
was found indicating that late summer is not a
major reproductive season for these live-bearers
here. A parthenogenetic mode of reproduction has
been reported tor Melanoides (Jacob, 1957).
TABLE 1. The range of physico-chemical values encountered
for each parameter.
The flow from the well is 4500 liter/min. This
water has some interesting properties related to
its origin. The usual alkalinity values en-
countered for Lake Pontchartrain are in the
30-50 ppm range; free CO2 is generally less than
5 ppm. At the pH values we recorded, carbonate
ion is absent; the high CO2 and alkalinity values
are what might be expected for a subterranean
water source that is far from being in
equilibrium with the atmosphere. The low
dissolved oxygen content (saturation at 25° C is
8.1 ppm) also suggests this water is recovering
from subsurface conditions. All these water quali-
ty parameters may have been affected by passage
20 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (1)
through the American Standard Company air
conditioning system. The slight brackishness of
this water is usual for southeastern Louisiana
waters and does not seem to inhibit Melanmdes.
SIGNIFICANCE
The introduction of Meldmildpn tuberrulntd in-
to an area where poecilid fishes occur plus the
fact that Vietnamese people are being settled
nearby could be highly significant, particularly if
some of these people are infected with trematodes
and if they are still including raw fish in their
diet. It is not known at the time of this writing
whether the incoming Vietnamese were screened
for liver flukes. Since all of the ingredients for
the Opi.'^thorchut life cycle might now be present,
it is important that we learn more about the
snail and continuously monitor the spread of it.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We wish to thank Dr. Harold Murray of Trini-
ty University for verifying our determination of
the snails. Voucher specimens have been
deposited in the Delaware Museum of Natural
History, No. 113847. Also the following Univer-
sity of New Orleans graduate students were
equally responsible for the results of this study:
Bill Copeland, Tom Chin, Ben Garrett, Cheryl
Noble, Mike Rayle and Mary St. Martin.
LITERATURE CITED
Abbott. R. T. 1973. Spread of Melanmdes tuberculata. The
.V(iM/i7».s87(l):29.
.lacub. .J. 19.57. Cytological Studies of Melaniidae (Mollusca)
with Special Reference to Parthenogenesis and Polyploidy.
I. Oogenesis of the Parthenogenetic Species of Melanoides
(Prosobranchia-Gastropoda). Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh
63: *1 1-3.52.
Murray, Harold D. 1964. Tarebia granifem and Melanoides
tuberculata in Texas, (an abstract). Ann. Reports Amer.
Malacol. Union, 15-16.
Murray, Harold D. 1971. The Introduction and Spread of
Thiarids in the United States. The Biologist 53(3): 133- 135.
Murray, Harold D. and Leon J. Wopschell. 1965. Ex»logy of
Melanmdes tuberculata (Miiller) and Tarebia granifera
(Lamarck) in South Texas (abstract). Ann. Reports Amer.
Malacol. Union, for 1965, pp. 25-26.
NEW RECORDS AND ECOLOGICAL NOTES FOR CORBICULA
MANILENSIS IN TEXAS
Joseph C. Britten and Clifford E. Murphy
Department of Biology
Texas Christian University,
Fort Worth, Texas 76192
ABSTRACT
Corbicula manilensis is distnbuted through seven major drainage systems in
Texas. Potential mechanisms of dispersal are discvssed. The species seem to prefer
sandy substrates in Texas reser^wirs but occm's in a variety of bottom types.
Specimens of Corbicula have been removed from stomachs of three species of
yis/i— Lepomis microlophus, Minytrema melanops and Aplodinotus grunniens.
The first reports of Corbicula manilensis in
Texas were from the western portion of the state
(Metcalf, 19(56 and Metcalf and Smartt, 1972).
Murray (U)71) discusses the presence of Corbicula
in S(juth Texas and notes its eastward progres-
sion from the Rio Grande drainage to Lake Cor-
pus Christi, 25 miles north of Corpus Christi. He
also reports large populations of the Asiatic clam
from Lake LBJ in the Colorado River drainage of
Central Texas (Murray, 1972).
Corbicula was reported in Ijouisiana waters as
early as 1961 (Dundee and Harman, 1963). Con-
sidering its rapid range expansion in other parts
of the United States, it is interesting that no
Vol. 91 (1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 21
reports of Corbicula in eastern Texas have yet ap-
peared in the literature. It seems inevitable,
however, that the eastern and western popula-
tions of Corbicula will finally converge in this
state.
We have compiled a list of new distributional
records of Corbicula in central, northeastern and
eastern Texas. The first record of the species in
northeastern Texas was from Lake Grapevine
(Tarrant County), a reservoir of the upper Trinity
River drainage. Mr. Donnie Roberts provided the
senior author with several specimens collected
from Lake Grapevine in November, 1972. Subse-
quently, several reservoirs in Tarrant County
were found to harbor Corbicula populations. The
authors recovered specimens from Lake Arlington
on January 21, 1974; from Lake Benbrook on
February 3, 1974; and from Eagle Mountain Lake
in September, 1974. In August, 1973, the senior
author collected a specimen from the Colorado
River at Marble Falls in central Texas.
During October and November, 1974, and
March and April, 1975, the Texas Christian
University Research Foundation provided finan-
cial support which enabled us to briefly survey a
number of Texas reservoirs east of the Colorado
River system. We visited Possum Kingdom
Reservoir (Brazos River drainage). Lake Play
Hubbard, Navarro Mills Reservoir, C«dar Creek
Reservoir, and Lake Livingston (Trinity River
drainage). Lake Conroe (San Jacinto River
drainage). Lake Tawakoni (upper Sabine River
drainage). Diversion Lake, Lake Wichita, and
Lake 0' the Pines (Red River drainage), and
Lake Sam Rayburn and Steinhagen Reservoir
(Neches River drainage). Most of the surveys
were not exhaustive (exceptions were those at
Possum Kingdom, Diversion Lake and Lake
Wichita) so the failure to detect Corbicula at a
locality does not necessarily indicate the absence
of the species in an area. In fact, only Lake Sam
Rayburn and Lake Texoma yielded specimens.
The Rayburn specimens were collected from a
sandy substrate on the northwestern shore of the
lake on October 18, 1974, whereas specimens from
Lake Texoma were taken from sand along the
northern shore of the lake near the University of
Oklahoma Biological Station on April 24, 1975.
Harold Murray has provided additional
distribution data from central Texas. He has
received specimens collected by Emily Mims from
Lake Buchanan on June 30, 1973. On September
21, 1973, the ecology class of Trinity University
recovered Corbicula from Canyon Lake,
Guadalupe River. Scott Horn provided Murray
with specimens collected on September 8, 1974,
from the Guadalupe River below the dam at
Highway 90 and 90A near Seguin, Texas.
Ray Dinges of the Texas Water Quality Board
has provided us additional records. He has col-
lected Asiatic clams from Lake Austin on the
Colorado River, along the Colorado River between
Austin and Bastrop, and in the Nueces River
along Texas Farm Road 1025, north of Crystal
City.
The known distribution of Corbicula in Texas
now includes seven major drainages: the Rio
Grande, Nueces, Guadalupe, and Colorado Rivers,
with dispersal apparently occurring within these
systems generally from west to east, the upper
Trinity River drainage and the Red River
drainage with populations recruited from an
uncertain source, and the Neches River drainage
with this population possibly recruited from
Louisiana (see Figure 1). Considering the ap-
parent lack of Corbicula populations immediately
adjacent to the upper Trinity River assemblage,
it seem possible that the species gained access to
FIG. 1. The knoum distribuiion of Corbicula manilensis in
Texas through April 1975.
22 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (1)
10
15
20
25
30
SHELL LENGTH (mt)
FIG. 2. Size frequency di.ftrihulidii of a nindom sample nf
paired rnlres of Corbicula manilensis collected from Lake
Benhrook. Texas. November. l!)7Jt.
North Texas waters as a result of introduction
from a remote source. Many live-bait
establishments obtain minnows from Arkansas or
Louisiana, transporting several hundred gallons
of water with each shipment of minnows.
Perhaps Corbicula larvae may have been
transported with this water. Fisherman could
just as likely bring an establishing population in-
to the area in a live-bait hold of a boat. The pat-
tern of distribution of Corbicula in Texas is
decidedly trending along a roughly north to south
axis. This fact may be due only to coincidence,
but since it parallels closely a migratory bird
flyway, it may suggest an alternative dispersal
mechanism.
From whatever source that Corbicula became
established in Tarrant Cbunty reservoirs, it is
certain the Asiatic clam is firmly entrenched
there. In 1973, Britton, Murphy, Keith and
Mauldin completed a study of the bivalve fauna
of Tarrant County Reservoirs. From June 1971 to
August 1972, extensive bivalve collections were
made in Benbrook and Eagle Mountain reser-
voirs. At that time there was no evidence of Cor-
bicula in either lake. By November 1974, shell
debris accumulations of Corbicula along portions
of the western shore of Benbrook Lake yielded
densities in excess of 800 valves per foot. A ran-
dom sample of 140 paired valves was taken from
this shell debris material. Measurements were
made of each individual in the sample. The
length of the largest was 30.4 mm. A frequency
distribution of length or height measurements ob-
tains a distinctly bimodal curve, suggesting two
major age classes among the Benbrook Corbicula
population (Figure 2). This correlates well with
the time available for the species to have become
established.
Considering the rapid spread of Corbicula in
southwestern Texas and among the Tarrant
County reservoirs, it is interesting that the
species apparently has not yet entered the Brazos
River system (or, at least the upper Brazos from
Possum Kingdom Reservoir to Waco, Texas). In
the summer and fall of 1974, we made extensive
collections of bivalves from Possum Kingdom
Reservoir during a period when the lake was
significantly below normal. Corbicula was never
observed. In addition, Mr. Chuck Fontainer has
been intensively studying unionid populations in
the Brazos River near Waco. He has employed
numerous collecting techniques including SCUBA
diving to recover clams. To date he has not en-
countered Corbicula in the Waco area. The
Brazos drainage should be monitored closely dur-
ing the next few years, as it is the only major
river system between western and eastern Cor-
bicula populations which still lacks the species.
The substrate preferences of Corbicula in Texas
are variable. We have taken the species from san-
dy gravel, sandy mud and muddy sand, and from
deeper water muds. The most abundant popula-
tions seem to be on or in sandy or muddy sand
substrates. Clams can be found on the surface of
the substrate or buried as much as two cen-
timeters below the surface. At Sam Riiyburn
Reservoir we found a population of Corbicula in
a muddy sand substrate. The clams were approx-
imately 2 cm below the surface, but produced a
hole which emerged at the sandy water-substrate
interface for water currents to enter the mantle
cavity. The origin of this tube is curious, as the
siphons of Corbicula are too short to be extended
2 cm to the surface to produce it. Although we
have tried to reproduce the situation with
laboratory specimens, we have not been suc-
cessful.
The largest concentrations of Corbicula have
been collected from shore to depths of about 8
Vol. 91 (1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 23
feet. Living specimens have been recovered by
dredging in silty substrates in Lake Benbrook at
a depth of approximately 20 feet.
Our students have removed Corbicula from
stomachs of three fish species from North Texas
waters. A red ear sunfish, Lepomis microlophuii,
from Lake Benbrook was found to contain Cor-
bicula shells up to 5 mm in length. A spotted
sucker, Minytrema melanops. from the same lake
had ingested shells up to 3 mm in length. From
Eagle Mountain Lake a freshwater drum,
Aplixiinotus gmnniens. had five specimens of
Corbicula in the gut ranging from 3 to 5 mm in
length.
LITERATURE CITED
Britton, Joseph C. C. E. Murphy, D. E. Keith, and Virginia
Mauldin, 1973. A quantitative and (jiialitative survey of the
plankton and benthic invertebrates including bivalves of
Eagle Mountain and Possum Kingdom Lakes Part III,
Bivalves Texas Electric Service G)mpany Research Report
178. 101 pp.
Dundee, D. S. and W. J. Harman. 196."!. Oirbicula fluminea
(Mailer) in Louisiana. The Nauiduii 77(1): 30.
Metcalf. Artie L., 1966. Corbicula manilensia in the Mesilla
Valley of Texas and New Mexico. The Nautilus 80(1 ): 16-20.
Metcalf, Artie L. and Richard Smartt, 1972, Records of in-
troduced mollusks: New Mexico and western Texas. The
A^aM/i7«s 85(4): 144-145.
Murray. Harold D., 1971. New records of Corbicula manilensis
(Philippi) in Texas. The Nautilux 85(1): 3.5-36.
Murray. Harold D.. 1972. Freshwater mussels in Lake LBJ,
Te.\as. Bulletin of the American Malacological Union for
1971, pp. .36-37.
Sinclair, Ralph M., 1971. Annotated bibliography on the exotic
bivalve Corbicula in North America. 1900-1971. Sterkiana
43: 11-18.
OPISTHOBRANCHS FOUND OFF LITTLE EGG INLET, NEW JERSEY,
WITH NOTES ON THREE SPECIES NEW TO THE STATE
Elizabeth V. Carlo
Ichthyological Associates, Inc.
Box 70-D, R. D. 2, West Brook Lane
Absecon, New Jersey 08201
ABSTRACT
An intensive ecological survey in the incinity of Little Egg Inlet, New Jersey
found three species of opisthobranchs which are new to New Jersey (Pleurobran-
chaea tarda, Onchidoris bilamellata, and Facelina bostoniensis) and southern
range extensions for Dendronotus frondosus and Tergipes tergipes. The occurrence
of cold water opisthobranchs in New Jersey is explained in part by ocean water
temperatures which rarely exceed 25°C, by the numerous submerged artificial
structures, and by the predominant southwest flow of coastal water which may
transport eggs and young from breeding populations located to the north.
INTRODUCTION
In October, 1971, Ichthyological Associates, Inc.
began an ecological survey of the New Jersey
coast from Long Beach Island to Brigantine
Island. Since March, 1972, invertebrates were
systematically collected by a variey of methods
including substrate panels, clam dredge, ponar
grab, lobster pots, trawl, and SCUBA gear as
reported by Carlo, Hondo, and Miller (1975) and
McCullough (1975).
Recent reports by Franz (1968a, 1970) and
Loveland, Hendler, and Newkirk (1969) recorded
nudibranchs from Shark River, Delaware Bay,
Manasquan River, and Bamegat Bay. Loveland et
al. (1969) provided a checklist which summarized
distributional records of nudibranchs from New
Jersey. Franz (1968b), Marcus (1958), Miner
(1950) and Pruvot-Fol (1954) discussed their tax-
onomy and distribution.
24 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91(1)
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Vol. 91 (1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 25
RESULTS
More than 325 macroinvertebrate taxa were
collected from the study area during the period
between 1971 and 1975. Opisthobranchs were
taken between Little Sheepshead Creek and 15
kilometers southeast of Little Egg Inlet (Fig. 1).
Nine species of opisthobranchs (represented by
1,082 specimens) are discussed below (Table 1).
Specimens are deposited in the collections of
Absecon Laboratory of Ichthyological Associates,
Inc.
Some 95% of the specimens collected were
taken from artificial structures which included
lobster pots, substrate panels, buoy lines, ship
wrecks, and a weather tower. The rest were col-
lected from natural substrates such as shell rub-
ble encrusted with bryozoans and drifting
hydroids.
Pleurobranchaea tarda (Verrill 1880)
Thirteen specimens were collected by trawl
during August, October, and November, 1975, ap-
proximately 15 kilometers southeast of Little Egg
Inlet. Specimens were taken at depths of 18 to 20
m. Bottom water temperature at the time of col-
lection ranged from 14.2° to 17.0° C and salinity
was 32.0 ppt.
Abbott (1974) reported specimens off
Massachusetts and Delaware at depths from 51 to
567 m. Moore (1964) noted specimens from
floating Saiyassum in Vineyard Sound, Mass. and
in dredge samples taken at depths from 60 to
400 m. Our specimens are the first reported oc-
currence for New Jersey.
Acanthodoris pilosa (Miiller 1776)
Forty-four specimens were collected from 27
April 1972 through 3 September 1974. They were
taken in Little Sheepshead Creek, and from Lit-
tle Egg Inlet to a point 4.8 kilometers southeast
of Little Egg Inlet at depths of 2 to 11 m. Bottom
temperatures were 6.5° to 25.0° C and salinities
were 29.0 to 30.5 ppt. Egg masses were collected
in June when bottom temperature was 16.0° C
and salinity was 29.0 ppt.
Acanthodoris pilosa was found on shell rubble
which was covered with encrusting bryozoans
(particularly Alcyonidium sp.) and on cement
and masonite substrate panels colonized by Al-
Bexh Haven Inlel
€it^^g^;gi
FIG. 1. Area sampled in the vicinity of Little Egg Inlet,
New Jersey.
cyonidium, Obelia Jlabellata, and Tubularia
crocea; 7 were found on the gamma stage
of Cliona sp. The color of A pilosa varied from
gray to gray-pink to yellow and blended with the
habitat.
Abbott (1974) reported that it was found from
the Arctic to Ocean City, Maryland and in the
north Pacific, Japan, and Europe. A specimen
found in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, was
reported by Loveland et al. (1969). Acanthodoris
pilosa is established in natural and man-made
habitats near Little Egg Inlet but is uncommon.
Onchidoris bilamellata (Linnaeus 1767)
(Lamellidoris fusca in Abbott 1974, On-
chidoris fusca in Moore 1964)
Eight specimens were collected on a lobster pot
set from 23 July to 14 August 1973 near a wreck
located approximately 6.4 kilometers southeast of
Little Egg Inlet. They were relatively small (total
length ranged from 5.7 to 6.9 mm; mean 6.3 mm).
The depth ranged from 14 to 16 m; the bottom
temperature was 12.5° C, and salinity was 30.5
ppt.
Abbott (1974) reported its range in the Atlan-
tic from the Arctic to Massachusetts and Europe.
26 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91(1)
These are the first specimens reported from south
of Ijong Island, New York (Rozsa 1974).
Dendronotus frondosus (Ascanius 1774)
One specimen (1.8 mm total length) was col-
lected on a masonite panel which was set from 23
April to 1 July 1974. The panel was placed ap-
proximately 5 m below mean low water on a
weather tower located 3.7 kilometers southeast of
Little Egg Inlet. The bottom temperature was
20.0° C and the salinity was 29.5 ppt. Den-
dnmotus was associated with the hydroids Obelia
flahellata and Tubularia crocea.
Abbott (1974) reported its range in the
Atlantic is from the Arctic to New Jersey and
Europe. Loveland et al. (1969) found hundreds of
specimens associated with Tubularia on a floating
wharf in Shark River, N. J.
Tergipes was reported previously from the Arc-
tic to New Jersey and Europe and Brazil (Abbott
1974). Loveland et al. (1969) stated it was rare in
New Jersey; the two previous records were from
the Shark River.
Facelina bostoniensis (Couthouy 1838)
Three specimens were collected between 29
August 1972 and 8 October 1973 from lobster pots
and a buoy line located between 3.2 and 4.0
kilometers southeast of Little Egg Inlet in depths
of 9 to 10 m. Bottom temperatures were 19.0° to
22.0° C and salinities were 29.0 to 29.5 ppt.
Abbott (1974) gave its range as Nova Scotia to
Connecticut. Rozsa (1974) reported specimens
from Long Island, New York. These are the first
reported from New Jersey.
Doto coronata (Gmelin 1791)
Twenty-nine specimens were collected from
early May, 1973, to early December, 1974. Small
specimens and eggs were collected on floating
hydroids (Sertularidae) in May, 1973, in Little
Egg Inlet. A few were found associated with
Obelia flahellata on cement and masonite panels
placed 3.7 kilometers southeast of Little Egg In-
let. Bottom temperatures were 6.0° to 20.0° C and
salinities were 26.0 to 30.5 ppt.
Abbott (1974) reported it was distributed from
the Bay of Fundy to New Jersey and Europe.
Loveland et al. (1969) noted that it was originally
described from a collection taken in Great Egg
Harbor. N. J. by Verrill and Smith (1873). They
rediscovered it in Shark River in 1968. Our find-
ings indicate it is established but uncommon in
the coastal waters off New Jersey.
Tergipes tergripes (Forskal 1775), (Tergipes
despectus in Moore 1964, and in Franz 1968a)
Some 815 specimens were collected between 29
August 1972 and 6 December 1974 from a
weather tower, buoy lines, and cement and
masonite substrate panels located between 3.2
and 4.8 kilometers southeast of Little Egg Inlet.
Bottom temperatures were 6.0° to 20.0° C and
salinities were 29.0 to 31.0 ppt. Most specimens
were found where 0. flxiheUata was abundant and
T. crocea was common.
Cratena pilata (Gould 1870)
Some 164 specimens were collected between 29
July 1972 and 5 August 1974 on lobster pots,
buoy lines, and cement panels located 3.2 and 4.8
kilometers southeast of Little E^g Inlet at depths
from 8 to 15 m. Bottom temperatures were 13.0°
to 21.5° C and salinities were 30.0 ppt. Most
specimens were collected where T. crocea was
abundant.
It occurs from Nova Scotia to North Carolina
(Abbott 1974) and has been reported from
Barnegat and Delaware bays. New Jersey by
Franz (1968a). Our findings indicate it is abun-
dant in the coastal waters off Little Egg Inlet.
Aeolidia papillosa (Linne 1761)
Four specimens and several egg masses were
collected on 11 June 1973 by SCUBA divers on a
wreck approximately 8.8 kilometers southeast of
Little Egg Inlet at a depth of 15 m. Metridium
senile, the prey of A. papilhsa, was abundant on
the wreck. Bottom water temperature was 10.0° C
and salinity was 30.5 ppt.
Its range in the Atlantic is from the Arctic to
Maryland and Europe (Abbott 1974), and it has
been reported from the Shark and Manasquan
rivers, N. J. by Loveland et al. (1969). Our find-
ings indicate that breeding populations exist in
some coastal waters off New Jersey.
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 27
DISCUSSION
Of the 9 opisthobranchs collected from the study
area, 6 are amphi-Atlantic (occur on both sides of
the Atlantic) and 3 are west-Atlantic endemic.
Franz (1970) concluded that 37% of the species
north of Cape Hatteras are west-Atlantic
endemics and our findings agree.
Of the amphi-Atlantic species, A. pilosa, D. cor-
onata. and T. tergipes are boreal and successful
reproduction cannot occur above 25° C (Franz
1970). In this study egg masses of D. coronata
and A. pilosa were collected at 15° C and 16° C,
respectively. 0. bilamellata, D. frondosus. and A.
papillosa are boreo-subarctic species and suc-
cessful reproduction cannot occur at
temperatures above 15-20° C. In this study egg
masses of ^. papillosa were found at 10° C.
Three factors contribute to successful establish-
ment of northern nudibranchs in New Jersey.
Temperature regimes near shore and in Little
Egg Inlet favor boreal species. Bottom
temperature never exceeded 25° C between
March, 1972, and December, 1974. At depths
greater than 15 m bottom temperature never ex-
ceeded 21° C, however, during the summer it was
between 20 and 21° C about 12% of the time. One
boreo-subarctic species was found reproducing
below the summer thermocline and this is a
suitable area for other boreo-subarctic species to
inhabit.
Loveland et al. (1969) stated that nudibranchs
and their eggs may be transported southward and
become rapidly established on man-made struc-
tures in New Jersey. Some 95% of those collected
in this study were from submerged man-made
substrates.
In summer, 1973, small specimens of 0.
bilamellata and D. frondosa were collected on
recently deployed substrates; this suggests they
were transported by water currents.
Charlesworth (1968) redrew maps from Bumpus
(1965) which show the general southwest drift in
the Middle Atlantic Bight. E. G. & G., En-
vironmental Consultants (1974) found that the
prevailing current in the study area in summer,
1973 was southwest with an average velocity of
12.1 km/day (surface) and 4.3 km/day (bottom).
D. frondosa could drift from existing populations
in Shark River to Little Egg Inlet in less than 2
weeks. The southwest drift may transport eggs
and young from northern populations and the
availability of suitable habitats and thermal
regimes in the study area facilitate their sur-
vival.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work is part of an ecological study for the
proposed offshore Atlantic Generating Station
sponsored by Public Service Electric and Gas
Company of New Jersey. Martha M. McCul-
lough, Jeffrey J. Hondo, and Charles B. Milstein
collected many of the specimens. Dr. David R.
Franz, Brooklyn College, confirmed the identifica-
tion of Acanthodoris pilosa and Lamellidoris
fiisca and Dr. Larry G. Harris, University of New
Hampshire, verified the identification of Facelina
bostoniensis.
I thank Dr. David R. Franz and Dr. Edward C.
Raney for reviewing the manuscript, Felicia A.
Swiecicki for the figure, and Linda N. Dill for
typing.
LITERATURE CITED
Abbott, R. T. 1974. American Seashells, the marine moUusca
of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. Second
ed.. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, N. Y. 663 p.
Charlesworth, L. J. 1968. Bay, inlet and nearshore marine
sedimentations: Beach Haven— Little Egg Inlet region, New
Jersey, Doctoral Thesis. Pts. 1, 2, and 3, University
Microfilms. Univ. Michigan, Ann Arbor.
E. G. & G., Environmental Consultants. 1974. Discussion of
general circulation in the New York Bight area. p. 6-1
through 8-1 in Summary of oceanographic observations in
New Jersey coastal waters near 39° 28' N latitude and 74°
15' W longitude during the period May 1973 through April
1974. Waltham, Mass.
Franz, D. R. 1968a. Occurrence and distribution of New
Jersey Opisthobranchia. Vie Nautilus 82(1): 7-12.
Franz, D. R. 1968b. Taxonomy of the eolid nudibranch,
Cratenapilata (Gould). Ches. Set. 9(4): 264-266.
Franz, D. R. 1970. Zoogeography of northwest Atlantic
opisthobranch molluscs. Mar. Biol. 7(2): 171-180.
Garlo, E. V., J. J. Hondo, and G. J. Miller. 1975. Benthic in-
vertebrates. 2: 26-64. In Ecological studies in the bays and
other waterways near Little Egg Inlet and in the ocean in
the vicinity of the proposed site for the Atlantic Generating
Station, New Jersey. Ichthyological Assoc, Inc., Ithaca, New
York.
Loveland. R. E., G. Hendler. G. Newkirk. 1969. New records of
nudibranchs from New Jersey. Veliger l\{i): 418-420.
McCullough, M. M. 1975. Epifauna, 2: 13-21. In Ecological
studies in the bays and other waterways near Little E^g
28 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91(1)
Inlet and in the ocean in the vicinity of the proposed site
for the Atlantic Generating Station, New Jersey.
Ichthyological Assoc.. Inc.. Ithaca. N. Y.
Marcus. E. 1958. On western Atlantic opisthobranchiate
gastropods. Amer. Mus. Nointates. No. 1906. 82 p.
Miner. R. W. 1950. Field Bonk of Seashore Life. G. P. Put-
nam's Sons. New York, N. Y. 888 p.
Moore, G. M. 1964. Shell-less Opisthobranchia, p. 1.5.3-164. In
R I. Smith (ed.) Keys to marine invertebrates of the Woods
Hole Region. Contr. 11, System.-Ecol. Program. Mar. Biol.
Lab.. Woods Hole, Mass.
Pruvot-Fol, A. 1954. MoUusques opisthobranches. Faune de
France 58: 421-436.
Rozsa, R. 1974. Preliminary checklist of the nudibranchs and
sacoglossa of Long Island. New York Shell Oub Notes 200:
7-8.
NOTES ON OCCURRENCE OF
EUPLEURA SULCIDENTATA DALL (GASTROPODA: MURICIDAE)
Wiliiam G. Lyons
Florida Department of Natural Resources
Marine Research Laboratory'
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
ABSTRACT
Eupleura sulcidentata is reported from estuarine and coastal sites in southeast
Florida. Cuba, and tivo Bahamian Islands, demonstrating that the species is not a
west Florida endemic, and confirming Doll's original record fi-om Cuba.
In 1972, I collected six freshly dead shells of
Eupleura (Fig. 1) in beach drift along a sand spit
at White Sound on the lagoonal side of Elbow
Cay, Great Abaco, Bahamas. A literature search
(part of an ongoing treatment of the shallow
water Bahamian molluscan fauna) failed to
reveal any Bahamian records of Eupleura, so
specimens were sent to Dr. Emily Yokes, Tulane
University, who identified them as E. sulciden-
tata Dall, 1890. The specimens are deposited in
the Marine Research Laboratory invertebrate
reference collection (FSBC I) at St. Petersburg.
In his original description, Dall defined the
range of E. sulcidentata as "Gulf coast of Florida,
shores of Cuba." Smith (1937) also listed Cuba
within the range of the species, but Dall's Cuban
citation was evidently considered erroneous by
Johnson (1934), who listed only the Gulf coast of
Florida and Florida Keys, and by Abbott (1954,
1968), who further restricted it to west Florida.
Lyons et al. (1971) followed the latter in consider-
ing the species a west Florida endemic. Abbott
(1974) listed E. sulcidentata at Bimini, Bahamas,
revising its range to include both the west coast
of Florida and Bimini. A report of E. sulciden-
Contribution No. 290.
tata from Caibarien, on the north central Cuban
coast (Jaume and Sarasua, 1943) has evidently
been overlooked by subsequent authors. Dr. Ab-
bott suggested I contact Mr. J. C. Finlay, who
allowed me to examine nine Cuban specimens
(Figs. 2, 3) collected by him during 1957-1958 in
depths of 3-4 m on the Varadero side of the Bay
of Cardenas, about 200 km northwest of
Caibarien. Mr. Dan Steger provided an addi-
tional specimen from Varadero. Mr. Finlay also
provided three specimens (Fig. 4) collected off
Rickenbacker Causeway, Biscayne Bay, Miami,
Florida, during 1949-50. Most recently, I have ex-
amined 12 specimens (Fig. 5) collected by Mr.
Gene Everson while night diving in depths of 5-6
m immediately off Lake Worth Inlet, north of
West Palm Beach, Florida.
Eupleura sulcidentata occurs in estuaries along
the entire Florida west coast. Tabb and Manning
(1961) report specimens from Cape Sable and
northern Florida Bay, Cooley (manuscript) has
found the species at Pensacola Bay, and others
have been reported at many points intermediate
to these localities. The snails are common in
Tampa Bay (Fig. 6). where they usually live on
rocks over sand, on oyster reefe, or in grassbeds
in higher salinity portions of the Bay: they also
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 29
FIGS. 1-6. Eupleura sulcidentata DaH: Fig. 1 - Elbow Cay.
Gt. Ahaco (FSBC I 10131). Pigs. 2, 3 - Cardenas Bay. Cuba
(Finlay Coll.). Fig. 4 Biscatpte Bay (Finlay Coll.). Fig. 5 —
Lake Worth Inlet (Everson Coll.). Fig. 6 — Tampa Bay.
Florida (FSBC 1 2672). All figures X2.
occur near beaches where conditions remain
essentially estuarine. Habitat near the beach at
Elbow Cay included sand and turtle grass,
(Tlmlassia testudinum Konig) with occasional
rocks scattered throughout the area. Mr. Finlay
states that he commonly dredged E. sulcidentata
in 2-3 m on muddy sand in the Bay of Cardenas.
At Biscayne Bay, specimens were "not infre-
quently found clinging to the outside of smooth
objects such as bottles, cans, etc." Lake Worth In-
let specimens were found in shell rubble on sand,
apparently similar to areas where the species oc-
curs in nearshore waters of west Florida. The
Bahamian, Cuban, and Biscayne Bay sites are
relatively estuarine compared to other tropical
habitats, but faunal assemblages differ con-
siderably from those where E. sulcidentata occurs
along west Florida.
Lake Worth Inlet may approach the northern
range limit of E sulcidentata on the Florida east
coast. Extensive collecting by me at St. Lucie In-
let. 45 km to the north, has not produced this
species, although its northern congener, E.
candata (Say, 1822) has been found there.
Mr. Finlay 's specimens, as well as the report
by Jaume and Sarasua, confirm Ball's original
contention that E. sulcidentata is a component of
the Cuban fauna. Specimens from Lake Worth,
Biscayne Bay, and two Bahamian localities
demonstrate that the range of the species is con-
siderably greater than has been recently
recognized.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank Messrs. John C. Finlay, Newark,
Delaware, the late Dan Steger, Tampa, Florida,
and Gene Everson, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, for
graciously loaning specimens, and Mrs. Sally D.
Kaicher. St. Petersburg, for preparing the figures.
Dr. R. Tucker Abbott. Greenville. Delaware, pro-
vided additional information and comment. David
K. Camp and Mark J. Poff kindly read the
manuscript.
LITERATURE CITED
Abbott, R. T. 1954. American Seashells. D. Van Nostrand Co.,
Inc.. Princeton. 541 p.
Abbott, R. T. 1968. Seashells of North America. Golden Press,
New York. 280 p.
Abbott, R. T. 1974. American Seashells. 2nd ed. Van
Nostrand- Reinhold Co., New York. 663 p., 24 pis.
Cooley. N. R. (Manuscript). An inventory of the estuarine
fauna in the vicinity of Pensacola, Florida.
Dall. W. H. 1890. Contributions to the Tertiary fauna of
Florida, with especial reference to the Miocene silex-beds of
Tampa and the Pliocene beds of the Caloosahatchie River.
Part I. Pulmonate. opisthobranchiate and orthodont
gastropods. Trans. Wagner Free Inst. Sci. Phila.. 3: 200 p.
Jaume. M. L. and H. Sarasua. 1943. Notas sobre moluscos
marinos cubanos. Rev. Soc. Mai. "Carlos de la Torre" 1(2):
52-61, 1 pi.
Johnson, C. W. 1934 List of marine mollusca of the Atlantic
coast from Labrador to Texas. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist.,
40(1): 204 p.
Lyons, W. G., S. P. Cobb. D. K. Camp. J. A. Mountain, T.
Savage. L. Lyons, and E. A. Joyce, Jr. 1971. Preliminary in-
ventory of marine invertebrates collected near the electrical
generating plant. Crystal River, Florida, in 1969. Fla Dep.
Nat. Resour. Mar. Res. Lab.. Prof. Pap. Ser., 14: 45 p.
Smith, M. 1937. East coast marine shells. Edwards Brothers,
Inc., Ann Arbor. 308 p.
Tabb. D. C, and R. B. Manning. 1961. A checklist of the flora
and fauna of northern Florida Bay and adjacent brackish
waters of the Florida mainland collected during the period
July 1957 through September 1960. Bull. Mar Set. Gulf
Carib.. ll(4):552-649.
30 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (1)
NORTH AMERICAN LAND SNAILS IN ISRAEL
Henk K. Mienis
Department of Zoology
Hebrew University
Jerusalem , Israel
ABSTRACT
snails: Gastrocopta procera (Gould). Hawaiia
Three North American land
minuscula (Binney) and Zonitoides arboreus (Say) are reported fi-om Israel.
Recent investigations have revealed the
presence of several North American land snails
in Israel. Preliminary information is given in
this report in the hope that more attention will
be paid to other cases of introduced land
mollusks in the Middle East.
The material on which this work is based was
collected during field work carried out by the
author in support of the land snail project of the
"Fauna Palaestina Committee".
The following North American land mollusks
were collected in Israel:
Gastrocopta (Gastrocopta) procera (Gould, 1840)
In December 1972 a few empty shells of this
species were collected by Mr. S. Davis during a
field trip of students of the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem to the oasis of 'En Gedi, on the
western shore of the Dead Sea. About one week
later, very large numbers of this minute species
were found in litter under palm trees in the ir-
rigated palm gardens bordering the fields of kib-
butz 'En Gedi by Prof. G. Haas, Mr. S. Davis,
Miss T. Felsenburg and the author. More than
ten thousand specimens were extracted from less
than four kilograms of litter.
It was first identified as Gastrocopta procera
mcclungi (Hanna & Johnston, 1913) by Dr. L.
Forcart, but according to Mr. L. R. Hubricht (per.
comm.) all the specimens belong to the nominate
species Gastrocopta procera ((Jould). According to
the latter, it is almost impossible to discriminate
properly any subspecies within the species G. pi-o-
cera because of the many intermediate forms.
Hawaiia minuscula (Binney, 1840)
Like Gastrocopta procera this species was
found in large numbers in a litter sample taken
in the irrigated palm gardens of kibbutz 'En
Gedi. The identification of this species based on
shell characters was confirmed by Dr. L. Forcart.
Dr. A. Riedel later found the anatomy of a living
specimen to agree in every detail with that of
typical//, minuscula.
Zonitoides (Zonitellus) arboreus (Say, 1816)
Very large colonies of this species are present
in the open tree nursery of kibbutz Netzer
Sereni. Snails were first observed by the author
in January 1970, but this species must have
already been well established as thousands of liv-
ing snails were present. The snails are living on
and underneath containers (mainly tin cans) in
which saplings of sub-tropical fruit trees are
cultivated, in densities reaching 25 per container.
Eggs and juveniles are found during the entire
year, but are most numerous in the spring
(March-May). With the sale of young trees, snails
are transported to orchards and other nurseries.
The identification of Z. arboreus from kibbutz
Netzer Sereni has been confirmed by Dr. L. For-
cart and Dr. C. 0. van Regteren Altena.
Recently additional specimens of Z. arboreus
were collected by the author in an open
greenhouse of the Old Botanical Garden of the
Tel Aviv University near Abu Kabir, Tel Aviv (8
January 1975). A single specimen was found in a
hothouse of the Botanical Garden at the Givat
Ram campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusa-
lem (5 June 1975).
DISCUSSION
Zonitoides arboreus is a well known
greenhouse species which is widely distributed
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 31
over the whole world. (Pilsbry, 1946). It may have
been introduced with plants imported from North
America or from hothouses in Europe.
In the cases of Gastrocopta procera and
H(uraiia miymsmla. there is a clear indication
that they were imported directly from Southern
California. Both species were found in litter
under palm trees which were directly imported
from a nursery in the Coachello Valley in the
Salton Lake area. According to Pilsbry (1948) this
species was not known to live outside America.
From the large numbers in which these three
species have been collected, it is clear that all
have adapted very well under the artificial condi-
tions in Israel. Further passive dispersal of
Zonitoides arboreus is currently going on.
However, there is no positive data available
regarding the presence of this species in other
nurseries or orchards in Israel. Further dispersal
of Gastrocopta procera or Hawaiia minuscula
seems very unlikely, as both are living in the
isolated oasis of 'En Gedi in the Judean Desert,
and there only in irrigated palm gardens.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Tlie author wishes to express his gratitude to
Dr. L. Forcart (Basel), Dr. C. C. van Regteren
Altena (Leiden), Dr. A. Riedel (Warszawa) and
Mr. L. R. Hubricht (Meridian) for their help in
the identification of the discussed material.
LITERATURE CITED
Pilsbr>', H. A. 1946. Land MoUusca of North America (North
of Me.xico). Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Monog. 3. 2(1): 481.
Pilsbry. H. A. 1948. Land Mollusca of North America (North
of Me.xico). Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Monog. .3, 2(2):
907-910.
EFFECT OF UPWARDLY-DIRECTED SHELL APERTURE ON
THE AESTIVATING LAND ^NAlh ACHATINA FULICA
S. K. Raut and K. C. Ghose
Department of Zoology
University of Calcutta
35 B.C. Road, Calcutta - 70(X)19 INDIA.
Water conservation is a serious problem in
land snails. Aestivation is the normal mechanism
to tide over the adverse conditions during dry
seasons in temperate and tropical countries.
Studies on the orientation of the shell aperture
in hibernating snails are very few. An upwardly
directed aperture during hibernation is common
in many land snails (Binney, 1851), in Mesodon
thifroidu,^ and Allogona profunda (Blinn, 1963),
and commonly upward in A. ptychophora
(Carney, 1967). A pronounced effect is expected in
specimens with long periods of aestivation, which
is supported from the studies on Achatinafulica.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
Three cages measuring 600 x 450 cm and 240
cm high were erected in a shady place in the
campus of Calcutta University at Ballygunge.
Sized wood, 7.5 x 5 cm thick, and of appropriate
length were used. The posts were fixed in the soil
with concrete bases. The sides and the ceiling
were covered with 1-cm expanded metal net. The
soil of the floor of the cages was loosened with
forks.
A limited amount of water was sprayed on the
soil on October 13 and 14, 1974. Then 200 healthy,
active, juvenile and adult Achatina collected from
their natural habitat were released in each of the
cages No. 1 and 2. The snails were acclimatized for
18 days and water was regularly sprayed during
the period to keep the soil sufficiently moist and
maintain a high percentage of humidity in the
cages. Favourite food was supplied in excess and
strict hygienic conditions were maintained. The
32 THE NAUTILUS
January 27. 1!)77
Vol. 91(1)
snails were vigorously active in the period of ac-
climatization.
To simulate the natural habitat of Achatina.
water-spraying was stopped on 2nd November,
but the food supply was continued.
OBSERVATIONS
Nov. 7, 1974: Most of the snails in both the
cages were partially buried in the soil or moving
to a corner indicating preparation for aestivation.
Some of the snails started moving up the frame
of the cage but they were brought down and
released on the soil.
Nov. 11, 1974: The rest of the snails became in-
active.
Nov. 13, 1974: Epiphragm was formed in all
specimens. In all cases the shell aperture was
directed downward.
Nov. 17, 1974: The aestivating snails in cage
No. 1 were turned upside down, i.e., the aperture
was directed upwards. The snails of the cage No.
2 were left undisturbed.
There was no rainfall until February, 1975,
when there occurred a total rainfall of 10.2 mm
in 5 days at certain intervals. Feb. 11, 1975: rain-
fall 3.9 mm. Feb. 12, 1975: rainfall 3.2 mm.
The humidity in February was maximum 95%,
minimum 35%. Temperature mean maximum 27°,
mean minimum 15.5°.
Feb. 12, 1975: 173 snails became active in cage
No. 1. The remaining were already dead. Four
specimens pushed out the epiphragm but soon
died. 114 snails became active in cage No. 2. Ten
snails were found dead under the epiphragm.
In a few days the snails in both the cages
underwent aestivation, all with the aperture
downward. The snails of cage No. 1 were again
turned upside down, so that the aperture faced
upward.
The month of March was dry. In the following
month the total rainfall was 5.1 mm in 4 days.
Apr. 25, 1975: Rainfall 3.2 mm; Apr. 26, 1975:
Rainfall 1.6 mm. The humidity in April was ma.x-
imum 91% and minimum 19%. Temperature
mean maximum 35.4°, mean minimum 24.8°.
Apr. 26, 1975: 107 snails became active in cage
No. 1. They were immediately transferred to cage
No. 3. 76 snails were active in cage No. 2. Apr.
27, 1975: 55 snails were dead under the
epiphragm. the foot and head of 11 snails were
pushed out of the shell and died in that state in
cage No. 1, and dead snails counted were 26 in
cage No. 2.
The snails in cages 3 and 2 aestivated within a
few days with the aperture downward. The snails
of cage No. 3 were again turned upside down.
A weak monsoon appeared in the first week of
June and with heavy showers in the middle of
the month all live snails in the cages became ac-
tive. The number dead was 44 in cage No. 3 and
.56 in cage No. 2.
DISCUSSION
The aestivation period in Stylommatophora dif-
fers with species and the country where they live.
For Achatina, the period is long between the
rains in Mauritius and Ceylon (Green, 1910: Hut-
son, 1920); during the dry spell in Singapore
(South, 1926); November to March in Hong Kong
(Herklots, 1948); November to June in India
(Ghose, 1959) and February to March in Hawaii
(Kondo, 1964). Helicella virgata aestivate for
about 5 months in Australia (Pomeroy, 1968),
while the period is only 2 months during summer
for Macrochlamys glaum in India (Hora, 1928).
Aiiophnnta is reported to aestivate in summer in
India (Hora and Rao, 1928) but the duration is
not on record.
Observations on the orientation of shell aper-
ture during hibernation in cold countries are on
record (Binney, 1851; Blinn. 1963; Carney, 1967).
The sole information on the influence of orienta-
tion of shell aperture during aestivation in
Allogona ptychophora is that of Carney (1966) in
Montana, U.S.A., where the snails are covered
with snow for sometime.
The main function of epiphragm appears to be
conservation of water. Both permeable and non-
permeable epiphragms have been reported in dif-
ferent Stylommatophora. The epiphragm is per-
forated in Helix aspersa (Allman, 1894-95), but
Smith (1899) recorded no perforation in the
epiphragm of H. aspersa and H. pomatia. Rees
(1964) considers the epiphragm of H. pomatia as
slightly permeable. Perforations on the
epiphragm have been reported from Thau mast us
sangoae (Smith, 1904), Gessula hastula and
Zootecus insularis (Hora, 1928) but these are
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 33
lacking in M glauca (Hora 1928). The epiphragm
of Achatina is not permeable and a narrow slit-
like opening in the epiphragm against the
pneumostome maintains communication between
the lung and the atmosphere. Smith (1899),
however, states that the slitlike structure in A.
immaailata is closed.
Loss of water, though in small amounts, is
associated with a reduced rate of respiration dur-
ing aestivation. It appears that to minimize the
loss further the shell aperture in A. fidica is
placed against the substratum, be it soil or some
other substance. The air locked in between the
epiphragm and the soil is considerably cooler
than the surrounding air. After two months
of aestivation and a week after a shower, con-
siderable amount of moisture in the expired air
condenses into small drops of water on the
epiphragm. In specimens with upturned apertures
such phenomenon was totally absent.
In Allogona ptychoph<yra the mortality rate is
normally 15.8%, but in specimens turned upside
down it is 36% (Carney, 1966). In Achatina. the
normal mortality percentage was 46 but in-
creased to 68.5 in the upside down group.
It appears that the method of aestivation with
the aperture of Achatina placed against the soil
is an adaptation towards conservation of water to
the highest possible degree.
LITERATURE CITED
Allman. G. J. 1894-95. Note on the Formation of the
Epiphragm of Helix futpersa. Pruc. Linn. Soc. Land. 25:
517-520.
Binney. A. 1851. The terrestrial air-lnvathing moltusks of the
United States and adjarent territories of North America.
Vol. 4. Little & Brown. Boston.
BHnn, W. 1963. Exrology of the land snails, Mcsodon thifroidtts
and Allogona profunda. EkoUiyyM: 498-505.
Carney, W. P. 1966. MortaUty and apertural orientation in
Allogona ptychophora during winter hibernation in Mon-
tana. The Naiddus 79(4): 1.34-36.
Ghose. K. C. 1959. Observations on the mating and oviposition
of two land pulmonates, Achatina fidica Bowdich and
Macrochlamys indica Godwin-Austein. J. Bombay Nat. Hist.
Soc. 56(2): 183-87.
Green, E. N. 1910. African snail {Achatina fidica). Trap.
Agriculturist 35(4): 311.
Herklots, G. A. C. 1948. Giant African snail Achatina fulica
Fer. Food and Flowers 1(1): 1-4.
Hora, S. L. 1928. Hibernation and aestivation in gastropod
molluscs: on the habits of a slug from Dalhousie (Western
Himalayas), with remarks on certain other species of
gastropod molluscs. Rec Ind. Mus. 30: 3.57-73.
Hora, S. L. and Rao. H. S. 1927. Hibernation and aestivation
in gastropod molluscs. Rec. Ind. Mus. 29(2): 49-62.
Hutson. J. C. 1920. The African snail (Achatina fulica). Trap.
Agricidturist 55: 217-25.
Kondo, Y. 1964. Growth rates in Achatina fidica. The
Nautilus78(iy.6-15.
Pomeroy, D. E. 1968. Dormancy in the land snails. Helicella
virgata (Pulmonata). Aust. J. Zool. 16: 857-69.
Rees. W. J. 1964. A review of breathing devices in land oper-
culate snails. Proc. Malac. Soc. Land. 36: .55-67.
Smith, E. A. 1899. Notes on the Epiphragm of Achatina im-
maculata Lam. Pirx-. Malac. Soc. Land. 3: 309-310.
Smith, E. A. 1904. Notes on the Epiphragms of Thaumastus
sangoae and T. tntaeniatus. Proc. Malac. Soc. Lond. 6: 3-4.
AMERICAN MALACOLOGICAL UNION
1977 ANNUAL AMU MEETING-The Naples
Shell Club will host the A.M.U. during its 42nd
Annual Meeting July 11-15,1977. There will be a
symposium on the Evolution of Mollusca, as well
as regular papers. Contact President George M.
Davis, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadel-
phia, 19th and the Parkway, Philadelphia, Pa.
19103. Accommodations will be in the spacious
Naples Beach Club Hotel ($19 single; $22 double).
Contact Jerome M. Bijur, 135 Seventh Avenue
North, Naples, Fl. 33940. Detail notices are being
mailed to A.M.U. members.
34 THE NAUTILUS
January 27. 1977
Vol. 91 (1)
THE ASIATIC CLAM, CORBICULA MANILENSIS,
AS A FOOD OF THE NORTHERN RACCOON, PROCYON LOTOR
Ralph W. Taylor and Clement L. Counts. Ill
Department of Biological Sciences
Marshall University
Huntington. West Virginia 25701
In the growing mass of literature concerning
the Asiatic clam, Corhieula manilensis (Philippi),
few references have been made to their use as a
food item by other organisms. Lowery (1974)
noted in his mammal survey of Louisiana that
the northern raccoon, Procyon lot(yr (L.) utilizes
many molluscs in its diet. Many small streams in
West Virginia attest to this habit as sand bars in
these streams are often littered with many
broken, empty shells of bivalves surrounded by
footprints and scats of P. lotor. The present note
reports the use of C. manilerms as a component
in the diet of F. lotor in West Virginia.
Shells of C. manilensis were found in great
numbers along the southern bank of the Ohio
River, adjacent to a marsh, 2 miles north of
Lesage, Cabell County. West Virginia, in
September 1976. Many of the shells were broken
and found in scattered heaps. Surrounding the
shells were the footprints and scats of P. lotor.
Analysis of the scats revealed the presence of
shell fragments and one intact valve of a young
C. trianilensis, as well as assorted varieties of
seeds.
Voucher specimens have been placed at the
Delaware Museum of Natural History (DMNH
111490).
LITERATURE CITED
Lowery. G. H., .Jr. 1974. The Mammals of Louisiana and Its
Adjacent Waters. Louisiana State Univ. Press (Baton
Rouge). xxiii:.565pp.
THE ASIATIC CLAM, CORBICULA MANU^ENSIS
IN THE ILLINOIS RIVER
Carl M. Thompson and Richard E. Sparks
Illinois Natural History Survey
Havana. Illinois 62644
ABSTRACT
In 197i-75, specimens of the Asiatic Clam, Corbicula manilensis. were col-
lected at six locations on the Illinois River. Aye determinations of clams col-
lected suggest that Corbknla first appeared in the Illinois River in 1970-71.
Recent collections of the introduced Asiatic
clam, Corbicula manilensis, at six locations on
the Illinois River indicate a rapid range exten-
sion into this river system. On 23 August 1974,
we found 3 non-living shells of Corbicula on the
gravel shore of the Illinois River just downstream
from the ferry landing at Kampsville, Calhoun
County, Illinois (Illinois River mile 32.0).' The
.second find was made on 18 September 1974 at
' River miles above the confluence with the Mississippi River
as recorded in Charts of the Illinois Waterway. 1970, U. S.
Army Corps of Engineers.
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 35
Turkey Island Chute, Illinois River above
Kingston Mines, Fulton County, Illinois (River
mile 148.3). As before, the specimens were col-
lected on shore— this time in a concentration of
dead and weathered mollusk shells. In all, 12 in-
dividuals were collected at Turkey Island, 6 of
which contained tissue. Three specimens were
tightly closed and were found at water's edge,
suggesting recent desiccation. On 28 October 1974,
a third collection of 6 dead shells was made at
the lower end of Bath Chute, Illinois River below
Bath, Mason County, Illinois (River mile 106.7).
Once again, all specimens were found on shore in
a deposit of dead mussel shells. Clam collections
were made after a rapid July-August drop in
pool water levels of 18 feet at Bath and Kingston
Mines and 8 feet at Kampsville. Prior to this, the
nearest previous locality record was for the
Mississippi River at Granite City, Madison Coun-
ty, Illinois— first appearing there in 1965
(Thomerson and Myer, 1970). Three new records
were made in 1975: four specimens were found
on-shore at Upper Bath Chute (Illinois River mile
113.5) on 20 August, 1975. They ranged in shell
length from 10 to 14 mm, indicating they were
two-year-old clams. One live individual was col-
lected with an Eckman dredge from Sugar Creek
Island Chute (Illinois River mile 95.0) on 3
September, 1975. Shell length was 8 mm, also a
clam of the second-year-class. One other live
specimen was collected by Eckman dredging at
Sugar Island Chute (Illinois River mile 260.5) on
25 September, 1975. It was 12 mm long, a two-
year-old individual.
Other knovm Illinois records include the entire
length of the Ohio River bordering Illinois; at
two localities on the Wabash River— below New
Haven, Gallatin County and below Rising Sun,
White County (Parmalee, 1965); Granite City,
Madison County (Thomerson and Myer, 1970); the
Kaskaskia River near Baldwin, Randolph County,
25 miles above the confluence with the Mississip-
pi^ Crab Orchard Lake, Williamson County';
and at Lake Sangchris, a 2700-acre Com-
' Personal communication, Mr. Donald W. Dufford. Aquatic
Biologist. Illinois Natural Historj- Survey.
' Personal communication, Dr. R. Weldon Larimore, Aquatic
Biologist. Illinois Natural History Survey.
monwealth Edison power company impoundment
near Springfield, Sangamon County'. At this lat-
ter site, Corbicula has impeded water flow in the
plant cooling system.
National distribution records have been com-
piled by Sinclair (1971). A recent discovery near
Lansing, Iowa (Eckblad, 1975) establishes the
northernmost extent of Corbicula in the
Mississippi River System and the Midwest. It is
noteworthy that Corbicula at Lansing occurs in
heated effluent from a power plant. Also, the Il-
linois River in the vicinity of our collection sites
is warmer than the Mississippi at approximately
the same latitude. In 1973 during the period 1
November to 28 February, there were 103 days
when the water temperatures were measured on
the same days on both the Mississippi River at
Alton, Illinois and 75 miles north on the Illinois
River at LaGrange (River mile 80.2) (USGS,
1973). Even though the Illinois River location was
farther north than the Mississippi River station,
there were only 19 days when the minimum daily
temperature was at the freezing point on the Il-
linois and 36 days at the freezing point on the
Mississippi. The yearly mean temperature on the
Illinois at Havana (River mile 119.6) was 55° F.
while the Mississippi at Keokuk, Iowa, at approx-
imately the same latitude was 49° F. (Illinois
EPA, 1972). The thermal tolerance and preference
of Corbicula need to be determined before any
definitive statements can be made about the
probable northern limits of its range extension.
Identification of Corbicula manilensis was
made by descriptive characters given by Sinclair
and Isom (1963) and Burch (1972). Shell length
measurements were made on all specimens and
compared with published grovvth values (Sinclair
and Isom, 1961) for approximate age determina-
tion. All three valves found at the Kampsville
location were 12 mm in length indicating they
were clams of the second "year-class". Of the
specimens taken at Turkey Island seven ranged
from 12-18 mm and five ranged from 20-26 mm,
two- and three-year-old clams. Valve lengths for
the Bath Chute collection ranged from 17-29 mm,
also two- and three-year-old specimens, with the
largest individual, 29 mm, possibly representing
the fourth year-class. If the clams collected in the
36 THE NAUTILUS
January 27, 1977
Vol. 91(1)
Illinois River are considered tx) be representative,
Corhk'ula first occurred in the river in 1970-1971.
LITERATURE CITED
Burch. J. B.. 1972. Freshwater Sphaeriacean clams (MoUusca:
Pelec>'peda) of North America. Biota of Freshwater Eco-
systems Identification Manual No. 3. U. S. Elivironmental
Protection Agency. .'11 p.
hxkbiad, .James N.. 197.5. The Asian clam Corbiaila in the up-
per Mississippi River. The Nautiltis 89(1): 4.
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 1972. Water quali-
ty network. 1972 summary of data. Vol. 2. Illinois, Fox.
Sangamon, and Kankakee Basins. 243 p. Vol. 4. Mississippi
River (South. South Central, Central, North Central,
North), Big Muddy River. Kaskaskia River, and Rock River
Basin, 538 pp. Springfield. Illinois.
Ingram. William M., 19.59. Asiatic clams as potential pests in
California Water Supplies. Journal American Water WwA".s
Association 51(3): 3a3-370.
Ingram. William M.. L. Keup, and C. Henderson, 1964. Asiatic
Clams at Parker, Arizona. The Nautilus 11 (i): 121-124.
Parmalee. Paul W.. 1965. Asiatic clam (Gwbicula) in Illinois.
Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 58(1):
39^5.
Sinclair. Ralph M. and Billy G. Isom. 1961. A preliminary
report on the introduced Asiatic clam Corbicula in Ten-
nessee. Tennessee Department of Public Health. Tennessee
Stream Pollution Control Board. 33 pp.
Sinclair. Ralph M. IWi!. Effects of an introduced clam (Cor-
bicula) on water quality in the Tennessee River Valley.
Proceedings of the Second Industrial Waste Conference,
Vanderbilt University. Tennessee Department of Public
Health Tennessee Stream Pollution Control Board. 14 pp.
Sinclair, Ralph M. and B.C. Isom, 1963. Further studies on the
introduced Asiatic Clam (Corbicula) in Tennessee. Ten-
nessee Department of Public Health. Tennessee Stream
Pollution Control Board. 75 pp.
Sinclair, Ralph M., 1971. Annotated bibliography on the exotic
bi-valve Corbicula in North America, 1900-1971. Sterkiana
43: 11-18.
Thomerson. Jamie E. and Donal G. Myer. 1970. Corbicula
manilensi.'i: range extension upstream in the Mississippi
River.5(erfria«o37:29.
United States Geological Survey. 1973. Water resources data
for Illinois. District Chief. Water Resources Division. U. S.
(jeological Survey. Champaign. Illinois. 300 pp.
BOOK
Pseudothecosomata, Gymnosomata attd
Heteropoda (Gastropoda). By S. van der Spoel.
1976. 484 pp., 246 figs. Bohn, Scheltema and
Holkema, Utrecht. Hardbacii, $60.00 U.S.
This book serves to bring together most of the
current information on the pelagic pteropods and
heteropods. A large mass of data, identification
keys and drawings, and distributional maps will
assist oceanographers working on plankton. The
bibliography is extensive. The book, however, is
difficult to use.
The several indices are tucked away in various
places in the text, and upon finding a reference
the reader is led, not to a page number, but to a
species number located on pages 16-22. Finally at
this point the figures, maps and page numbers
are revealed. The main treatment of a species
does not give any geographical information, nor a
reference to the proper maps at the end of the
book. One must search first among the systematic
table of contents to find a reference to the maps.
REVIEW
The nomenclatorial treatment of the
heteropods is very unsatisfactory, with a few
names being entirely ignored, such as Atlanta in-
flata Orbigny, 1836. The Atlanta names
legitimately proposed by Orbigny in 1836, Man-
dralisca in 1840 and J. E. Gray in 1850 are
erroneously considered to be nomina nuda
(tesselata [sic] Gould, 1852 and pulchella Verrill,
1884), presumably in an attempt to conserve cer-
tain better-known names. However, Gray's 1850
Cavolinia names are accepted. The genus
Mirrodonta Bonnevie, used by van der Spoel. is
three times a homonym, and should be replaced
by Prionoglossa Tesch, 1950.
Some additional illustrations of recently
described, shelled pteropods and newly recognized
forma are included with convenient keys. The
new subfamily Glebinae is proposed in the Cym-
buliidae.
R. Tucker Abbott
Delaware Museum of Nation History
Vol. 91(1)
January 27, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 37
Portrait o/All-j/n G. Smith taken in 1955
by Moulin Studios of San Francisco.
OBITUARY
ALLYN GOODWIN SMITH,
1893-1976
With the passing of Allyn G. Smith on August
18th, 1976, malacology lost one of its most ad-
mired and knowledgeable students of West
American mollusks. Bom June 4, 1893, in Hart-
ford, Connecticut, Allyn went to California in
1908, and later attended the University of
California at Berkeley, receiving a B. S. in Elec-
trical Engineering in 1916. After serving in the
U. S. Army in World War I, he returned to his
Alma Mater, to chair the Technical Department
in the Extension Division (1920-1924). In 1925, he
joined the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co.,
where he held the title of Supervisor of Personnel
at the time of his retirement in 19.55.
His special interests in pulmonate gastropods
and the chitons was initially generated by his
close friend, S. Stillman Berry, who fondly refers
to him as "one of my boys". He also knew the
Californian malacologist, Jo.siah Keep. During his
business career Allyn devoted much of his spare
time to field work, and he contributed numerous
malacological articles to journals. A major con-
tribution was a survey of "The Marine Mollusks
and Brachiopods of Monterey Bay, California and
Vicinity" (with Mackenzie Gordon, Jr.) published
in 1948.
Upon his retirement, he had hoped to devote
full time to research, but his administrative
talents were drafted by the California Academy
of Sciences, where he had served as a Research
Associate in Malacology since 1939. There he
started a new career in the capacity of Executive
Assistant to the director, 1955-1960, and as
Chairman and Associate Curator, he later
revitalized the Department of Invertebrate
Zoology, 1960-72. Despite these duties, he
prepared the section on "Amphineura" for the
Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, 1960, and
he continued publishing and field work, including
participation in the Galapagos International
Science Project in 1964. Author of 104 papers,
two of which appeared in 1976, he was active
until shortly before his death.
An energetic and compassionate man of many
interests and achievements, Allyn will be sorely
missed by his many friends and colleagues. He
leaves his wife, Katharine, and three children.
William K. Emerson, Curator of Mollusks
The American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York
Murex Shells of
the World
An Illustrated Guide to the Muricidae.
George E. Radtvin & Anthony D'Attilio. Photos
by Davtd K. Mt4lliner. Prepared for the ama-
teur collector as well as the professional
conchologist and malacologist, this exhaustively
detailed work is the first reliable taxonomic
treatment of the Muricidae since 1880. It offers
many innovations in classification, and pro-
vides descriptions, range data, and synonymy
for some 390 species (15 described here for the
first time). Illustrations include full-color
photos of 456 specimens, 61 black-and-white
drawings or photos, and 179 line drawings.
Introduction, Glossary, Bibliography, Index.
$35.00
Marine Algae of
California
Isabella A. Abbott & George J. Hollenberg.
Contributions by specialists. This first complete
systematic study of California seaweeds, an
extension of G. M. Smith's classic Marine Algae
oj the Monterey Peninsula, covers 80 percent
of the species known from Alaska to Panama.
Designed as a combined laboratory and field
reference, it illustrates each of the 701 taxa
treated by one or more line drawings, and
includes comprehensive information for all
species treated, an Introduction, a history of
West Coast algal study by G. F. Papenfuss,
maps, a Master Key to Genera, Glossary,
Bibliography, Index. $2.2.. 50
Stanford University Press
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MOLLUSK VOUCHER SPECIMENS
It is becoming increasingly important for
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pling of species mentioned in publications be
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specializing in mollusks. This is particularly
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APRIL 25, 1977
THE
NAUTILUS
Vol. 91
No. 2
A quarterly
devoted to
malacology and
the interests of
conchologists
0
Founded 1889 by Henry A. Pilsbry. Continued by H. Burrington Baker.
Editor-in-Chief: R. Tucker Abbott
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CONSULTING EDITORS
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Division of Mollusi<s
National Museum of Natural History
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Curator Emeritus
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
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Department of Living Invertebrates
The American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York 1 0024
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Department of Living Invertebrates
The American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York 10024
Dr. Aurele La Rocque
Department of Geology
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Dr. James H. McLean
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
Dr. Arthur S. Merrill
Biological Laboratory
National Marine Fisheries Service
Oxford, Maryland 21654
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Division of Marine Geology
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10 Rickenbacker Causeway
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Dr. Joseph Rosewater
Division of MoUusks
U. S. National Museum
Washington, D.C. 20560
Dr. G. Alan Solem
Department of Invertebrates
Field Museum of Natural History
Chicago, Illinois 60605
Dr. David H. Stansbery
Museum of Zoology
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Dr. Ruth D. Turner
Department of Mollusks
Museum of Comparative Zoology
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THE
NAUTILUS
Volume 91, number 2 — April 25, 1977
CONTENTS
Twila Bratcher
Deshayes' Terebrid T>'pes in Ecole des Mines, Paris 39
John H. Rodgers, Jr., Donald S. Cherry, et. al.
The Invasion of Asiatic Clam, Corbicula manilensis, in the New River, Virginia 43
Robert C. Wall
Seasonal Movements of the Pond Snail, Lymnaea catascopium, in a Northern Lake 47
Eva Pip
Frequent Scalariformy in a Population of the Pond SnaW Zymnaea stagnalii 52
Robert F. McMahon
Shell Size- Frequency Distrihutions of Corbicula manilerisis Philippi from a Clam-fouled
Steam Condenser 54
M. G. Harasewych
Abnormal Hyperstrophy in Littorina lineolata (Gastropoda: Littorinidae) 60
Leroy H. Poorman and Forrest L. Poorman
Four Opisthobranchs Living on Marine Algae from West Mexico 62
Clement L. Counts, III
The Miocene Bivalve Cumingia medialis (Semelidae) from South Carolina 66
Tom M. Spight
Latitude, Habitat, and Hatching Type for Muricacean Gastropods 67
Walter 0. Cemohorsky
Comis viola, a New Name for C. inolacea Reeve 72
Tom M. Spight
Is Tfiaiii canalicidata (Gastropda: Muricidae) Evolving Nurse Eggs? 74
Branley A. Branson
The Chinese Apple Snail, Cipangopaludina chinensis,on
Orcas Island, Washington 76
Fred G. Thompson
The Polygyrid Genus McLeawm in Hispaniola 77
Publications received v Recent Deaths 80
PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED
Yonge. C. M. and T. E. Thompson. 1976. Liiing Marine
Molluscs. 228 pp., 162 text figs., 16 color pis. A well-written
textbook introduction, with the two opisthobranch chapters
by T. E. Thompson. Distributed in the U.S. by Amerirnn
Malai-nhKitsts. Publ., Box 42t)8, Greenville. De. 19807. $13.9.5.
Alonso, M. R. 1975. Fauna Malocologica Terrestre de la Depre-
sion de Granada (&pana). II. H Genero Helkella Ferussac,
1821. Cuademos de Ciencias Biologicas Granada, vol. 4, no.
1, pp. 11-28; I Pulmonados Desnudos, pp. 71-88.
Warmuth, John H. 1976. The Biogeography and Numerical
Taxonomy of the Oegopsid Squid Family Ommastrephidae
in the Pacific Ocean. Bull. Scripps Institute Oceanography,
vol.2;?,90pp. Paper.$:B..%.
Paraense, W. Lobato. 1976. Helisoma trivolris and Some of Its
Synonyms in the Neotropical Region (Mollusca: Planor-
bidae). Rev. BrasU. Biol. 36(1): 187-204.
Paraense, W. Lobato. 1975. Estado Atual da Sistematica dos
Planorbideos Brasileiros. Arg. Mus. Nac. RJ, vol. 55, pp.
105-128, 69 figs. Anatomy and shells well-illustrated.
Abbott, R. Tucker (Editor). April 1976. ne Best of ne
Nautilus. A Bicentennial Anthology of American Con-
chology. viii + 280 pp., 1 color pi., text figs. American
Malacologists, Publishers, Box 4208, Greenville, De. 19807.
Hardback, $13.95. Presentation copy with slip box, $38.00.
Hastings, Louise B. 1976. Index to the Taxonomic Names in
Edwin A. Joyce, Jr., 1972, A Partial Bibliography of
Oysters, with Annotations. Florida Dept. Natural
Resources, St. Petersburg. Pamplet, 40 pp. Available from
Delaware Museum of Natural History, Box 3937, Greenville,
De. 19087, by sending 3 13-cent postage stamps.
Quayle, D. B. 1975. Tropical Oyster Culture-A Selected
Bibliography. 40 pp. (267 entries). International Develop-
ment Research Center, Box 8500, Ottawa, Canada KIG 3H9.
$2.50.
Gasull, Luis and Juan Cuerda. 1974. Malacologia del Conten-
ido Gastrico de las Grandes E^trellas de Mar. Bol. Soc. Hist.
Nat. Baleares. vol. 19, pp. 1,5,5-173, 3 pis.
Franchini, Dario A. (EMitor). 1976. Simposio sui molluschi ter-
restri e dulcicoli dell' Italia Settentrionale. Mantova. 102
pp., 9 pis., text figs. 11 articles on such mollusks as
Cingulifera, Ancylus. Lartetia. Paladilhiopsis and
Dreissena.
Tchang. Si, et al. 1975. A Checklist of Prosobranchiate
Gastropods from the Xisha Islands, Guangdong Province,
China. Studia Marina Sinica. no. 10 pp. 105-132, 7 pis. (7
Nan-Hai Rd., Tsingtao, People's Republic of China).
Handel, Klaus. 1976. Morphologie der Gelege und Okologische
Beobachtungen an Buccinaceen (Gastropoda) aus der
Siidlichen Karibischen See. Bonn. Zool. Beitr., vol. 27, pp.
98-1X3. Also treats with fasciolariid and turbinellid egg cap-
sules.
Hubendick, B. and A. Warren. 1976. Framgalade Srackor fran
Svenska Vastkusten. Collection of 7 articles on the marine
prosobranchs of Sweden. Excellent illustrations in this
usefull handbook originally published 1969-1976. Box 11049,
Naturhist. Mus., Goteborg, Sweden 400.30. 25 kronors.
Shells and Shores of Texas
By Jean Andrews
This guide to the mollusks of the shallow marine
waters of Texas and the Gulf coast is arranged
according to the latest classification system, and
each entry Is accompanied by an illustration.
This book contains the clear, detailed depiction
of more minute species than any other one
source as well as one of the most extensive bibli-
ographies in the field.
512 pages, 24 color plates, 367 b&w photo-
graphs, 77 line illustrations
$19.95 through Dec. 31 , 1977; $24.95 thereafter
University of Texas Press ==
Box 7819 V^
Austin, Texas 7871 2
Vol. 91 (2) April 25, 1977 THE NAUTILUS 39
DESHAYES' TEREBRID TYPES IN ECOLE DES MINES, PARIS
Twila Bratcher
8121 Mulholland Terrace
Hollywood. Ca. 90046
It has been well over a hundred years since
Cierard Paul Deshayes published his descriptions
of 95 new terebrid taxa. The 33 species published
in 1857 in the Journal of Conchyliologie were
written with surprising detail for that period.
Those written by most of his contemporaries were
sketchy descriptions in Latin and could fit any
number of species. Deshayes followed his Latin
descriptions with excellent word pictures in
French of the species he was describing. Deshayes
must have loved each species he described. He
discussed them with such phrases as "beautiful
and precious," "this very beautiful and
remarkable species," "charming species." In one
description he said, "All the shell is smooth,
polished, shining as though it were made of
porcelain." The figures in his 1857 monograph are
exceptionally good in quality and detail.
The 62 taxa Deshayes described in the Pro-
ceedings of the Zoological Society of London,
1859, are less easy to evaluate. Although the
Latin descriptions are somewhat more detailed
than most of that period, they were not followed
by his fine French descriptions. They were
published without figures. Some of the taxa were
subsequently figured by Reeve. Some have never
been figured. In all his descriptions Deshayes
stated whether the material was from the Cum-
ing collection, now in the British Museum
(Natural History), or from his own collection,
now in the Ecole des Mines, Paris. In 1944 in his
"Deshayes Review of Terebra in the Journal of
Conchology," Tomlin stated, "Probably there is
more synonmy to be worked out with regard to
Deshayes" new species. It would-be a great ad-
vantage to get the types at the Ecole des Mines
overhauled."
When I visited the Ecole des Mines in the
spring of 1975, I located nine of the holotypes and
one probable holotype in the Deshayes collection.
Deshayes' detailed French descriptions, in addi-
tion to his original measurements, made this task
easier than it might have been. Because of his
careful attention to detail, specimens differing
substantially in measurement from those
published by Deshayes could not be accepted as
holotypes. An exception was Terebra eximia
Deshayes, 1859. Deshayes' measurements were 92
x 8 mm, which is evidently a misprint. The
specimen which appears to be the holotype
measures 46 x 8 mm. It is obvious that if a
specimen of this species should reach a length
should reach a length of 92 mm , the diameter
would be greater than 8 mm.
Some of the Deshayes taxa represented as be-
ing from his own collection could not be found at
all. The measurements of some differed substan-
tially from the original Deshayes measurements,
and are here considered paratypes.
TEREBRIDS FROM DESHAYES' COLLECTION
Terebra archimedis Deshayes, 1859, holotype, fig.
1 & lA. Not previously figured. Dimensions 31 x
5.8 mm. Original measurements 31 x 6 mm. In his
description Dehayes stated that this species was
representated in his collection only. Therefore I
believe the specimen in the Ecole des Mines is
the holotype rather than the specimen in the
British Museum (Natural History) cited as the
type by Cemohorsky (1969) which measures 32.7
mm in length. Type locality unknown. This is
conspecific with the Indo-Pacific species, T.
funicidata Hinds, 1844, and T. langfordi Pilsbry,
1921, as there are integrades between the forms.
Schepman illustrated T. archimedis in his Siboga
Expedition report, but the figure was of the
funicidata form rather than the archimedis form.
Terebra approximata Deshayes, 1859. No figure
was published. Type locality unknown. Reeve con-
sidered this taxa to be a junior synonym of T. un-
dulata Gray, 1834, a fairly common Indo-Pacific
species. No specimens of this taxa were found in
the Deshayes collection .
40 THE NAUTILUS
April 25.1977
Vol. 91
Terebra argeninllii Deshayes, 1859. No figure was
published. Type locality unknown. Reeve places
this taxa in synonymy with T. strigilata Lin-
naeus, 1758. No specimens of this taxa were
found.
Terebra chilensis Deshayes, 1859, holotype, fig. 2.
No figure previously published. Dimensions 40.2 .\
7.9 mm. Original measurements 42 x 8 mm. TVpe
locality Chile. Tliis is a synonym of T. gemmidata
Kiener, 1839, a rare species reported from Chile,
Patagonia, and Brazil.
Terebra chinensis Deshayes, 1859. No figure was
published. Type locality is China Seas. Reeve con-
sidered this conspecific with T. cingnlifera
Lamarck, 1822, a common Indo-Pacific species.
No specimens of this taxa were found.
Terebra columnam Deshayes, 1859. No figure
was published. Type locality unknown. Reeve con-
FUJ. 1. Terebra archimedis IJeshayes. 18.59, holotype.
FIG. 2. Terebra chilensis Deshayes, 18.59, holotype.
FIG. X Terebra crassula Deshayes. 18.59, paratype.
FIG. 4. Terebra crosxei Deshayes. 18,59. holotype.
FIG. 5. Terebra exiniia Deshayes. 18.59, holotype.
FIG. 6. Terebra mat heroniana Deshayes, 1859, holot>T)e on
left, paratype on right.
sidered this conspecific with T. cingulifera
Lamarck, 1822, as did Tryon. No specimens of
this taxa were found,
Terebra crassula Deshayes, 1859, paratype, fig. 3.
No figure was previously published. Dimensions
23. 6 X 5.2 mm. Original measurements 27 x 7
mm. Differences of measurements are sufficient
that this must be considered a paratype. Type
locality unknown. This is a synonym of Ha,'>tula
hmtata (Gmelin, 1891), a common western Atlan-
tic species.
Terebra crossei Deshayes, 1859, holotype, fig. 4.
No figure was published previously. Dimensions
24 X 5 mm. Original measurements 23 x 5 mm.
Type locality Indian Ocean, this is a synonym of
Hastula penicillata (Hinds, 1844) a common
Indo-Pacific species,
Terebra difficilis Deshayes 1859. Figured by
Reeve, Conch. Icon. vol. 12, pi. 18, fig. 86. Type
locality unknown. Reeve said of this species, "a
shell of solid growth, partaking somewhat of the
character of T. laiDoefomm. in which the fine
ribs are so crowded as almost to lap one on the
other. It comes even nearer to T. souleyti " Tryon
said it is conspecific with T. cancellafa Quoy &
Gaimard, 18.32. No specimens were found in the
Deshayes colletion.
Terebra dispar Deshayes, 1859. Figured by Reeve,
pi. 25, fig. 1.37. Type locality unknown. Reeve
said, "shining-white, semi-transparent. Very
closely resembles T. micans. " Tryon said it equals
both cinerea (Bom, 1778) and aciculina (La-
marck), two species which are quite distinct from
one another. No specimens found in the Deshayes
collection.
Terebra eximia Deshayes, 1859, probable
holotype, fig. 5. Figured by Reeve, pi. 21, fig. 106.
Dimensions 46.2 x 8 mm. Original measurements
92 X 8 mm, evidently a typographical error. Type
locality unknown. This is conspecific with T cor-
rugata Lamarck, 1822.
Terebra fimbriata Deshayes, 1857, holotype, fig.
10. Figured by Deshayes, pi. 5, fig. 1. Length 88.6
mm. Original measurements 88 x 19 mm. Type
locality unknovwi. There is a paratype in the
British Museum (Natural History). This taxa is a
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 41
junior synonym of T. crenulata Linnaeus, 1758.
Terebra glabra Deshayes, 1857. Figured by
Deshayes. Type of locality is China Seas. No
specimen was found in the Deshayes collection in
the Ecole des Mines. There is a specimen in the
British Museum (Natural History) marked Type,
T. glabra, which is obviously erroneous. Cemohor-
sky (1969) pointed out that "The specimen pres-
ent in the Cuming collection and measuring 43.3
mm in length (original measurement 70 mm) is
not the type; the holotype is probably in the
Ecole des Mines in Paris". The specimen in the
British Museum is a worn specimen of T. consors
Hinds, 1844, and Tomlin said it equals T. consors.
Deshayes said in shape, size, and coloration it
more nearly resembles T. cingulifera Lamarck,
1822. He also stated that the shell is all white or
of a white washed with pale beige. He made no
mention of the yellow blotches typical of T. con-
sors. Tomlin made his evaluation from the
specimen in the British Museum, and whether
that specimen- is the same species as Deshayes' T.
glabra probably will not be known unless the
Deshayes holotype is found.
Terebra histrio Deshayes, 1857. Figured by
Deshayes. Type locality unknown. Reeve and
Tomlin both mention that the type is cited from
the Deshayes collection but that there was one in
the Cuming collection which is merely a form of
T. cormgata Lamarck, 1822. Neither Deshayes'
description nor his figure is that of T. corTugata.
No specimen found in the Deshayes collection.
Terebra matheroniana Deshyes, 1859, holotype,
fig. 6 paratype, fig. 6 (right). Not previously
figured. Dimensions 17.4 x 3.3 mm. Original
measurements 18 x 3 mm. Type locality Tahiti.
TTiis is a species about which there has been
much confusion. E. A. Smith considered it a good
species and Tomlin agreed, citing Terebra lauta
Pease, 1869 as a synonym. I agree with that.
Reeve considered T. matheroniana a synonym of
T. aciculina Lamarck, 1822, to which it bears no
resemblance.
Terebra nbsoleta Deshayes, 1859, holotype, fig. 7.
Figured by Reeve, pi. 21, fig. 107. Dimensions 38.9
X 7 mm. Original measurements 40 x 7 mm. Type
locality unknown. Reeve mentioned that this
shell had indications of a brown band at the base
FIG. 7. Terebra obsoleta Deshayes, 1859, holotype.
FIG. 8. Terebra pundicidata Deshayes, 18.59, holotype.
FIG. 9. Terebra splendens Deshayes, 1859, holotype.
FIG. 10. Terebrafimbriata Deshayes, 1857. holotype.
FIG. 11. Terebra subanguluia Deshayes, 18.59, holotype.
FIG. 12. Terebra verreaun Deshayes, 1857, holotype.
which may have faded during the last hundred
years.
Terebra puncticuLata Deshayes, 1859, holotype,
fig. 8. Previously figured by Reeve, pi. 20, fig. 99.
Dimensions 24.6 x 6.2 mm. Original measure-
ments 25 X 6 mm. Type locality unknown.
Synonyms: T flava Hinds, 1844 (non Gray, 1834);
f. lutescens E. A. Smith, 1873.
Terebra souleyeti Deshayes, 1859. Figured by
Reeve, pi. 17, fig. 78. Type locality Gulf of Mexico.
No specimens fotmd.
Terebra splendens Deshayes, 1857, holotype, fig. 9.
Figured by Deshayes, pi. 5, fig. 11. Dimensions
73.8 X 12.6 mm. Original measurements 75 x 12
mm. Type locality is China seas. This is T.
dimidiata Linnaeus, 1758.
Terebra semidecussata "Deshayes". This is
evidently a manuscript name. It equals T
dislocata (Say, 1822).
42 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
Terebra subangidata Deshayes, 1859, holotype,
figs. 11. Previously figured by Reeve, pi. 18, fig.
87. Dimensions 33.6 x 6.8 mm. Original measure-
ments 34 X 7 mm. Typ)e locality unknown.
Terebra verremtxi Deshayes, 1857, holotype, figs.
12 & 12 A. Figured by Deshayes, pi. 5, fig. 3.
Dimensions 37.9 x 7.8 mm. Original measure-
ments :38 X 9 mm. Type locality unknown. This is
a synonym oiHastula strigilata (Linnaeus, 1758).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am indebted to the personnel of the Ecole des
Mines in Paris, particularly Mme. E. Fatton, for
the privilege of working with and photographing
the Tcirhridac in the Deshayes collection and for
help through correspondence since my return. I
also wish to thank Sally Kaicher for her advice
on shell photography and for her work in making
prints for publication from my negatives taken at
the Ecole des Mines; Dr. James McLean for his
comments and suggestions regarding this man-
uscript: and Dr. R. Tucker Abbott for the use of
his picture of the holotype of Terebra fimbriata
Deshayes.
LITERATURE CITED
Bom, Ignatius von. 1778. Indei Rerum Naturalium Muxpi
Casenrpl Vi iidnbonens-is. Part 1; Testacea pp. 1-458, 1 pit.
Cernohorsky, Walter Oliver. 1969. List of Type Specimens of
Terebridae in the British Museum (Natural History). The
Veliyer.um:2\0-2i.
Deshayes. Gerard Paul. 1857. Descriptions de nouvelles especes
du genre Terebra. Jmtr. de Conchyl. 6: 65-102, pits. 3-.5. 1859.
Deshayes, G. P. 18.59. A general review of the genus Terehni.
Rare and Exotic Specimen Shells
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and a description of new species. Pnic. Zool. Sue. London,
pp. 270-321.
Gmelin. Johann Frederich. 1791. Carol! a Linne Systema
naturae per regna tria naturae. Editio decima tertia. pp.
,'M98-3506.
Gray. John Edward. 1834. Enumeration of the species of the
genus Terebra, with characters of many hitherto un-
described. /Voc Zoal. Soc. Umdim for 1832, pp. 59-63.
Hinds. Richard Brinsley. 1844. Descriptions of new Shells, col-
lected during the voyage of the Sulphur, and in Mr. Cum-
ing's late visit to the Philippines. [On new species of
Terebra]. Proc. Zool. Soc. London for 1843, pp. 149-68.
Lamarck, J. B. P. A. de M. de. 1822. Histoire naturelle des
animaux vertebres, pp. 238-91.
Linnaeus. Carolus. 1758. .Systema naturae per regna tria
naturae. Eiiitio decima. reformata. pp. 741-42.
Pilsbry, Henry Augustus. 1921. Marine Mollusks of Hawaii
Vlli-XIII, Proc. Acad. Nat.. Set Philadelphia, pp. 300-09, pi.
12.
Reeve. Lovell Augustus. 1860. A monograph of the genus
Terebra. Conch. Icon. vol. 12, Terebra, pis. 1-27.
Reeve, Lovell A. 1860. A commentary of M. Deshayes's Revi-
sion of the genus Terebra. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp.
448-50.
Say, Thomas. 1822. An account of some of the marine shells of
the United States. Joitm. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 2:
221-48.
Schepman, Matteus Martinus. 1912. The Prosobranchia of the
Siboga Expedition, part 5, Toxoglossa, Terebra, pp. 369-77,
pit. 25.
Smith, Exigar Albert. 1873. Remarks on a few species belong-
ing to the family Terebridae and descriptions of several
new forms in the collection of the British Museum. Annals
and Magazine of Natural History ll(4th): 262-71.
Tomlin, John Read le Brocton. 1944. Deshayes' review of
Terebra. Jam. Conch. 22: 104-8.
Tryon, George Washington. 1885. Man. of Conch., vol. 7,
Terebridae. pp. 3-64; 12 pis.
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Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1!»77
THE NAUTILUS 43
THE INVASION OF ASIATIC CLAM, CORBICULA MANILENSIS
IN THE NEW RIVER, VIRGINIA
John H. Rodgers, Jr., Donald S. Cherry, James R. Clark,
Kenneth L. Dickson and John Cairns, Jr.
Center for Environmental Studies
and Department of Biology
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
ABSTRACT
Corbicula manilensis appems to have successfully invaded the New River at
Glen Lyn. Giles County, Virginia in 1975. Mean population densities of 18 Cor-
bicula, m'^ were recovered doumstream from, a coal-fired generating plant while
29 individuals m'^ were found immediately upstream. This seems to be the pre-
sent limit of Corbicula immigration in the New River as no specimens were
taken from .^ampliiig si fes farthe r upstream. Relationships between shell deniensions
and shell weights, and viscera wet and dry weights were calculated from the
one size "year class" present. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0.9683 for
shell length and viscera wet weight to 0.6135 for shell dry weight and viscera
dry weight.
INTRODUCTION
The present paper is the first report of Cor-
bicula manilensis Philippi in the New River,
Virginia, and to our knowledge, only the second
report of Corbicula in this state (Diaz, 1974)'. Un-
til recently, extensive investigations of benthic
macroinvertebrates of the New River (con-
sidered by many to be the second oldest river in
the world) and its tributaries had not reported
any specimens of this clam. The range extension
of the Asiatic clam up this river is being careful-
ly monitored, since the New River is an impor-
tant source of water for various industries and
municipalities. The biology of this organism and
its relationships to other benthic and molluscan
fauna can be studied, since pre-invasion data are
available and this potential problem was revealed
in its infancy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Forty specimens of Corbicula manilensis were
' Tlie Delaware Museum of Natural History has numerous
adult specimens collected in 1974 by Mrs. Betty Piech near
Lanexa. Virginia, in the Chickahominy River which flows in-
to the James River.
randomly selected from quantitative collections
starting on 12 October 1976, from sites above and
below a coal-fired generating plant located on the
New River at Glen Lyn in Giles County, Virginia
(latitude-37°22'20", longitude-30°51'45", river
mile 95) (Fig. 1). The upriver station was
established 45 m above the intake pump station
through which water is drawn for condenser cool-
ing in the power plant. The plant generating
capacity is approximately 300 MW with a max-
imum of 340 MW. After passage through the
plant, the heated water may be raised to a max-
imum of 8 C above above ambient; however, dur-
ing these collections there was a 3 C difference
between the upriver and downriver stations (13 C
and 16 C respectively). The substrate was
characterized by gravel, sand and silt with sand
and silt comprising minor portions (after Hynes,
1970). The downriver station was located approx-
imately 50 m below the pipe through which the
heated water is discharged. The heated effluent
was usually chlorinated three times daily to con-
trol biofouling of the condenser pipes. At this sta-
tion, the substrate ranged from cobbles and peb-
bles to very fine sand with a predominance of the
former. During sampling, water depth at both
44 THE NAUTILUS
April 25.1977
Vol. 91 (1:
Stations ranged from 0.5 to 0.9 m with average
flows of 18-21 cm see"'. Alkalinity (as CaCOj), pH
and turbidity were 39 mg 1"', 7.80 and 35.0
Jackson Turbidity Units, respectively.
Samples were taken at each station using a
0.25 m^ quadrant and a net to a depth of 15 cm.
Clams were picked from each sample, counted,
placed in water on ice and transported to the
laboratory for further analyses. Travel time was
less than two hours and samples were processed
immediately. Dimensions and weights were deter-
mined as described by Joy and McCoy (1975).
0 C 20 so KILOMETERS
FIG. 1. Kanawha River basin and sampling sites on the
New River. X—Mud River, (hbell (.krunty. West Virginia;
second report of Corbicula from West Virginia, 10 October
1973 (Joy and McCoy. 197,5); h—Oielyan. Kanawha Qnmty.
We.it Virginin; first report of Corhicnld from West Virginia,
17 July 196:1 -population had been established .iince 1961 by
size "year class" data (Thomas and Mackenthun. 1961,1;
C—den Lyti. (riles County. Virginia; Corbicula collected IJ
October 1976 -pcrpulation had been estahlvihed since 197!> by
size "year class" data (River Mile 95); D—Ltirich. (riles
(hiinty, Virginia (River Mile 97); E— Narrows, (riles (hunty.
Virginia (River Mile i(>2); ¥— McCoy, Montgomery County.
Vi rgi n ia (Ri ver Mile 1 .11).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The invasion rate of Corhieida in the Upper
Ohio and Kanawha River Drainage basin can be
estimated from available reports. Due to the
distinctive morphology of the adults and larvae,
the Asiatic clam is easily and likely to be
distinguished from indigenous bivalves. A collec-
tion of Corbicula reported from Chelyan. West
Virginia, (Fig. 1) indicated, by size "year classes,"
that a population had been established there
.since 1961 (Thomas and Mackenthun, 1964). A
subsequent collection in Cabell County, West
Virginia, was made in 1973 (Joy and McCoy,
1975). If the downriver area is the source of pro-
pagules for the population becoming established
at Glen Lyn, Virginia, the clams would have
traversed a distance of about 138 river miles in a
period of 15 years, or an average rate of about 9
miles year"'. Several physical barriers encoun-
tered alone the suspected path of invasion include
London Lock and Dam above Chelyan, Kanawha
County, West Virginia, and Kanawha Falls and
Bluestone Dam at Hinton, Summers County,
West Virginia. This dam forms Bluestone Lake, a
reservoir which is utilized for both flood control
and hydroelectric power. The relatively rapid
movement of the clam implies some augmenta-
tion of its natural dispersive mechanisms. It is
highly improbable that the nonparasitic plank-
tonic veliger larvae would be capable of moving
against the current at such a rate. Since no
parasitic stage is present in the life cycle, a fish
host would not be involved in dissemination
(Sinclair, 1964). More likely, their movement was
probably aided by fishermen as fishing pressure
is relatively intense in this river system. Addi-
tionally, transportation may have been provided
by waterfowl since Clench (1970) stated that Cor-
bicula may be able to pass through the intestinal
tracts of ducks in viable condition. Live
specimens are being sold and shipped to fish hob-
byists around the country (Abbott, U)75). Subse-
quent intensive sampling of the New River
upstream from Glen Lyn at Lurich, Narrows and
McCoy, Virginia, did not yield any specimens
(Fig. 1). These results indicated that the clam had
not yet been able to invade these areas.
Based on approximations of age from shell
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 45
TABLE 1. Means l± S E) and ranges of parameters meaKured far Corh\cu\a sampled friiin upriver and dmenriver stations.
lengths (Joy and McCoy, 1975), it was apparent
that the Corbkida collected at Glen Lyn were in
their first year (Table 1). Most of these specimens
were probably sexually mature (Gardner et al.,
1976) and should have been in the area since
1975. Mean density at the downriver station of 18
clams m"^ was significantly less (t-test, 0.05 level)
than the mean density of 29 m'^ at the upstream
station. This difference may be attributed to the
influence of the power plant discharge or a
substrate-associated distribution phenomenon.
This subject as well as seasonal density dynamics
will be further examined in future research.
Least squares regressions (of the form y = a
+ bx) and Pearson product-moment correlation
coefficients (r) were calculated for ten relation-
ships between shell dimensions and weights, and
viscera mass weights (Table 2). All correlations
TABLE 2. Regression analysis equations (y = a + bx) and
correlation coefficients for various relationships between shell
dimensions and weights, and wet and dry viscera weights of
Corbicula.'
Equations
- Vaki.
'W = width of shell (mm)
L = length of shell (mm)
VWW = wet weight of visceral mass (mg)
VDW = dry weight of visceral mass (mg)
S = dry weightof shell (mg).
' Significance level, P = 0.0001.
were highly significant (P<0.01) although the cor-
relation coefficients were slightly less than those
of Joy and McCoy (1975). This can be explained
by the variability associated within the one size
class in this study compared with a range of size
classes (from about one to more than four years)
collected by Joy and McCoy (1975). It is in-
teresting to note that the width of their
specimens averaged about 66% of the clams'
lengths which agreed closely with the average of
70% in this study. Sinclair and Ingram (1961)
reported somewhat different morphology in
specimens from the Tennessee River (shell width
about 89% of length based on their published
photographs). Only the correlation between shell
length and viscera wet weight was greater in this
study (r = 0.9683) than in the investigation of
Joy and McCoy (1975) (r = 0.9407). Results of this
study agreed with the observation of Joy and Mc-
Coy (1975) that viscera wet, rather than dry,
weight correlation coefficients are greater and in-
dicate that noncombustible mineral uptake
varied more per individual than water content.
It is anticipated that the impact of Corbicula
on this river system will be exhibited primarily
in two different areas: 1) decline in populations
of other bivalves as seen during the invasion of
the Altamaha River in Georgia (Gardner et al.,
1976); and 2) increase in problems associated
with industrial and municipal water use (Sin-
clair, 1964, 1971). The survival of indigenous
species of Margaritifera, Tristigonia, Elliptio,
Sphaerium and Piddium in the New River ap-
pears to be seriously threatened.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Appreciation is expressed to James H. Ken-
nedy, Biology Department, Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University, for confirming
46 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
identification of Corbicula and to employees of
Applachian Power Company's Glen Lyn Plant for
cooperation during the river collections.
LITERATURE CITED
Abbott. R. Tucker 197.5. Beware the Asiatic Freshwater Oam.
Tropical Fish Hnhhi/ist. 23: 1.5 (Feb.).
Clench. W. J. 1970. Corbicula manilensis (Philippi) in lower
Florida. The Nautilus 84(1): 36.
Diaz, R. .J. 1974. Asiatic clam, Corbicula manilensis (Philippi),
in the tidal .James River, Virginia. Chesapeake Sci. 15(2):
118-120.
Gardner, J. A., Jr., W. R. Wo<xiall, Jr., A, A. Staats, Jr. and J.
F. Napoli. 1976. The invasion of the Asiatic clam {Corbicula
manilensis Philippi) in the Altamaha River. Georgia. The
NautUus90{:i]: 117-12.5.
H>Ties, H. B. N. 1970. The Ecology of Running Waters. Univ.
of Toronto Press, Toronto. 555 pp.
Joy, J. E. and L. E. McCoy. 1975. Comparisons of shell dimen-
sions and viscera mass weights in Corbicula manilensis
(Philippi, 1*4«). The Nautilus 89(2): .51-.54.
Sinclair, R. M. 1964. Clam pests in Tennessee water supplies.
Jour. Amer. Water Works Assoc. 56: 592-599.
Sinclair, R M. 1971. Annotated bibliography on the exotic
bivalve Corbicula in North America, 1900-1971. Sterkiana
43:11-18.
Sinclair, R. M. and W. M. Ingram. 1%1. A new record for the
Asiatic clam in the United States, the Tennessee River. The
Nouh/iAs 74(3): 114-118.
Thomas, N. A. and K. M. Mackenthun. 1964. Asiatic clam in-
festation at Charleston, West Virginia. The Nantilux 78(1):
28-31.
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Vol. 91 (2) April 25. 1977 THE NAUTILUS 47
SEASONAL MOVEMENTS OF THE POND SNAIL.
LYMNAEA CATASCOPIUM IN A NORTHERN LAKE
Robert C. Wall
Division of Mathematics and Science
Lake-Sumter Community College
Leesburg, Florida 32748
ABSTRACT
These data from a 3-year study in Lake Ann, located north of Interlochen in
the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, indicate that the freshwater
pulmonale snail Lymnaea catascopium (formerly L. emarginata) does not
migrate into deep water with the approach of winter. Tfii^'i behavior pattern dif-
fers from that reported by Cheatum (1931t). The observations indicate that while
these snails do move within the popdation, their movements are random in
nature with no tendency to migrate into deeper off-shoal water in the fall. If
anything, the data collected actually show their movements were more toward
shore than away from it. The difference in migration reported could be due to
differerwes in the periods the observations were made. The studies by Cheatum
and Brackett were primarily in late summer, early fall, and late spring; thw
study covered all seasons in the course of 3 years, i.e.. late fall winter, and
early spring as ivell as the periods designated by Cheatum and Brackett. It was
established that while there were snail movements within the population as ex-
hibited by L. catascopium during the winter, those movements were random in
nature, and not migratory.
INTRODUCTION migration patterns of pulmonate snails in
Some pulmonate snails that inhabit temperate Douglas Lake. The following information was
lakes are known to migrate from shallow into obtamed durmg a 3-year study of Lymnaea
deeper water with the onset of cold weather in catascopium Say, 1817 (of which L emarginata
the fall; they return from deeper water onto Say, 1821, is a synonym, fide H. J. Walter,
shoals of the lakes in the spring. This pattern of 1969). The observations were made in Lake
migration has been assumed to be normal for ^nn, north of Interlochen in the northern I^wer
most of the larger pond and lake snails and Peninula of Michigan to determine whether this
malacologists assumed it was the usual pattern. ^nail shows any appreciable seasonal migratory
However, data obtained in a 3-year study in- movement.
dicates that the seasonal migration of at least Snails involved in the transmission of a skin
one species does not follow that pattern. disease in the Great Lakes region known as
Earlier work by Cheatum (1934) in Douglas schistosome dermatitis or swimmers' itch, are
Lake, Cheboygan County, Michigan indicated often in colonies or "beds" covering fairly exten-
there was seasonal movement of several aquatic sive areas in shallow water (less than 1.5 meters
gastropod species which he interpreted as in depth). Assuming a seasonal migration takes
"migration." Later, Brackett (1940) concluded place and the host snails migrate into deeper
that snails he observed did not have an annual water in the fall to assemble in smaller and
migratory cycle, but remained "year round in restricted profundal areas, control could then be
the vicinity of where they hatched." Un- easier, more efficient, and less costly. Under
fortunately, neither Cheatum nor Brackett ob- those circumstances less damage would occur to
tained winter data from Michigan's northern the biota in the lake than with the treatment
lakes. More recently, Clampitt (1972a,b) studied methods currently utilized. The best method of
48 THE NAUTILUS
April 25.1977
Vol. 91 (2)
control would involve applying chemical treat-
ment just after fall migration or early in spring
before the snails come back into shallower
water. Such considerations tend to stress the im-
portance of resolving the controversial question
as to whether host snails migrate or not in the
seasonal way described.
LAKE ANN STUDY SITE
This investigation was started August 1966
and terminated in June 1969 at the beginning of
the annual breeding season of Lynniaea
catascopium. During the summer of 1966 an ex-
tensive survey was undertaken in the Lower
Peninsula of Michigan to determine which lakes
were reported to have outbreaks of schistosome
dermatitis. Among them, Lake Ann, Benzie
County, had on its northern shoal a thriving
colony of Lymnaea (Stagnicola) catascopium.
the snail reported by Cort (1950) as a principal
vector of schistosome dermatitis. Although
"swimmers' itch" was reported in that lake and
copper sulphate treatment had been applied,
several years had intervened prior to this study,
so that the snail population had again become
well established.
Lake Ann is 13 miles southwest of Traverse
City, Michigan in Benzie County, T. 27N, R.
13W, Sections 22, 23, 26 and 27, and covers 515
acres; its maximum depth is 23 meters. The bot-
tom of the lake, at about 12 meters in depth, is
covered with a pulpy peat. In the more shallow
areas marl covers the bottom; a narrow band of
sandy shore occurs only along the north and
east with a long stretch of beach to the west.
The snails studied were on a sandy shoal along
the north side of the lake where they were most
abundant in the area extending from shore to 8
meters out into water up to 0.5 meters deep.
Snail density near shore averaged 240 per square
meter; it declined sharply with increased depth
of water, so that beyond 39 meters from shore
and at depths greater than 1.5 meters, snails
were scarce. Using a motor boat and wire-mesh
dredge, quadrat sampling was made from 1.5
meters of depth to 12 meters of depth; however,
no live specimens of L. catascopium were
recovered. The snail bed clearly was confined to
that shallow shoal area.
PROCEDURE AND OBSERVATIONS
The First Year: Trips were made from Ann
Arbor to the study area at Lake Ann on a
schedule as follows: August 15, September 25,
October 6 and 25, and November 17, 1966;
January 24, March 28, April 27, June 1, July 12,
and September 28, 1967-a total of 11 trips dur-
ing the first year of the study. On October 25,
1966, 1280 snails were marked with red nail
polish covered by lacquer. Specimens varied in
size from 11 to 22 mm in length (measured from
apex to base of aperture). As soon as the mark-
ings were dry, the snails were returned to the
area from which they were collected and scat-
tered randomly over the snail bed.
During the periodic visits to that site in the
fall, winter and spring of 1966 to 1967, it was
clearly evident that, contrary to information ob-
tained from Cheatum's earlier studies, these
snails did not exhibit a seasonal migration.
While they tended to "group" in two's or three's,
there was no mass movement of that population
into deeper water as compared to their position
on the shoal area then inhabited during August.
Observations made of their position on the
shoals and under the ice during January and
March 1967 also indicated that they remained in
the same area inhabited during that fall and
winter. In January and March a thick ice cover
was found on the lake except for a strip about 3
meters wide along the shore. Snails were seen
from the water's edge outward. Since the opa-
queness of the ice made observations through it
impossible, a hole was chopped and live snails
were seen on the substrate. Many of the marked
snails were observed among others in the open
water near shore; however, none of the marked
individuals were seen through the hole in the
ice. Although the red nail-polish on the marked
snails had faded badly, it still was visible. In
April, soon after the ice had melted, a quadrat
sampling was made using a wire dredge. Sam-
ples were taken at approximately 25 meter inter-
vals from near shore (in a southwesterly direc-
tion) out into water 12 meters deep. The total
distance of the quadrat was about 350 meters. No
snails other than a few small Campeloma
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 49
decisum were recovered in water deeper than 2
meters.
The number of marked individuals seen dur-
ing the June visit was estimated to be about 10
per cent of the sample marked. By this time the
nail polish had almost completely faded making
it extremely difficult to distinguish marked from
unmarked individuals. Even with the aid of a
glassbottom bucket, wave action made observa-
tion difficult in shallow water.
Very few (about 5 per cent) of the marked,
dead (shells) were recovered during the April and
June visits. Possible explanations for the small
percentage of "sightings" of marked individuals,
both living and dead, are: fading of the nail
polish made them difficult to spot; many in-
dividuals were almost completely buried in the
substrate; disappearance as caused by various
snail "predators;" marked individuals may have
been selected because of their conspicuousness;
marking materials may unknowingly have been
toxic to the animals; wave action which tended to
be quite severe on this shoal made seeing them
difficult. For whatever reason, the true
significance of this study was finding marked
animals only in the immediate vicinity of the
shoal where they had been placed rather than
where these snails were subsequently recovered.
Although during the 3-year period numerous
checks made in all directions from the area in
which marked individuals were placed. No
marked individuals, living or dead, were ever
found more than 2 meters from the shoal on
which snails had been placed.
The Second Year: Based on information ob-
tained during the first year, the frequency of
visits to the study area during the next 2 years
was reduced from 11 to 5 trips. However,
throughout the 3 years, observations were made
at the study site every month of the year except
December.
In October of the second year, 3 study
quadrats, each covering one quarter square
meter, were laid out as follows: Plot I, 14 meters
from shore in water .12 meters deep; Plot II, 27
meters out in water .51 meters deep; and Plot III,
39 meters from shore in water .69 meters deep.
These measurements were made from the shore
to each study plot, compass readings were made,
and onshore landmarks were recorded so that
several criteria were available to help relocate
the study plots on subsequent visits. The purpose
of these quadrats was to determine whether the
snails moved around within the larger snail bed.
The number of snails in each of the 3 plots was
counted and a sample of 15 snails per plot was
marked with red India ink and then returned to
their respective plots. Because of its longer
lasting quality, India ink was used instead of the
nail polish to mark those shells. There were 115
snails in Plot I; 41 in Plot II; and 35 in Plot III.
During subsequent visits the number of marked
and unmarked snails per plot was determined.
Visits to the study area were made on November
16, 1967; February 14 and May 15, 1968.
During the November visit the weather was
cold (air temperature 1.5''C, water temperatue
3.0°C) and windy. Many snails were tossed about
by wave action, others were observed buried to
various degrees of submergence in the substrate:
only 2 snails (unmarked) were seen in Plot I;
some may have been buried in the substrate. In
order not to disturb the study plot, it seemed ad-
visable not to dig into the substrate. Two marked
snails (13.2% of the sample placed in this area)
were sighted .5 meter from Plot I toward shore;
12 snails, including 2 marked individuals, were
seen in Plot II. Two additional marked snails were
found .3 meter inshore from Plot II. Thus, 26.4%
of the marked snails placed in this area were
seen. Fourteen snails were observed in Plot III,
none of which had been marked. Two marked
specimens were observed .3 meter inshore from
this plot. The area around each study plot, out to
a distance of 3 meters, was checked. No other
marked snails were seen. Although more speci-
mens were observed outside the study plots than
inside, they were less numberous everywhere
than in October. Many were now buried in the
substance.
During the following February a heavy ice
cover was on the lake ranging from 5 cm at the
shoreline to 45 cm at 27 meters from shore.
Although snails were seen at the shore and
through a hole chopped in the ice 27 meters from
shore, no marked snails were seen during this
50 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
visit. On May 15, the air temperature at Lake
Ann was 25.5°C and the water temperature was
16.0°C. Only one marked snail (6.6% of the
marked sample) was found in the area around
Plot I; it was 3 meters west of the plot. Three
marked animals (19.8% of the sample placed in
Plot II) were found inshore within 5 meters of
Plot II. None of the marked snails placed in Plot
III was found. Since all snails had been marked
with the same color of India ink, there was no
way to determine the plot from which they had
come. As expected in terms of the annual cycle,
population density again dropped drastically
from an average of 240 per square meter in Oc-
tober to an average of 30 per square meter in
mid-May. Population densities were greatest near
shore and declined rapidly toward deeper water
during all of the months in which observations
were made.
The results of the first year were again
substantiated since these snails did not migrate
into deeper water off the shoal, but remained
where they had been during summer and fall.
While there were movements of snails within the
population, it was impossible to determine
whether these movements gave evidence of a pat-
tern or were of a random nature.
The Third Year: Based upon the studies of the
first and second years, some innovations were
made this third and final year of investigation.
The three established quadrat plots were left in-
tact. Three samples, each with 200 individuals,
were marked but a different color of a paste In-
dia ink was used for each of the samples. Sample
one was yellow; sample two, red; and sample
three, blue. Specimens in sample one (yellow)
were then scattered in a 20 meter radius arc in
the study Plot I, some 14 meters from shore; the
sample two (red) snails were scattered in a 30
meter arc in Plot II at a distance of 27 meters
from shore; and the sample three (blue) snails
were likewise scattered in a 40 meter arc in Plot
III at 39 meters from shore. Care was taken to be
sure that these samples passed through each of
the 3 earlier study quadrats established during
the second year of the study. This arrangement
served to determine the extent to which the
snails ranged within the total population area.
The 3 snail samples were marked October 25,
19()8. Subsequently, 3 trips to examine the extent
of movement were made to the study area on
March 7, April 19 and June 16, 1969. An unfore-
seen accident made visits to the study area im-
possible during December or January as original-
ly planned.
By March 7 the air temperature was 4.0°C and
the water was 4.5°C. TTie lake was still covered
with a thick cover of ice except for a strip about
6 meters wide along the shore. Although all 3
study plots were ice covered, 4 yellow-marked
snails (2% of the total sample) and numerous un-
marked animals were seen in that open water.
The population density again had decreased con-
siderably as in the previous 2 years.
On April 19 it was ascertained that the ice on
that lake disappeared about April 15. The air
temperature on the 19th was 15.0°C, the water
was 5.0°C. Using a glass-bottom bucket and the
distance guide used for setting the 3 plots, a
careful survey was made in each area. Dredgings
were made with sweeps on the arcs established
for Plots I, II and III; additional sweeps were
made at 1 meter intervals between plots. Only
those snails marked with the color designated
within the plot distances (Plot I, yellow; Plot II,
red; Plot III, blue) were found within the plot
arcs. With but one exeption, all marked snails
observed at other than the plot arc distance from
shore were inshore from their respective plot
arcs. The exception was 2 red-marked individuals
found 3 meters out from the Plot II distance arc.
A total of 77 per cent of the marked snails
recovered were at plot arc distance from shore, 19
per cent were inshore from their plot arc
distance, and only 4 per cent of the marked snails
recovered were out beyond their plot distance
arc. Of the 2(K) yellow marked specimens 23 or
11.5% were seen on this visit; 13 or 6.5% of the
2(H1 red: and 17 or 8.5% of the blue were found.
During the final visit on June 16, the air
temperatue was 22.0"C; the water was 21.0°C. A
general survey of the whole snail bed revealed
that most adult snails had already died. Many
shells had eggs attached to them; however, no
young snails were found. As during the April 19
visit, a careful survey was made of the studv
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 51
area. In sweeps made at 1 meter intervals from
shore outward to 2 meters beyond the Plot III
distance from shore, very few live sails were seen
and but a few shells. The following marked shells
and 1 live, marked snail were found: 1 yellow
shell at Plot I arc distance from shore; 1 red shell
1 meter inshore from the Plot II arc distance: 1
blue shell 3 meters inshore from Plot III arc; 1
blue shell 2 meters inshore from Plot III arc
distance; 1 live blue marked near Plot III; and 2
blue marked shells (one with eggs attached) 2
meters out from Plot III arc distance from shore.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The investigation was supported (in part) by
PHS Training Grant No. 5 TI 41 from the Na-
tional Intitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
U.S. Public Health Service, Washington, D.C.
The assistance of Henry van der Schalie and
Elmer G. Berry, curators in the Mollusk Divi-
sion, Museum of Zoology, University of Michi-
gan is gratefully acknowledged. The work in the
field was supported by several members of the
Mollusk Division and my family.
LITERATURE CITED
Brackett, Sterling. 1940. Studies on schistosome dermatitis.
VIII. Notes on the biology of the snail hosts of schistosome
cercariae in Wisamsin and epidemiological evidence for life
cycles of some avian schistosomes. Amer. J. Hyy.. 32: 85-104.
Cheatum, Elmer P. 1934. Limnological investigations on
respiration, annual migratory cycle, and other related
phenomena in fresh-water pulmonate snails. TVan.s. Micros.
Soc. 53: 348-407.
Clampitt, P. T. 1972a. Seasonal migrations and other
movements in Douglas Lake pulmonate snails (Abstract).
Malacol. Review, 5(1): 11-12.
Clampitt. P. T. 1972b. Seasonal migratory cycle and related
movements of the freshwater snail Physa integra
(Pulmonata: Basommatophora) (Abstract). Bull. Ecol. Soc.
.4mpr.. 53(2):21.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Institute for
Fisheries Research. 1950. Lake Inventory Map: Lake Ann.
Wall, Robert C. 1968. An analysis of the current status of
schistosome dermatitis problem in Mighigan. Doctoral
Thesis. University of Michigan.
Walter. Harold J. 1969. Illustrated biomorphology of the
"angulata" lake form of the Basommatophoran snail. Li/m-
luwn ratn.'^rdpiiim Say. Mnlncnl. Rev.. 2: 1-102.
LIVING MARINE
MOLLUSCS
C. M. Yonge and T. E. Thompson
BEHAVIOUR
Two distinguished British marine biologists have combined their knowledge and talents to
produce a compact, well-rounded account of the largest marine group of animals.
"The first modem book on the biology of marine mollusks
that is of textbook quality, yet so beautifully written
and illustrated that the legions of amateur conchologists
will readily absorb its wealth of information"— R. Tucker
Abbott, Ph.D.
Send check or money order to:
American Malacotogists, Publ.
P.O. Box 4208
Greenville, De. 19807 U.S.A.
Available
1977
Cldthbound, 288 pp., 162 text figures, 16 plates with 18 glorious color photographs of living
marine molluscs. Only $13.95.
52 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
FREQUENT SCALARIFORMY IN A POPULATION OF
THE POND SNAIL, LYMNAEA STAGNALIS
Eva Pip
Department of Botany
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R3T 2N2
ABSTRACT
T7VI) populations of Lymnaea stagnalis that had been exposed to chronic low-
level (jammn radiation in situ were examined for the presence of shell ab-
normalities. One population shoived no abnonnalities. In the other population
sea la ri form y UHhs found at a frequency of 0.5%, and occurred nmsi.-itentlij in ini-
tiallti non-scalar shells. Gnmnin mdintinn )'.s apparently nut a direct cause if
scidarifiruiy.
Scalariformy in natural populations of Lym-
naea stiujuulis (Linnaeus) is normally a rare and
isolated occurrence, the causes of which are
unknown. Studies of this phenomenon are dif-
ficult because of the very few, scattered and poor-
ly documented specimens known to be in ex-
istence (Pip, 1975) and because the probability of
recurrence in wild populations that have pro-
duced such individuals is too low to merit obser-
vation. However there is evidence that popula-
tions showing a relatively high frequency of
scalariformy exist. F. C. Baker (1911) cited a
population sample from Spoonbill Slough, Deuel
County, South Dakota, that contained several
scalariform individuals. This study documents the
discovery of another such population of L.
stmjncdis. Perhaps coincidentally, this population
has been exposed to chronic low-level gamma
radiation.
METHODS
The study sites were located in an area, 1 km
in diameter, of mixed boreal forest that had been
reserved in the late 1960's for a radiation ecology
study within the Whiteshell Nuclear Research
Establishment's controlled area near Pinawa in
eastern Manitoba. Chronic gamma radiation
began in early 1973 by a 10,000 effective curie '"
Cs source located at the top of a 20 m tower
placed at the center of the area (Dugle and
Thibault, 1974). Irradiation continued at an
average of 19 hours per day. By the end of
August, 1975, the area had received a total of
17,000 hours of irradiation. The western portion
of the area contained numerous small shallow
ponds that had originated as gravel excavations
prior to 1965. Of these ponds, two contained
populations of Lymnaea stagnalis, their centers
located 300 m (site 1) and 480 m (site 2) from the
irradiator respectively. Site 1 was densely col-
onized by cattails (Typha latifolia); small patches
of open water contained the pondweeds
Potamogeton gramineus, P. pectinatus and P.
nutans (nomenclature after Scoggan, 1957). The
mean dose rate at site 1, estimated during the
growing season by lithium fluoride dosimeters
placed 1 m above the center of the pond's surface,
was 12.428 mrad/h. Site 2 was much more ex-
posed: there was no emergent vegetation except
for one small stand of cattails. The sparse
submerged vegetation consisted of Potamogeton
fnliosvs and a species of the algal stonewort
Chara. The mean dose rate 1 m above the center
of the pond's surface was 3.082 mrad/h. Because
of the pond's exposure, water temperatures dur-
ing midsummer reached 30 C. Although both
ponds were less than 1 m deep, temperatures at
site 1 were consistently lower because a large
proportion of the water surface was shaded. Sur-
face water samples collected in July, 1975 were
analyzed according to methods recommended
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 58
by the American Public Health Association
(1971). The two sites showed few differences in
the monitored variables: pH 7.7 - 8.7, total
filtrable residue 135 mg/1, alkalinity 80 mg
CaCOj/l, sulphate 0 mg/1, chloride 0 mg/1, nitrate
1 mg/1, orthophosphate 2 mg/1 (site 1) and 7
mg/1 (site 2). Besides L. xtagnali.^ site 1 also con-
tained Staynicola pal ustris while site 2 contained
S. palustris and Physa gyrina.
During the 1975 season all visible live and dead
individuals of L. stagnalis at the two sites were
scored for presence or absence of shell ab-
normalities. Individuals of other species were ex-
amined as well.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The small populations of L. stagnaliji and S.
palustris at site 1 showed no evidence of mor-
phological abnormalities. The larger population of
L. stagnalis at site 2 showed a constant frequency
of scalariformy during the 1975 season of 5 per
1000 individuals. Scalariformy occurred con-
sistently in initially non-scalar shells (Fig. 1), a
characteristic noted in previous reports (Pip and
Paulishyn, 1970; Jackiewicz, 1972; Pip, 1975).
Onset of scalariformy was abrupt and well-
defined. In approximately 75% of the affected in-
dividuals, scalariformy commenced in the fourth
and fifth whorls. In the remainder of specimens
scalariformy was apparent earlier; in some in-
dividuals it occurred as early as in the second
4444
FIG. 1. Scalariform shells of Lymnaea stagnalis cnlleeted nt
site 2 in Manitoba, Canada, during 1975. i'/>
whorl. One specimen showed onset of scalari-
formy in the sixth whorl; this was the only
specimen where mechanical injury to the shell
was apparent. Scalariformy was frequently ac-
companied by curvature or breakage of the shell
axis. Other aberrations were not observed in L.
sta/inalis. The small populations of S. palustris
and P. gyrina at site 2 were morphologically nor-
mal.
The unusually high frequency of scalariformy
at site 2 is difficult to explain. Because site 1
received 4 times the mean dose rate of site 2,
with no scalariformy or other abnormalities
recorded, radiation appears to be an unlikely
direct cause. Radiation may have contributed
towards the stress already placed on the
organisms by elevated temperatures. The two fac-
tors are related in that elevated temperatures in-
crease the time breathing at the surface
(McDonald, 1973). Since attenuation of radiation
with increasing water depth is considerable, the
snails are exposed to the maximum dose rate
when they are at the surface. The additional ex-
posure to radiation, combined with the effects of
heat stress, may result in some disturbance to
growth. Because scalariformy occurs, as a rule,
relatively late in the development of the snail,
the causative agent is not operating at the
nuclear level. Verdonk (1973) has shown that in
L. Stagnalis few gene deficiencies become active
beyond the veliger stage. It is therefore likely
that mechanical or physiological agents are
among the responsible factors. The occurrence of
Cham at site 2 is interesting in that Geyer (1929
in Jackiewacz, 1972) and Pip (1975) have noted
the presence of this alga in habitats where
scalariform snails have been collected. Further
study is necessary before this phenomenon is
understood.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Drs. J. Dugle and J.
Guthrie of the Whiteshell Nuclear Research
Establishment for their advice and encourage-
ment during the pursuit of this problem.
54 THE NAUTILUS
April 25.1977
Vol. 91 (2)
LITERATURE CITED
American Public Health Association. 1971. Standard Method'^
for the Eiaminatifm of Water and Wastewaters.^. 874 pp.
Baker. F. C. 1911. The Lymnaeidae of North and Middle
America. Ot icago Acad. Sri. Spec. Pub. No. .y. 539 pp.
Dugle. J. R. and D. H. Thibault. 1974. Ecology of the Field
Irradiator-Gamma area, 111. Revisions to botanical methods
and vegetation sampling procedures (AECL-41.3.5). Atomic
Energy of Canada Limited, report AECI^4668. 41 pp.
Jackiewicz. M. 1972. Anormalnosci w budowie shorupki
niekorych mi^zakow wodnych. Przeglad Zoologiczny 16:1:
95-98. (in Polish).
McDonald, S.C. 1973. Activity patterns of Lymnaea atagnalis
(L.) in relation to temperature conditions: a preliminary
study. Malacolngia 14: 39,5-396. Abstract only.
Pip, E. 1975. Scalariformy in the pond snail. Li/mnaea
stagnalis. The Nautilus 89: 36-37.
Pip, E. and W. F. PaulishvTi. 1970. Unusual fr«sh water
mollusk collected. Hawaiian Shell News 18: 11: 6.
Scoggan, H. J. 19.57. Flora of Manitoba. Nai. Mus. Canada,
Bull. No UO, 619 pp.
Verdonk. N. H. 1973. Gene expression in early development of
Lifmnof a stagnalis. Devel. Buil. 35: 29-35.
SHELL SIZE-FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTIONS OF CORBICULA
MANILENSIS PHILIPPI FROM A CLAM-FOULED
STEAM CONDENSERS
Robert F. McMahon
Department of Biology
TTie University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas 76019
ABSTRACT
Specimens and empty whole and half ahelh of the introduced Asiatic freshwater
clam. Corbicula manilensis, were collected from the inlet (cold water) box. con-
denser tubes and outlet (warm water) box of a clam-fouled steam condenser of an
electric generator utilizing raw water from Lake Arlington, Texas. Size-frequency
distributions of length, height, and width of shells removed from these three sec-
tions indicated that the clams were not growing in the condenser but had been
carried into it with intake currenUi from an external population in the intake em-
bayment and tunnel. It appers that the condenser tubes acted as a sieve becoming
fouled only unth shells of an appropriate size to become lodged in the tubes while
smaller specimens passed thnmgh and larger shells were retained in the inlet box.
It is siHjge.'ited that increasing tube inside diameter to 29.0 mm or mitre icill (illmr
even the largest specimens of C. manilensis to /la.w thnoigli cinidniscrs mid
therehii a void fouling problems with th /.s' species.
The introduced Asiatic freshwater clam, Cor-
bicula manUetisis. was first recorded in the Col-
umbia River, Washington, in 1938 and has since
spread through a large portion of the freshwater
' Supported by grant number 16-6.53 from Organized Research
Funds of The University of Texas at Arlington to Robert F.
McMahon.
environments of the southern United States
(Sinclair, 1971, and references within). The high
reproductive capacity and fast growth of this
clam has allowed it to become a major pest
species in many drainage systems (Ingram, 1959;
Sinclair and Isom, 1961. 1963; Sinclair, 1963, 1964,
1970; Prokopovich and Herbert, 1965; Prokopo-
vich, 1969). Recently C. manilensis has been
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 55
reported to have fouled raw watercooled steam
condensers of electric generating and other in-
dustrial facilities in several regions of the United
States (Ingram, 1959; Sinclair and Isom, 1961.
1963: Sinclair, 1963, 19&4, 1970; Thomas and
MacKenthun, 1964; Thomerson and Myer, 1970;
Diaz, 1974). This report describes the distribu-
tions and means of shell size for specimens of C.
manilerms collected from a clam-fouled steam
condenser of an electrical generator and proposes
a possible design solution to the problem of foul-
ing by the shells of this species.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
On 12 January, 1976, whole specimens and
whole and half shells of Corbieida manilensis
were collected from the clam-fouled steam con-
denser of the Number Two electrical generator of
the Handley Steam-Electric Generating Plant,
maintained by the Texas Electric Service Com-
pany on Lake Arlington, Texas (USGS map
quadrangle, Arlington, 32° 43' 15" N: 97° 12' 57"
W). This plant utilizes raw lake water as a
coolant for the steam condensers of its three
generating units. The maximum flow of lake
water through the condensers is 1.298X10* liters
per minute (1.870X10' 1/day) and the monthly
average discharge rate is 1.052X10* 1/per minute
(1.514X10' 1/day (Hall, 1972; McMahon. 1975).
The clams were collected from three areas in the
steam condenser: the inlet or cold water box
(CWB) which receives raw lake water for cooling
from the intake canal; the condenser tubes (CT)
which carry water from the CWB and which are
used to cool and condense the steam passed over
them before it is returned to the generator's
boilers: and the outlet or warm water box
(WWB) which receives warmed water from the
condenser tubes. Water is passed from the WWB
to the discharge canal and is then returned to the
lake (for a more complete description of the
Handley Power Plant's operation see McMahon,
1975).
The condenser tubes of the Number Two
gererator have an outside diameter of 22.2 mm,
an inside diameter of 19.7 mm and a tube wall
thickness of 1.24 mm. The Number Two generator
is a "peaking" unit which operates only during
periods of high demand. It has an output of 80
MW and a maximum flow through its condenser
of 132,469 1/min. Average water velocity in the
intake tube to the condenser is 2.44 m/min and
velocity increases to 2.26 m/sec in the condenser
tubes.
C. manilenda was first observed in Lake Ar-
lington during the spring of 1973 (John Barnett,
personal communication) and it first fouled the
Number Two condenser at the Handley Power
Plant in the summer of 1974. Since that time the
Number Two unit has been shut down several
times in order to remove C. manilensis shells
from its condenser tubes. Such fouling has never
occurred in the larger Number Three unit, a con-
tinuously running "base load" generator, with an
output of 400 MW and a water flow through its
condensers of 435,322 1/min. This unit's water
velocities are similar to that of the Number Two
unit, but the condenser tubes are larger with an
outside diameter of 25.4 mm, an inside diameter
of 22.9 mm and a tube wall thickness of 1.24 mm.
Living specimens and empty whole and half
shells of C. manilensis were collected from the
Number Two condenser 72 hours after the
generator had been shut down on January 9,
1976. Samples were randomly removed from each
of three areas (CWB, CT and WWB) and re-
turned to the laboratory. For each individual in
each sample three shell dimensions were meas-
ured to the nearest 0.05 mm using a dial microm-
eter. The shell dimensions recorded were: shell
length (SL), the greatest dimension anterior-
posterior across the shell; shell height (SH) the
greatest dimension dorsal -ventral across the shell
from the umbones to the ventral edge of the
valves: and shell width (SW), the greatest lateral
dimension between the two valves (for single
valves shell width was estimated by multiplying
the greatest lateral dimension by two). No sig-
nificant differences occurred in the mean dimen-
sions of whole and half shells in each sample (P
> 0.10); therefore, the dimensions of whole shells
and single valves were combined, allowing the
computation of a mean SL, SH and SW with cor-
responding standard deviations for each of the
three samples (CWB, CT. WWB). The distribu-
tions of sample shell dimensions from all three
56 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
collection sites were then compared for sig-
nificance using students' t test.
RESULTS
Figures one, two and three illustrate the shell
size distributions of C. nunulrnsis collected from
the cold water box (CWB) (Fig. 1), the condenser
tubes (CT) (Fig. 2) and the warm water b)X
(WWB) (Fig. 3) of the Number Two steam con-
denser. Approximately 20-30% of the shells
removed from each of the three portions of the
condenser contained intact soft parts. There was
no evidence of byssal attachment by the clams to
tube walls or any other portion of the condenser
as has been previously suggested for fouling by
this species (Sinclair and Isom, 1961, 1963).
The 122 shells collected from the intake or cold
water box (CWB) had a mean SL of 21.1 mm (s.d.
= ±6.19 mm, range = 5.7 - 33.(S mmj.a mean SH
of 19.98 mm (s.d. = ±5.29 mm, range = 4.9 - 28.1
— I r
CWB
10 15 20 25
SHELL LENGTH in mm
FIG. 1. Lfiujth frequency distrihutiona of Corbiciihi
niiinilensis sheik collected from the inlet or cold water box
(CWB), condenser tubex (CT) and outlet or warm ivater box
(WWB) of a steam condenser utilmng raw lake water as a
roolivit. The vertical axis is per cent of total sample mimhers
and the hwizontal axis is shell length (SL) in millimeters.
The darkened circles represent mean shell lengths for each
s<tmple and bars aboid the means, .itandard deirialions. Tlie
.■itipled vertical line represents the inside diameter (19.7 mm)
of the condenser tubes.
1 r
10 15 20 25
SHELL HEIGHT In mm
FKi. 2. Height freqnencii distributions of C. nianilensis
■fhells collected from the inlft or cold unter btix (CWB), con-
denser tubes ((JT) and outlet or warm box (WWB) of a steam
coiuietiser utilizing raw lake water as a coolant. The vertical
axis is per cent of total sample numbers and the horizontal
axis is shell height (SH) in millimeters. The darkened circles
represent mean shell heights for ench somplc and the liars
about the means, statutard deiiations. The stipled vertical line
represents the inside diamenter (19.7 mm) of the condenser
tubes.
mm) and a mean SW of 12.37 mm (s.d. = ±3.48
mm, range = 3.8 - 20.0 mm). Corresponding
mean shell dimensions for the 51 shells removed
directly from the condenser tubes were: mean SL
= 24.4 mm (s.d. = ±4.17 mm, range = 10.6 -
32.0 mm); mean SH = 20.95 mm (s.d. = ±3.74
mm, range = 8.2 - 27.8 mm); and SW = 14.22
mm (s.d. = ±2.41 mm, range = 6.1 - 18.8 mm)
(Fig. 2). Mean dimensions for the sample of 150
shells drawn from the warm water box (WWB)
were: mean SL = 16.72 mm (s.d. = ±3.75 mm,
range = 4.6 - 23.1 mm); mean SH = 14.28 mm
(s.d. = ±3.75 mm, range = 3.4 - 19.7 mm); and
mean SW = 9.89 mm (s.d. = ±2.17 mm, range
= 2.7 - 13.6 mm) (Fig. 3). The shell sjimples
drawn from all three regions of the condenser
(CWB, CT. WWB) were significantly different
from each other (P <(U)5) in all three dimen-
sions measured (SL, SH, SW).
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 57
DISCUSSION
Since 1960 there have been a series of reports
recording the fouling of water-cooled steam con-
densers by C. manilensds in both steam-electric
power plants and other industrial facilities
(Ingram, 1959; Sinclair and Isom, 1960, 1963;
Sinclair, 1963, 1964, Thomas and MacKenthun,
1964; Thomerson and Myer, 1970, Diaz, 1974).
Several of these reports suggest that C. manilen-
ds attach as young by a byssus to the walls and
insides of tubes carrying cooling water in the
condensers (Sinclair, 1963, 1964; Sinclair and
Isom, 1960, 1961). Unlike these previous reports
no small clams (SL < 5 mm) and no evidence of
byssal attachment could be observed in any part
of the Handley Power Plant's Number Two con-
denser even though living clams with intact soft
parts represented a significant proportion of all
three samples.
A comparison of the size distributions of the
three samples indicates that the clams fouling the
condenser are not a resident population, but in-
stead, must have been carried into it from an ex-
ternal population. The distribution of SL in the
CWB had a mean of 21.1 mm. (s.d. = ±6.19 mm)
(Fig. 1) which was significantly different (P <
0.05) from the distributions of SL of both the CT
and WWB. The distribution of SH in the sample
of C. manilensis shells dravm from the condenser
tubes was significantly different from both the
samples taken from the CWB and WWB (Figs. 1,
2 and 3) and had a mean SH of 20.95 mm and a
rather narrow distribution of shell height about
the mean (s.d. = ±3.74 mm) (Fig. 2). The inside
diameter of the Number Two unit's condenser
tubes at 19.7 mm is almost equal to the mean SH
(20.95 mm) of the shells sampled from them. As
shell height (SH) approximately represents the
smallest diameter across the plane between the
two valves, these data appear to indicate that C.
manilensis shells are transported into the con-
denser tubes and only those of an appropriate
size (i.e., an SH closely approximating the inside
diameter of the tube) would become lodged in the
tubes at points of slight constriction (primarily at
regular bends in the condenser tubing). The few
smaller shells (SH < 17 mm) found in the con-
denser tubes were taken from tubes already oc-
SHELL WIDTH in mm
FIG. .3. Width frequency distributions of C. manilensis
shells collected from the inlet or cold water box (CWB). con-
denser tubes (CT) and outlet or warm water box (WWB) of a
steam condenser utilizing raw lake water as a coolant. The
vertical axis is per cent of total sample numbers and the
horizontal axis is shell width (SW) in millimeters. The
darkened circles represent mean shell widths for each sample
and the bais about the means, standard demations. The
stipled vertical line represents the inside diameter (19.7 mm)
of the condenser tubes.
eluded with larger wedged shells which prevented
their passage. In the outlet or warm water box
(WWB) only shells with a SH less than the inside
diameter of the condenser tubes (SH < 19.7 mm)
were taken (Fig. 3), the sample from this area
having significantly smaller shell dimensions (P<
0.05) than the samples from both the CWB and
CT. Thus, it appears that the shells in the WWB
must be carried from the CWB through the con-
denser tubes to the WWB and that only clams
with an SH smaller than the inside diameter of
the condenser tubes may pass through them. In-
gram (1959) has reported a similar accumulation
of C. manilensis shells in tubes with an inside
diameter of 15.8 mm from a condenser in Califor-
nia.
In this sense the condenser acts as a sieve.
Clams are drawn into the CWB from an external
population with intake currents and therefore
58 THE NAUTILUS
April 25.1977
Vol. 91 (2)
shell size distributions in this are are represent-
ative of those in natural Lake Arlington popula-
tions of C. manilensis (Aldridge, 1976). Of those
shells drawn into the CWB those with SH's of
less than the inside diameter of the condenser
tubes eventually pass through the condenser to
the discharge canal leaving the largest shells in
the CWB. The condenser tubes themselves become
initially fouled only with those shells with a SH
approximately their inside diameter. These shells
apparently become lodged at slight constrictions
in the tubes or at bends in the tubes. Water
velocities in the condenser tubes at 2.26 m/sec
are probably much too great to allow veliger set-
tlement and therefore shells must be transported
into this portion of the condenser.
Relatively dense populations of C. manilensis
occur both in the intake canal of the power plant
and in the shallow shore areas of Lake Arlington
(Aldridge, 1976). Throughout the year living
specimens of C. manilensis in Lake Arlington
have been observed to move entirely out of the
substrate and be carried over the bottom by cur-
rents and wave action. Similar observations have
been made for a C. manUensis population on the
James River, Virginia (R. J. Diaz, personal com-
munication). C. manilensis may move out of the
substrate when environmentally stressed and be
carried by currents in the pwwer plant's intake
canal to traveling screens in front of the intake
tunnels to the condensers. The traveling screens
of the Handley Power Plant on Lake Arlington
have a mesh size of 12.7 mm which prevents
clams large enough to foul the condensers from
entering the intake tunnels. However, smaller
clams with an SH less than 12.7 mm, spat and
veligers will pass easily over the screens. If these
clams settle in the embayments behind the
screens or in the intake tunnels where water cur-
rents are relatively slow (2.44 m/min) they will
grow very rapidly and reach an SH large enough
to allow them to lodge in condenser tubes (ap-
proximately 19 mm) in two to six months (Al-
dridge, 1976). Thereafter, if the quality of lake
water drawn into the intake canal is lowered by
natural means (i.e., high summer temperatures or
low oxygen concentration) or as the result of
human activity (shock chlorination and other per-
turbations) the now resident Corbicida popula-
tions behind the screens may move out of bottom
slits to be carried by intake currents into the
condensers. Such populations of adult C. manilen-
sis have been observed behind the traveling
screens at the Handley Power Plant on Lake Ar-
lington (M. W. Zengerle, personal communica-
tion).
It has been reported that adult C. manilensis
are not susceptible to shock chlorination as a
method of control (Sinclair and Isom, 1960, 1961;
Sinclair, 1963, 1964); instead, constant chloration
of intake waters at levels of 1.5-10 ppm (up to 50
ppm for two weeks) have been recommended as a
means of preventing this species from impinging
upon condensers (Sinclair and Isom, 1960, 1963;
Sinclair, 1963, 1964). Present Environmental Pro-
tection Agency regulations generally prohibit
constant chlorination of raw intake water used
for cooling purposes and shock chlorination may
actually enhance condenser fouling by stressing
resident populations.
It is notable that the larger Number Three
generating unit at the Handley Power Plant on
Lake Arlington has never had its steam con-
densers fouled with C. manilensis. The only
discemable difference in the operation of its con-
densers and those of the often-fouled Number
Two unit is that the inside diameter of its con-
denser tubes is larger at 22.9 mm (see Methods).
As such it would only stop clams with an SH
greater than 22 mm which represents only about
1.51% (s.d. = ±2.22%, range 0 - 8.9%, N = 28) of
the normal Lake Arlington C. manilensis popula-
tion over 1975 while the Number Two unit's con-
denser tubes have a smaller inside diameter (19.7
mm) and would stop about thirteen times as
many clams (19.45%, s.d. = ±13.41%, range =
3.7 - 64.4%, N = 28) (Aldridge, 1976). Since so
few clams of the appropriate size for fouling im-
pinge upon this larger unit's steam condenser (in-
side diameter 22.9 mm), it is hypothesized that
the high water velocities in its condenser tubes
abrade and break up lodged shells at a rate
which prevents serious fouling. In contrast, a far
greater number of appropriately sized shells im-
pinge on the smaller tubes of the Number Two
unit's condenser (inside diameter = 19.7 mm)
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 59
allowing a steady accumulation of lodged shells
in the condenser tubes, eventually impairing the
condenser's efficiency.
It may be possible to avoid Corbindn fouling in
water-cooled steam condensers of future electrical
generating and industrial facilities by designing
steam condensers with condenser tubes of inside
diameters greater than 29.0 mm, the approximate
SH of a specimen of C. manUends 50 mm in shell
length (Aldridge, 1976). A specimen of this shell
length (50 mm) was the largest ever taken in over
a year of bi-weekly collections of ('. mariilcusix
on Lake Arlington (Aldridge, 1976) and is
roughly equal to or less than the maximum shell
lengths reported for other populations of this
species near fouled condensers (Sinclair and Isom,
1961, 1963; Sinclair, 1963, 1964; Thomas and
MacKenthun, 1964; Thomerson and Meyer, 1970;
Diaz, 1974). Therefore, designing condensers
which would allow passage of even relatively
large specimens of C. manilensis (inside diameter
of condenser tubes > 29.0 mm) might eliminate
all possiblity oiCorbicula fouling.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to express my deep appreciation to Mon-
ta Zengerle, Texas Electric Service Company
Biologist, who allowed me to be present when the
condenser was inspected and who supplied data
on the steam condenser's operation; to David W.
Aldridge for his advice and discussions on the
biology of C. manilensds; and to Nancy B. Banks,
for her assistance with the preparation of the
manuscript.
LITERATURE CITED
Aldridge, D. W. 1976. Growth, reproduction and bioener-
getics in a natural population of the Asiatic freshwater
clam, (hrbinda manilen.tis Philippi. Maiytfr'n Thexis. TTie
University of Texas at Arlington. 93 pp.
Diaz. R. J. 1974. Asiatic clam, Girhinda manUends (Philippi).
in the Tidal James River, Virginia. Chesapeake Si-i. 15:
118-120.
Hall. F. M., III. 1972. Species diversity and density of the ben-
thic macroinvertebrates inhabiting a reservoir receiving a
heated effluent. Master's The^s. The University of Texas at
Arlington. 82 pp.
Ingram, W. M. 19.59. Asiatic clams as potential pests in
California water supplies. Jour. Amer. Water Works Assoc.
51: 36.3-.369.
McMahon. R. F. 1975. Effects of artificially elevated water
temperatures on the growth, reproduction and life cycle of
a natural population of Physa iri.rgata Gould. Ecology 56:
1167-1175.
Prokopovich, N. P. 1969. Deposition of clastic sediments by
dam&.JmrSed. Petrology 39: 891-901.
Prokopovich, N. P. and D. J. Hebert. 1965. Sedimentation in
the Delta-Mendota Canal. Jour. Amer. Water Works Assoc.
57: 375-382.
Sinclair, R. M. 1963. Kfects of an introduced clam (Corbicula)
on water quality in the Tennessee River Valley. In Pro-
ceedings of the Second Indiistnal Waste Conference.
Vanderbilt University. Tennessee Department of Public
Health. Tennessee Stream Pollution Control 3oard. pp.
43-50.
Sinclair, R. M. 1964. Clam pests in Tennessee water supplies.
Jour. Amer. Water Works Assoc. 56: 592-599.
Sinclair, R. M. 1971. Annotated bibliography on the exotic
bivalve Corbieida in North America, 1900-1971. Sterkiana
40: 11-18.
Sinclair. R. M. and B. G. Isom. 1%1. A preliminary report on
the introduced Asiatic clam Corbiada in Tennessee. Ten-
nessee Stream Pollution Control Board. Tennessee Depart-
ment of Public Health. 31 pp.
Sinclair. R. M. 1963. Further studies on the introduced
Asiatic clam in Tennessee. Tennessee Stream Pollution Con-
trol Board. Tennessee Department of Pulbic Health. 51 pp.
Thomas. N. A. and K. M. MacKenthun. 1964. Asiatic clam in-
festation at Charleston. West Virginia. The NautUus 78:
28-29.
TTiomerson, J. E. and D. G. Myer. 1970. Corbiada manilensis:
Range extension upstream in the Mississippi River.
Sterkiana 37: 29.
60 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
ABNORMAL HYPERSTROPHY IN LITTORINA UNEOLATA
(GASTROPODA: LITTORINIDAE)
M. G. Harasewych
College of Marine Studies
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware 19711
ABSTRACT
A specimen of Littorina lineolata Orbigny from Oistint^ Bay. Barbados was
found to have a normal orthostrophic protoconch and an abnormal.
hypertrophic teleoconch. based on examination of anatomy, shell, protoconch
and (rperculum. This is believed to be the first report of such an abnormality in
gastropod'^.
The occurrence of anomalous shell mor-
phologies is well documented in the Littorinidae
of tropical as well as boreal waters (Rosewater,
1972). It was therefore not too surprising to
discover what appreared to be a sinistral
specimen of Littorina lineolata Orbigny. 1840
while sorting material collected in Oistins Bay,
Barbados. Closer examination, however, revealed
this specimen to be dextral and hyperstrophic.
It is necessary at this point to make a distinc-
tion between asymmetry of the shell and asym-
metry of the soft parts. The terms dextral and
sinistral, in the strict sense, refer to the orienta-
tion of organ systems in the gastropod body. The
vast majority of prosobranchs are dextral and
have lost the osphradium, ctenidium, hypobran-
chial gland and auricle on the post -torsional right
side of their body. This was accompanied by a
shifting of the anus to the right side of the body
and modification of the right kidney into a
reproductive organ. The reverse is true of
sinistral gastropods, which are mirror images of
their dextral counterparts. Dextrality or
sinistrality is detectable as early in development
as the late two cell stage (Crampton, 1894), long
before even the first appearance of a shell.
The terms orthostrophy and hyperstrophy refer
to the orientation of the asymmetrical shell with
regard to the soft parts. The term orthostrophic is
applied to gastropods in which the spire is on the
same side of the body as the anus and pallial
reproductive organs, while the term hyper-
strophic is applied to gastropods in which the
spire is on the same side of the body as the un-
paired osphradium, ctenidium, hypobranchial
gland and auricle. Tlie direction of coiling is
determined in the larval stage, but, in some gas-
tropods, is changed at the time of metamorphosis
(e.g. Architectonicidae, Pyramidellidae).
Robertson and Merrill (196;3) reported the ab-
normal occurrence of post -larval hyperstrophy in
two species of Heliarus. in which the normal
hyperstrophy of the protoconch was abnormally
retained by the teleoconch. The specimen of Ldt-
torina lineolata discussed here, however, is be-
lieved to be the first reported occurrence of a gas-
tropod with a normal orthostrophic protoconch
and an abnormal hyperstrophic teleoconch. This
specimen (figure 1), in the collection of the
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
(ANSP no. 342287), was compared to normal
specimens from the same locality (ANSP no.
342286) and proven to be dextral and hyper-
strophic on the basis of the following evidence.
Anatomy. Tissue as far up as the rear of the
mantle cavity was well preserved. The orientation
of the mantle cavity organs was that of a de.xtral
animal, the anus and capsule gland being on the
right side of the body, while the osphradium,
ctenidium and hypobranchial gland were on the
left.
Operculum. As demonstrated by Pelseneer
(1893, fide Robertson and Merrill, 1963), the
direction of coiling of the operculum can be used
to distinguish between dextral and sinistral
animals, the former producing opercula which
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 61
FIG. 1. .4, luirmiil apecunen nf Littorina lineolata Orbigny
fmm Oistins Bay. Barbados. x2. B. Hifperstrophic specimen
from the .same locality. xS.
coil counter-clockwise when viewed externally,
and latter produce opercula which coil in the
clockwise direction when viewed externally. The
operculum of the specimen in question (figrure 2)
is coiled in the counter-clock-wise direction, in-
dicating that the animal which produced it was
dextral.
ProtoctDirh. As there is considerable pitting of
the early whorls, it is not possible to locate the
exact boundary between protoconch and
teleoconch stages, but there is clearly a change in
the direction of coiling of about 140 degrees bet-
ween the axis of the early whorls of the pro-
toconch and the axis of the adult shell (figure 3),
indicating that the specimen was initially dextral
FIG. 2. Ertenial mew of operadum of the hifperstrophic
Littorina lineolata. xlO.
FIG. 3. Early whorls of the hifperstrophic Littorina lin«)-
lata. xl2.
and orthostrophic but became abnormally
hyperstrophic near the time of metamorphosis.
Shell. There are two major shell characters
which attest to the hyperstrophy of this
specimen: the location of the major spiral cords
relative to the shoulder, and the direction of the
brown axial bands relative to the columella. Nor-
mal specimens are characterized by having 11 or
12 major spiral cords on the apical side of the
shoulder and a variable number of very fine
spiral threads on the adapical side of the
shoulder. This situation is reversed in the
hyperstrophic specimen, the fine spiral threads
being located on the apical side, while 11 major
spiral cords are located on the adaptical side of
the shoulder. When viewing the orientation of
the brown axial lines relative to the columella, it
can be seen that in normal individuals the brown
bands approach the columella tangentially, while
in the hyperstrophic specimen the bands appear
to be almost perpendicular to the columella.
It should be noted that the actual shape of the
aperture relative to the animal is not very
drastically changed, the left side being more
spacious than the right. This would have de-
creased the compression of the ctenidium, which
would have been a serious impediment to the sur-
vival of the organism.
I thank Dr. Robert Robertson (Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia) for reviewing
the manuscript.
62 THE NAUTILUS
April 25.1977
Vol. 91 (2)
LITERATURE CITED
Crampton, HE. 1894. Reversal of Qeavage in a Sinistral
Gastropod. Annals N. Y. Aaui. Sci 8: 167-170. pi. .5.
Pelseneer. P. 1893. A propos de 1' "Asymetrie des Mollusques
univalves." Jtmrn. Qmchyliologie iO: 229-23.3, 1 fig.
Robertson. R. & Merrill, A.S. 196:?. Abnormal Dextral
Hj^perstrophy of Post-Larval Heliacius (Gastropoda: Ar-
chitectonicidae). The VeliyerG: 76-79, pi. 13-14.
Rosewater, J. 1972. Teratologicai Littorina scabra angulifera.
The Nautilus 86: 70-71. 6 fig.
FOUR OPISTHOBRANCHS LIVING ON MARINE ALGAE
FROM WEST MEXICO
Leroy H. Poorman and Forrest L. Poorman
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History
Los Angeles, California 90007
ABSTRACT
Field notes on Lobiger souverbii, Oxynoe panamensis, Berthelina chloris,
and Phyllaplysia padina, nil from HV,s-/ Mexico, are munmarized. 77n'.s' inrlndetf
descn{jtion,s of the living animals and obseirations on their habits and habitats.
Range extensdons northwaM into the Gulf of California are recorded for the
first three species. Geographical rongcs in the Tropical Eastern Pacific arc
<] ircn for all four species.
The last several years have presented op-
portunities for intensive collecting and observa-
tion of Panamic opisthobranchs. Collecting sta-
tions ranged from Cabo Tepoca. Sonora, to Man-
zanillo. Colima. Mexico. Several stations on the
east coast of Baja California at Bahia de Concep-
cion and Bahia de Los Angeles were visited.
Opisthobranchs were observed and photographed
in the field and in aquaria. Numerous species
were preserved and are on deposit at the Natural
History Museum, Los Angeles County, California.
Copies of 35 mm slides are also on deposit.
A review of our field notes reveals some in-
teresting information on four of the opistho-
branchs living on marine algae. We believe that
these notes and comments will be of some in-
terest and will stimulate further field observa-
tion.
Lobiger souverbii Fischer, 1857
On February 17, 1974, during^ a series of low
tides, we were collecting at Bahia de Tenacatita,
Jalisco. On Caulerpa racemosa var. turbinata
(type 1), which resembles bunches of tiny grapes
(Keen & Smith. 1961), we found 25 specimens of
Lobiger souverbii Fischer, 1857. Several were
crawling over the surface of the Caidoim: but
most were in nests along the lower edge of the
algae, usually adjacent to sand. Sometimes, as
many as five animals were in the same nest. A
number of specimens were kept alive in an
aquarium for several days for observation and
photographing. The living animal is well-figured
in Keen. 1971.
Lobiger souverbii has four parapodia which are
lateral extensions of the foot and are not to be
confused with cerata which are dorsal appen-
dages containing diverticula associated with
digestion. The parapodia are extensions of the
foot below the four corners of the shell and curl
upward. The branches are like long narrow leaves
with ruffled edges. They are a lighter green than
is the body, which is the green of the algae. On
approximately half of the animals observed, there
was an orange band on the upper side of each
branch, inset slightly from the margin. The
Vol. 91
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 63
parapodia were normally extended upward at an
angle of 45° and were partially rolled inward.
When disturbed, the animals flexed and recurled
these in a rapid cyclic sequence. When oxygen
was depleted, the animals became lethargic and
the parapodia were completely extended horizon-
tally.
The caplike shell is on the dorsum, exactly
between the four branches of the parapodia. Mot-
tled green of the internal organs and a strong
blue veining shows through. When removed from
the animal, the shell is clear but became translu-
cent when dry.
While the animals were in the tank, auto-
tomizing of the parapodia was observed. Several
individuals had previously discarded one or more
of the lobes. No instance of regeneration was ob-
served.
This species appears to be very social. Not only
did several animals share a common nest, but
when 25 specimens were placed in an acquarium,
they at once formed a close group. Within min-
utes, sexual activity was observed, involving two
or more individuals at the same time. Within
hours, the algae was covered with gelatinous
strings containing thousands of microscopic,
spherical yellow eggs.
In December, 1975, we found one specimen of
Lobiger sourerbii sharing a common nest with
two other opisthobranchs. They were on a dif-
ferent type of Caiderpa (type 3) at Bahia de
Algodones, Guaymas Area, Sonora. This is a
northward range extension for the species. The
known range is now from Bahia de Algodones,
Sonora, to Bahfa de Tenacatita, Jalisco, on the
mainland of Mexico. It is also recorded from Cabo
San Lucas, Baja California Sur (Larson & Bertsch,
1974) and from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
(Sphon & MuUiner, 1972).
Oxynoe panamensis Pilsbry & Olsson, 1943
A single specimen of Oxynoe panamensis
Pilsbry & Olsson, 1943, was found on the Caider-
pa at Bahia de Tenacatita. Like Lobiger. it had
the ability to cling to the algae by suction of the
foot. When attempts were made to remove the
animal from the algae, a greenish white mucus
was excreted from glands along the side of the
foot. This mucus seemed to have adherent proper-
ties for the animal. It is more probable that the
mucus served as a defense mechanism (Sphon &
Mulliner, 1974).
Oxynoe panamensis was described from a
single shell in the beach drift on Isla Bocas, Golfo
de Panama (7° 30' N, 80° 37' W). The living
animal is figured in Keen, 1971. The body is long,
slender, and slightly humped (30 x 4 x 4 mm).
The first one-fourth of the body is made up of the
head and neck. The second one-fourth comprises
the shell, most internal organs, and two para-
podia, one on each side. The posterior one-half of
the body is the tail. The head is small and blunt
with relatively large, nonretractable, inrolled
rhinophores projecting horizontally from the lat-
eral extremities. The angle between the rhino-
phores is 90-120°. The mouth is on the underside
of the head and is preceded by two rounded lips.
The short neck extends back to the rounded
anterior end of the shell. This is broad and cap-
like on the dorsum and contains most of the vital
organs. Behind the shell, the body tapers narrow-
ly into a sharp tail. There is a ridge extending
from just behind the shell along the back to the
posterior extremity.
Tine foot is extended laterally into two para-
podia which rise upward over the shell to meet
dorsally. Normally, the shell is completely
covered except for the forward edge. The para-
podia extend around the shell to the rear but do
not quite meet until about 1 mm behind, where
they fuse to form the ridge down the back. Ex-
cept for the head, the body and parapodia are
sparsely covered with sharp papillae.
Overall color of the animal is the green of the
algae. The papillae are white and there are small
white dots over the entire animal, most numerous
along the lower edge of the foot and toward the
extremities of the rhinophores. Black spots alter-
nate with white dots along the foot margin and
are scattered with white on the upper one-half of
the rhinophores. Blunt papillae and white spots
are concentrated along the posterior dorsal ridge.
When the parapodia are removed, the internal
organs are revealed through the transparent
shell. The organs are varying shades of green and
clearly show a pattern of white dots.
64 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91
In November, 1974, 32 specimens of Orjfnoe
panmnptifns from 4 to 30 mm in length were col-
lected from a feathery form of Caulerpa (type 2)
at Tinajas, Bahia de Bachwibampo, Sonora. This
algae resembled Calerpa racemosa var. ser-
tularioides reported by Keen & Smith, 1961, from
Lsla Flsp'ritu Santo. One year later, the algae in
the same region had greatly diminished in quan-
tity and deteriorated in quality and only a few
animals were found.
The collected animals were kept in an aerated
aquarium for six weeks. Fresh algae was pro-
vided at intervals. The animals moved about free-
ly on the algae and tank walls, exhibiting the
same social habits as Lobiger except for the flex-
ing of the parapodia. This species seems to be less
e.xcitable than Lobiger. When placed in the tank,
the animals began sexual activity at once. Soon,
the glass walls showed numerous spirally coiled
egg masses containing microscopic, spherical
yellow eggs. Actual laying of the eggs was ob-
served and photographed through the glass as the
egg mass was deposited. One animal moved along
an irregular path with the gelatinous ribbon ap-
pearing from the broad front of the foot to be
deposited on the glass. Two other animals
crowded close on the right side and just behind
the head of the animal that was depositing the
egg mass.
We further noted that Lobiger souverbii from
the southern part of the range was abundant,
with the animals large, brightly colored, and
vigorous; but that the specimen from Bahia de
Algodones was in poor condition. In contrast to
this, ()xi/)io(' paudmcnsis was abundant at
Guaymas. The animals were in fine condition
compared to the single pale specimen from Bahia
de Tenacatita.
Autotomizing of the parapodia, which is not
uncommon with Lobiger. was not observed with
OxifHoe. However, the latter have been reported
able to autotomize the tail section. The actual act
was not observed in our tank; but several tail
sections were found on the bottom of the tixnk
and several animals without tails were observed.
When dropped into alcohol, almost all of the
animals seperated the tail se.lion from the body
at a point just behind the parapodia and the
.shell.
The recorded range for Oxijnoe panamensis is
at lsla Espiritu Santo, Gulf of California, (Keen,
1971). and from the Guaymas area, Sonora. Mex-
ico, to Golfo de Panama (type locality).
BertheIiniachloris(DaIl, 1918)
We were collecting at the south end of Bahi'a
de Algodones on November 29, 1975. At low
water, we were out on the reef, which is 2 or 3
acres in extent. The tangled mass of Caulerpa
(type 3) was encountered for the first time. We
picked up a small rock with a clump of the algae
attached, thinking to e.xamine the holdfast where
we had previously found Sulcoretusa. Nestling
among the branches was what seemed to be a
small green bivalve. When the specimen was
removed to a vial of sea water, a small green
slug-like body emerged and began to crawl about.
There were two valves inverted on its back with
what appeared to be the hinge oriented upward
and to the rear. Four small clumps of the algae
yielded 13 specimens. We knew that we had
found our first Betihelinia chloris (Dall, 1918).
This is a range extension northward from lsla
Espiritu Santo (Keen, 1971). The known range is
now Abreojos to La Paz, Baja California Sur.
Keen. 1971, states that the species possibly occurs
at Guaymas. This is now confirmed. The species
has also been reported from the Galapagos
Islands. Ecuador (Sphon & Mulliner. 1972). The
living animal was illustrated in Sphon & Bertsch,
1974.
When collected, all of the animals were
withdrawn and with the shells closed. One nest in
a cavity in the algae yielded eight specimens.
Several very small individuals were in this nest
and would have been overlooked except that they
were clinging to the shells of the adults. As the
animals were removed, they were found to be at-
tached to the algae with the fine elastic threads
which have been previously reported (Sphon &
Mulliner, 1972). Betihelinia were subsequently
observed to produce large amounts of mucus from
glands along the posterior foot margin. TTie
mucus soon sets, in the salt water, into elastic
threads which the animal spins.
When first placed in the aquarium, the ani-
mals clung together in a tight ball. As they slow-
ly dispersed, the young ones continued to cling to
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 65
the shells of the larger ones. Sexual activity was
not observed. The presence of so many juveniles
in November may indicate that reproduction is
seasonal and occurs in late summer.
The largest specimen had a shell 9.5 mm long.
When placed in sea water, the valves parted
slightly and the narrow slug-like body appeared,
oriented so that the shell would be supported by
the branches of the algae. On the bottom, the
animal could support the weight of the shell in
an upright position for only a few seconds before
it would fall to one side. The animal moved with
an alternating motion between the front part and
the back part of the foot. The animals in the tank
tended to crawl up the sides to the surface where
they would form a cup with the bottom of the
foot and use surface tension to float upside dovm
with the heavy shell hanging down.
Most of the internal organs appeared to be in-
side the heavy shell and gave it a mottled green
color. The shell opened only about 1' 2 mm as the
small green body extended in front about 4 mm
and the tail showed only slightly behind. The
body was about 2 mm in height and less in
width. On the front of the head were two rolled,
yellow-tipped rhinophores which were about 2
mm in length. The forepart of the foot was slight-
ly extended and widened. Just above the exten-
sion of the foot was a flangelike lip. Behind the
rhinophores on top of the neck was a small tur-
retlike hump with two eye spots on the front. A
slight ridge extended from this hump along the
neck and into the shell. Under 20 magnifications,
the body was clear and gelatinous, with horizon-
tal rows of microscopic green nodules as inclu-
sions. There was a row of small white dots along
the margin of the foot and on the rhinophores.
When the animal withdrew, a sequence of
events took place. The foot folded downward
along a central line, the rounded cheeks folded
inward, the rhinophores came together vertically,
and the body disappeared into the shell which
then closed.
The shell was translucent yellow-green with
several clear rays extending from the umbones to
the margins. Two dark rays were on either side
of each umbone and extended laterally for about
1 mm. The tightly coiled nucleus of the em-
bryonic shell was attached to the umbone of the
left valve and extended horizontally across the
umbone of the right valve.
Phyllaplysia padina Williams & Gosliner, 1973
In March, 1975, a number of specimens of
Phyllaplysia padina Williams & Gosliner, 1973
were collected from Padina in tide pools at Cabo
Tepoca, Sonora. The animals were observed,
photographed, and preserved. Several shells were
extracted and photographed. Excellent drawings
of the animal have been published (Williams &
Gosliner, 1973a); but the living animal has not
been figured.
Numerous specimens have since been taken
from Padina intertidally in the Guaymas Area as
far north as Bah'a de Algodones. In May, 1975,
and again in May, 1976, large numbers of these
animals were observed at Bahi'a de Los Angeles,
Baja California Norte. On Isla Smith in this
region, there is a man-made turtle pond. When
the tide is out, water pours over a six foot dam
into a pool. There is some Padina in this pool. In
1975, six Phyllaplysia padina were taken from
here but there were no animals found in 1976. At
Punta la Gringa, across the channel on the
mainland, the species was abundant on the algae
from low water out to at least 10 meters. In May,
1976, high wind and rough water left large
amounts of Padina at the high tide line. The
algae was populated with this species. Twenty-
four hours later, the algae was drying in the hot
sun and wind. A few animals were still clinging
to it and revived completely when placed in fresh
sea water.
We did observe a previously unrecorded fact
concerning the coloring of the living animal.
When studied under 20 magnifications, the body
was uncolored and clear. The apparent greenish
brown color was due to inclusion in the tissue of
longitudinal rows of microscopic nodules. Several
photographs show this so clearly that individual
nodules can be distinguished. Individual animals
differed widely in the concentration of the
nodules.
The normal habitat and range for this species
seems to be wherever Padina will grow and from
the head of the Gulf of California at least as far
south as the Twenty-eight Parallel.
m THE NAUTILUS
April 25.1977
Vol. 91 (2)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
TVie p;uidance of Mr. Gale Sphon, Curatorial
Assistant, Natural History Museum of Los
Angeles County, in the preparation of the
manuscript is gratefully recognized. We also
thank Dr. James McLean, Curator of Invertebrate
Zoolog>', Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
County, who read the manuscript and made
helpful suggestions.
LITERATURE CITED
I>dll, W. H. 1918. Description of new species of shells, chiefly
from Magdalena Bay. Lower California. Pi-oc. Hiol. Soc
Wiish tnijtwL 31: .5-8 (Feb. 27).
Fisc-her. Paul. 18.57. Description d'especes nouvelles. Jour, de
Co/ic/if//. 5(2): 273-77 (.Jan.).
Keen, A. Myra. 1960. The riddle of the bivalved gastropod.
ne Velujer 3(1): 28-.30 (.July 1).
Keen, A. Myra. 1971. Sea sheik of tropical West Ameiica :
marine mollusks from I5aja California to Peru. Stanford
Univ. Press. Stanford. Calif, i-xiv-t-1066 pp.; ca. 4000 figs.,
22colorplts. (Sept. 1).
Keen. A. Myra and Allyn Smith. 1961. West American species
of the bivalved ga,stroix)d genus Berthelinia. Proc. Calif.
Acad. Sci. 30(2): 47-66; figs. 1-33; 1 pit. (March 2f)).
Larson, Mary and Hans Bertsch. 1974. Northward range ex-
tensions for Lobiger souverbii (Opisthobranchia:
Sacoglossa) in the Eastern Pacific. The Veliger 17(2): 225
(Oct. 1).
Pilsbry. H. A. and A. A. OLsson. 194.3. New marine mollu.sks
from the west coast. Ue Nautibu, 56: 78-81, pit. 8 (Feb. 15).
Smith, Allyn. 1961. Notes on the habitat of Berthelinia sp.
nov. from the vicinity of I^ Paz, Baja California, Mexico.
The Veliger 3(3): 81-82 (.Jan. 1).
Sphon. Gale. 1971. New opisthobranch records for the Eastern
Pacific. Tfie Veliger 13(4): .368-69 (Oct. 1).
Sphon. Gale and Hans Bertsch. 1974. Green Dragons. Terra
(Quarterly Mag. Nat. Hist. Mus. Ljs Angeles Co.. Calif.)
12(3): 21-29; color illustrated (Winter).
Sphon, Gale and David K. Mulliner. 1972. A preliminary list
of known opLsthobranch from the Galapagos Islands w^llected
by the Ameripagos expedition. The Veliger 15(2): 147-.52; 1
map (Oct. 1).
Williams. G. C. and T. M. Gosliner. 197.3a. A new species of
anaspidean optisthobranch from the Gulf of California. Ihe
VW(!/f;- 16(2): 216-.32 (April 1).
Williams, G. C. and T. M. Gosliner. 1973b. I^nge extensions
for sacoglossan opisthobranchs from the coasts of California
and the Gulf of California. The Veliger 16(1): 112-16; 2
maps (.July 1).
THE MIOCENE BIVALVE CUMINGIA MEDIALIS (SEMELIDAE)
FROM SOUTH CAROLINA
Clement L. Counts, III
Department of Biological Sciences
Marshall University
Huntington, West Virginia 25701
Previous reports of the Miocene bivalve Cum-
imjid DK'dialis Conrad, lS()(i have been almost en-
tirely limited to North Carolina, Maryland and
Virginia. Glenn (1904) reported C. mcdiali.^ from
the Miocene of Maryland and cited localities for
specimens taken from Virginia and North Caro-
lina. Shimer and Shrock (1944) also reported (\
nicdialis from the Choptank Formation of
Maryland and gave ranges of Maryland, Virginia,
North Carolina and South Carolina without
citing specific localities. Richards (1947) reported
a specimen taken from a well, 18.3 m from the
surface, dug at Edenton, Chowan County, North
Carolina. This specimen was placed in the collec-
tion of the Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia (ANSP 16773) where the holotype
and paratypes, from James River, Vii-ginia, also
reside (ANSP 18839). The present note reports
the second locality in South Carolina from which
C. mi'diulit< has been taken.
A right valve of C. medialift was found in
sea-wrack at the high tide line at Crescent
Beach, Horry County, South Carolina 18
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 67
August 1975. The shell was believed to be of re-
cent origin and was sent to Dr. R. Tucker Ab-
bott for confirmation. However, upon examina-
tion by Dr. Abbott at the Delaware Museum of
Natural History, it was properly identified as a
fossil or subfossil and accessioned DMNH
103141. It was suspected by Dr. Abbott that the
shell may have washed up from a fossil outcrop
offshore.
A specimen from the Peedee River, just south
of the new locality, was reported by Glenn
(1904). This specimen was the only such find of
C. medialis in South Carolina prior to the pre-
sent report.
Mr. Robert H. Schlutter (personal com-
munication) has noted that the specimens
reported by Glenn (1904) from Maryland are
most probably not from Maryland but from
Virginia. Thus, the possibility that C. medialis is
a Maryland form is doubtful and its citation as a
representative bivalve of Maryland dubious.
This was pointed out by Glenn (1904) but later
references to the species place it in Maryland
without noting this possibility.
The author wishes to thank Dr. R. Tucker
Abbott and Mr. Robert H. Schlutter for their ad-
vice and assistance.
LITERATURE CITED
Glenn. L. C. 1904. Mollusca (Pelecypoda). Maryland Geol.
Survey, Miocene. 274-401.
Richards, H. G. 1947. Invertebrate fossils from deep wells
along the Atlantic coastal plain. Jour. PaleontoL 21(1):
23-37.
Shimer. H. W., and R. R. Shrock. 1944. Index Fossils of
North AmeHca. MIT Press (Cambridge, Mass.). ix + &37
pp.
LATITUDE, HABITAT, AND HATCHING TYPE FOR
MURICACEAN GASTROPODS
Tom M. Spight
Woodward-Clyde Consultants
3 Embarcadero Center, Suite 700
San Francisco, California 94111
ABSTRACT
Among rocky shore and oyster-reef muricaceans. all high latitude species
hatch as young stiails, while all tropical species hatch as veiigers. In contrast,
species from other habitats at all latitudes generally hatch metamorphosed
Among prosobmnchs in general, more species of both hatching types are fonnd
at low latitudes than at high latitudes and, m Europe, on continental suites
rather than on islands.
INTRODUCTION
One of the most intriguing generalizations of
prosobranch ecology is that in some places most
species hatch as planktonic larvae, while in other
places most species hatch as fully formed snails.
The predominant hatching type varies both with
latitude and with habitat. Typically many species
have planktonic larvae at tropical sites and in
shallow waters, while in the deep sea or in the
arctic, most hatch metamorphosed (Thorson,
1950). These generalizations raise two questions:
(1) are species that hatch metamorphosed in cold
water areas replaced by ecological equivalents
with planktonic larvae in warm-water areas; and
(2) is one hatching type replaced more completely
in some habitat types than others?
68 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
The latitudinal change in prevailing hatching
ty'pe does not require species replacements. The
change parallels a large change in community
diversity. As long as most species added along the
latitudinal gradient have swimming larvae, the
prevailing hatching type will change, whether
species with metamorphosing larvae are replaced
or are about equally numerous everywhere. In
the data presented by Thorson (1965) for Euro-
pean prosobranchs, about equally many species
with metamorphosed hatchlings are found at all
latitudes, while the diversity of species with
swimming larvae rises abruptly between 30°N
and eO^N (Fig. 1). Thorson's data (Fig. 1) include
50-60% of the total fauna and therefore
200
150
o
0.
tn
o 100 -
a:
ui
B
50 60
LATITUDE CN)
FIG. 1. Pint of estimated number af ftpecies of prnnohrnnrh
snaik hatching metnmorphoaed (triangles) and hatching as
.•fwimming larvae (circles) for various European localities as a
functon of latitude. Each paint is obtained by midtiplying the
estimated total number of prosobranchs for the site by the
fraction of species for each hatching type, as based on a sam-
ple of iO-60% of known hatching lifpes. Data fnmi Thorson
(19U and 1965). Solid figures and solid lines, mainland sites:
open figures and dotted or dashed lines, island sites. The lines
are fitted by linear regression and have the follouing r'
valties: metamorphosed, mainland O.Oi, island 0.01; smmming
larvae, mainland 0.81, island 0.87.
estimates of faunal composition based on these
are both relatively unbiased and comparable to
each other. Within the 40-70" latitudinal range,
and among prosobranchs as a whole, species
hatching metamorphosed are supplemented
rather than replaced by species with plantonic
larvae. Figure 1 also demonstrates an additional
habitat variable: isolation. At all latitudes, island
sites have fewer species of both hatching types.
Frequencies of the larval types also vary from
one habitat to another. Most tropical .shore
species have planktonic larvae (91% o( 21 species,
Lewis, 1960; 100% of 13 species, Ostergaard,
1950), while in deeper waters (here "deep" refers
to waters in the range of lO-l(X) m) many species
hatch metamorphosed (25%, Thorson, 1940a: 69%,
Knudsen, 1950). Hatching types were obtained for
relatively few species in these studies, and the
selection undoubtedly reflects the particular tax-
onomic groups these authors chose or were able
to study. To confirm the habitat-larval type rela-
tionships, further data are required.
Larval types of many species have been
reported incidentally, and these can be used to
confirm the pattern of changes observed in the
regional faunal studies. With this in mind. I have
reviewed the published data on members of one
major group, the superfamily Muricacea
(including the thaidids).
METHODS
The available habitat descriptions (obtained
from the papers cited or from standard works)
fall into 4 major categories: intertidal rocky
shores, oyster reefs, shallow-water sand bottoms,
and deeper waters (10-100 m, as opposed to the
deep sea). Thais cornnata, found on mangroves,
fits into none of these categories, and is arbitrari-
ly included with the oyster reef species. The
oyster reef species appear to be found on more
kinds of substrates than the other species are; in-
dividuals of most of these species can be found
feeding on clams on muddy bottoms or barnacles
on rocky shores as well as on oysters.
Larval types are summarized by wide lati-
tudinal bands (Table 1). Latitudinal bands were
chosen to approximate equatorial, tropical, sub-
tropical, temperate, and boreal areas. Too few
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 69
TABLE 1. Percentage of species 0/ Muricaceans hatching as
long-term veligers (more than 1 week) as a function of
lot it tide and habitat. Number of species in parentheses.
data are available to identify local patterns, and
therefore no attempt was made to accommodate
more subtle features of species distributions.
The latitudinal band for each species was ob-
tained from the site at which observations were
made rather than from the species range. Single
sites were used to avoid the bias of including
wide-ranging species in more than 1 band. How-
ever, of 6 species studied by more than one
author, 3 were studied in different latitudinal
bands (Cuma turbinoides = Thais carinifera?,
Occnebra japonwa = Tritonalia japonica, and
Thais floridana = Thais haemastoma floridana)
and are entered twice in Table 1. Three species
were studied by two authors within the same
latitudinal band: Thais fasciata (T. rustica).
Acanthina lapilloides (A. spirata), Favartia
ceUulnsus. These 3 species are entered only once
in Table 1.
HATCHING TYPES IN THE MURICACEA
Each species is listed as given by the original
author, together with the approximate latitude of
the original author's observations.
Intertidal Rocky Shores
Hatch as veligers: Thais bufo (Lamarck) 8''N
(Natarajan 1957), Thais tissoti (Petit) S^N
(Natarajan 1957), Vitularia salebrosa (King and
Broderip. 1832) 9''N (D'Asaro 1970b), Thais
tieltoidea Lamarck LTN (Lewis 1960), Thais
flofidana Conrad 13°N (Lewds 1960), Thais patula
Linnaeus 13°N (Lewis 1960), Cuma turbinoides
Blv. 22°S (Risbec 1935), Thais rustica Lamarck
25°N (D'Asaro 1970a), Thais carinifera (Lam.)
27°N (Thorson 1940a), Jopas francolinuyn
Bruguiere 27''N (Gohar and Eisawy 1967), Thais
hippocastaneum (Lam.) 27"N (Thorson 1940a),
Dicathais aegrota (Reeve 1846) 32"S (Phillips
1969), Thais fasciata Rve. 32»N (Lebour 1945),
Ocejiebrapoulsoni Carpenter 33°N (Fotheringham
1971), Shasktrus festivus (Hinds) 33°N (Fother-
ingham 1971), Morula marginalba (Blainville)
33°S (Anderson 1967), Bedevina birileffl (Lischke)
33°N (Amio 1957), Concholepas conchoiepas
(Bruguiere) 39°S (Gallardo 1973).
Hatch as snails: Favartia cellulosu^ (Conrad)
25<'N (Raeihle 1966), Favartia nuceus (Morch)
32°N (Lebour 1945), Thais dubia 34''S (Bokenham
and Neugebauer 1938), Bedeva hanleyi (Angas)
35''S (Anderson 1967), Acanthina lajnlloides 36°N
(Hewatt 1934), Acanthina spirata (Blainville),
37''N (personal observations), Nucella calcar 39°S
(Gallardo, 1973), Ocenebra lumaria Yokoyama
41°N (Luckens 1970), Ocinebra aciculata Lamarck
43''N (Franc 1940), Ceratostoma foliatum
(Gmelin) 48»N (Spight et al. 1974), Thais
canaliculata (Duclos) 48°N (original), Thais
emarginata (Deshayes) 48°N (original), Thais
lamellosa (Gmelin) 48°N (original), Nucella
lapfillus (Linnaeus) 54''N (Pelseneer 1910), Thais
lima (Gmelin) 51°N (original).
Oyster Reefs
Hatch as veligers: Thais coronata Lam. 6°^
(Knudsen 1950), Thais haemastoma floridana
(Conrad) 26"N (D'Asaro 1966), Purpura clavigera
Kuster 37°N (Amio 1963), Purpura bronni
Dunker41''N (Amio 1963).
Hatch as snails: Eupleura caudata (Say) 37°N
(MacKenzie 1961), Ocenebra japonica (Dunker)
43°N (Amio 1963), Ocenebra japonica 47''N (Chap-
man and Banner 1949), Ocenebra erinacea (L.)
52°N (Hancock 1960), Urosalpinx cinerea (Say)
52°N (Hancock 1959).
Shallow-water Sand Bottoms
Hatch as veligers: Chicoreus brunneus Link
22°S (Risbec 1932), Hexaplex kosterianus Tapp.
27''N (Thorson 1940a), Leptoconchus cumingii
(Deshayes) 27''N (Gohar and Soliman 1963),
Rapana thomasiana Crosse 37''N (Hirase 1928).
Hatch as veliconchas and/or snails: Murex
trapa Roding 8°N (Natarajan 19,57), Chicoreus
mrgineus var. ponderosa Sowerby S^N (Natarajan
1957), Chicoreus incamatus (Roding) 27°N (Gohar
70 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
and EisawT 1967), Chicoreus ramomts (Linne)
27»N (Gohar and Eisawy 1967).
Hatch as snails: Chicoreus torrefactus (Sower-
by) 18'S (Cernohorsky 1965), Ton'amnrex fem/».s
(Reeve) 22°S (Murray and Goldsmith 1963),
Chicoreus florifer Reeve 26°N (D'Asaro 1970),
Chicoreus pomum Gmelin 26°N (D'Asaro 1970a),
Calotrophon ostrearum (Conrad) 30°N (Radwin
and Chamberlin 1973), Urosalpinx perrugata
(Conrad) 30°N (Radwin and Chamberlin 1973),
Hexaplex trunculu,'< (Linne) 43°N (Fioroni 1966).
Deeper Waters
Hatch as veligers: Hexaplex fvlvescens (Sow)
28°N (Moore 1961). Rapana bidbosa Sol. 28»N
(Thorson 1940a).
Hatch as snails: Chioreits quadrifrons (Lam.)
5°N (Knudsen 1950), Chicoreus senegalensw
(Gmel.) 5°N (Knudsen 1950), Murex fasciatus
Tryon 1880 10°N (Knudsen 1950), Muricopsis
blaimnllei (Payraudeau) 41''N (Fioroni 1966 after
Franc 1948), Murex brandaris Linne 43°N
(Fioroni 1966), Ocenebra spec. 43°N (Fioroni
1966), Trophon muricntus (Montagu) SO^N
(Labour 1936), T)vphon truncahis (Str6m) 57''N
(TTiorson 1946), Trophon clathratus (L.) var. Gun-
neri Loven 65<'N (Thorson 1940b).
CONCLUSIONS
The predominant type of hatching changes
more markedly among rocky shore murica
ceans than it does among prosobranchs as a
whole (Fig. 1). In this habitat, all high-latitude
species metamorphose before hatching, and all
tropical species have planktonic larvae. The rock>'
shore fauna is relatively well known, because it is
accessible at all latitudes; therefore further work
is unlikely to change this generalization. Species
of one hatching type are completely replaced by
ecological equivalents of the other along the
latitudinal gradient. The two hatching types are
mixed between 25-30° (Table 1), and studies at
these latitudes should reveal the relative ad-
vantages of the two hatching types, and possible
instances of competition between them. A
parallel latitudinal trend is observed among
oyster reef species.
Hatching types for shallow-water sand species
and deep-water (10-100 m) species do not change
in the same manner. Species with metamorphosed
hatchlings prevail at most latitudes in both of
these habitats. In the shallow-water sand habitat,
one also finds an intermediate hatching type, a
non-feeding Veliconcha that metamorphoses a
few days after hatching.
Considering all habitats, diversities of both
hatching types are probably greatest at low lat-
titudes. According to available data, the
latitudinal gradient in hatching type is striking
(Milekovsk>', 1971) and might imply a low
number of tropical species that hatch metamor-
phosed. However, a disproportionately large
number of the tropical observations are on rocky
shore species. Species from other near-shore
habitats are likely to have metamorphosed hat-
chlings at all latitudes. When these are included,
species with metamorphosed hatchlings will pro-
bably be shovra to be most diverse at lower
latitudes. In the only whole-fauna available to
date (Fig. 1), species with metamorphosed hatch-
lings are more diverse at the lowest latitude
(Portugal, 41°N) than at the highest.
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Anderson, D. T. 1967. Further observations on the life
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Bokenham. N. A. H. and F. L. M. Neugebauer. 1938. The ver-
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Cemohorsky. W. 0. 1965. The radula. egg capsules, and young
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Chapman, W. M. and A. H. Banner. 1949. Contributions to the
life history of the .Japanese oyster drill (Tritonnlia japnnica)
with notes on the other enemies of the OI>Tnpic Oyster
((htrea lurida). Wiishinytim Dept. Fixh. Biol, kept 49A:
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U'Asaro. C. N. 1966. The egg capsules, embryogenesis. and ear-
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Mar. Sci 16: 884-914.
D'Asaro. C. N. 1970a. Egg capsules of prosobranch molluscs
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THE NAUTILUS 71
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Fioroni. P. 1966. Zur morphologie und embryogenese des
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621-876.
Fotheringham. N. 1971. Life history patterns of the littoral
gastropods Shaskyus feMiinis (Hinds) and Ck-enebm /Wwwi
Carpenter (Prosobranchia: Muricidae).&()%i/52: 742-757.
Franc. A. 1940 Recherches sur le developpement D'Ocinehra
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Gallardo, C. 1973. Desarrollo intracapsular de Concholepas
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Gohar, H. A. F. and A. M. Eisaw>'. 1967. The egg-masses and
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Lebour, M. V. 1936. Notes on the eggs and larvae of some
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Lebour, M. V. 1945. The eggs and larvae of some prosobranchs
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on the egg capsules and embryos of Torvamurez territus
(Reeve, 1845). ./. Malacol. Soc Australia 7: 21-25.
Natarajan, A. V. 1957. Studies on the egg masses and larval
development of some prosobranchs from the Gulf of Mannar
and the Palk Bay. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 46(3): 170-228.
Ostergaard, .]. M. 1950. Spawning and development of some
Hawaiian marine gastropods. Pacific Science 4: 75-115.
Pelseneer, P. 1910. Recherches sur L'Embryologie des
Gastropodes. Mem. Acad. Royale Belgique Ser. 2 Vol. 3 pp.
1-167.
Phillips, B. F. 1969. The population ecology of the whelk
LHcathais aegrota in Western Australia. Aust. J. Mar.
FVeshiv. Re.^. 20: 225-265.
Radwin, G. E. and J. L. Chamberlin. Patterns of larval
development in stenoglossan gastropods. TYans. San Diego
Soc Nat. Hist. 17: 107-118.
Raeihle, D. 1966. An observation of captive Murex cellulosus
Conrad. yl?in, Rept. A mer. Malacol. Unirni 1966: 28.
Risbec, J. 1932. Notes sur la ponte et le developpement de
mollusques gasteropodes de Nouvelle-caledonie. Bull. Soc.
Zool. France 57: 358-375.
Risbec, J. 193.5. Biologie et ponte de Mollusques Gasterpodes
neo-calendoniens. Bull. Soc. Zool. FVance 60: 387-417.
Spight, T. M., C. Birkeland and A. Lyons. 1974. Life
histories of large and small murexes (Prosobranchia:
Muricidae). Afar. Biol. 24: 229-242.
Thorson, G. 1940a. Studies on the egg masses and larval
development of Gastropoda from the Iranian Gulf. Dan. Sci.
Invest. Iran 2: 159-238.
Thorson, G. 1940b. Notes on the egg-capsules of some North-
Atlantic prosobranchs of the genus Troschelia.
Chrysodomiis, Voluiopsis. Sipho and Trophon. Vidensk.
Medd.fra Dansk naturh. Foren. 104: 251-265.
TTiorson, G. 1944. Marine Gastropoda Prosobranchiata (The
zoology of Iceland IV). Medd. om Gronland 121:1-181.
Thorson. G. 19.50. Fteproductive and larval ecolog>' of marine
bottom inveriebrates. Biol. Rev. 25: 1-45.
Thorson. G. 196.5. The distribution of benthic marine mollusca
along the N.E. Atlantic shelf from Gibraltar to Murmansk.
Proc. First Eiirop. Malar. Congr. (1962) pp. 5-25.
Thorson, G. 1946. Reproduction and larval development of
Danish marine bottom invertebrates. Medd. Komm. Danm.
Fisk. -og Havunders.. ser Plankton. 4: 1-523.
72 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91
CONUS VIOLA, A NEW NAME FOR C. VIOLACEUS REEVE
Walter 0. Cernohorsky
Auckland Institute and Museum
Private Bag, Auckland, New Zealand
ABSTRACT
The new subfititute name Conus viola is here proposed fur the hoinouymous
C. violaceus Reeve, from the tropical West Pacific region.
Conus viola Cernohorsky, new name
Figs. 1 - 3
1844. Co«M.s violaceus Reeve, Conchologia Iconica,
vol. 1, pi. 44, fig. 241; 1858 Sowerby, Thesaurus
Conchyliorum, vol. 3, p. 45, pi. 208, fig. 537;
1875 Weinkauff, Martini & Chemnitz Syst.
Conchyl. Cabinet, ed. 2, vol. 4, pt. 2, p. 76, pi.
46, fig. 11; 1937 Tomlin, Proc. Malac. Soc. Lon-
don, vol. 22, p. 328 (erroneously synonymized
with C luteus Sowerby^ [non C. violaceus
Gmelin, 1791]
1884. Conus violaceus Reeve [pars], Tryon,
Manual of Conchology, vol. 6, p. 88, pi. 28, fig.
82 (only)
1964. Conus luteus var. Sowerby, Marsh & Rip-
pingale. Cone shells of the world, p. 124, pi. 18,
fig. 7 {non Sowerby, 1833)
1972. Cvnus species Hinton, Shells of New Guinea
and the central Indo-Pacific, p. 82, pi. 40, fig. 6.
1975. Conus molaceus. C. tendineus or Conus sp.?
Leehman, Hawaiian Shell News, vol. 23, No. 6,
p. 6, text figs.
Type locality: Matnog, Island of Luzon, Philif)-
pines.
Type specimens: TTie three syntypes of C.
molaceus Reeve, accompanied by a label which
bears Tomlin's remark = luteus Broderip, are in
the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), London. The
specimen measuring 41.0 mm in length and 15.0
mm in width, is here selected as the lectotype of
C. violaceus ( = C. viola new name).
Conus violaceus was first described in
literature by Reeve (1844), who based his
FIGS. 1-2. h'ctdtyi)!' (i/ ('onus violaceus Rerve (= C. viola
Cernohorsky, new name: B.M.N.H.. length 1,1.0mm. uMlh 15.0
mm. 3. Specimen o.f C. viola from Bathurst Id., Nth.
Australia: Icni/th ■'io.S mm. u-idth .Hi mm. 4-5, Topotype of
C. luteus Sowerby, from Anaa Id.. Tiiamotus; B.M.N.H.,
length SS.Omm.
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 73
diagnosis on three specimens from the Cuming
collection. Reeve's C. violaceus, however, is a
primary homonym of C. vwlacem Gmelin, 1791,
which is an earlier name for the Indian Ocean
species C. tendineus Hwass in Bruguiere, 1792.
Tomlin (1937) did not propose a replacement
name for the homonymous C. violaceus Reeve, as
he considered this species to be synonymous with
C. luteus Sowerby, 1833.
C. viola and C. luteus are similar but quite
distinct species, with C. viola known only from
an area between the Philippines and North
Australia, whereas C. luteus is widely distributed
throughout the tropical Pacific. The average size
of C. viola is about 50 mm, the shell is cylin-
drical, the first 2-3 post-embryonic whorls are
finely nodulose, the penultimate whorl is inflated
and telescopic in appearance, sutures are firmly
but irr^ularly adpressed, the outline of the body
whorl is cylindrical with the first two-thirds of
the body whorl descending almost vertically
before tapering towards the base, the aperture is
narrow at the start but slightly flaring basally,
and the sculpture consists of 6-10 spiral threads
on the spire whorls, obsolete spiral threads on the
body whorl and up to a dozen close-set cords at
the base. Fresh specimens are pale violet and or-
namented with brown spots on the spire whorls,
three broad but often dilacerated brovra bands on
the body whorl which are usually interrupted in
the centre of the whorl by a pale band, and spiral
rows of small brown spots, aperture pale violet.
C. luteus is considerably smaller, averaging
about 30 mm in length, the spire is short and
convex, whorls are not inflated but tight, the 2-3
post-embryonic whorls are smooth, the sutures
are narrowly canaliculate, the shoulder is
moderately broad, smooth and sloping and the
body whorl tapers rapidly toward the slender
base; shell glossy, obsoletely spirally striate on
the body whorl, the arcuate axial striae on the
spire whorls are crisper and spiral threads fewer
and the aperture is uniformly narrow and does
not flare basally. The colour is yellow, orange,
pink or rose-red, the centre of the body whorl has
a narrow white band or blotches which are
bordered by quadrate, irregular and distinctly
smudged dark brown spots, and spiral rows of
dark brown interrupted lines are present in some
individuals.
Dark coloured specimens of C. viola have been
illustrated by Leehman (1975) and the banded
form by Hinton (1972). The lectotype of C viola is
a form where the brown bands are dilacerated in-
to longitudinal zones.
LITERATURE CITED
Hinton, A. 1972. Shells of New Guinea and the Central Indo-
Pacific. R. Brown & Associates Pty. Ltd., Port Moresby, and
Jacaranda Press, Milton, 94 pp., 44 col. pis.
Leehman, E. G. 1975. Conus confusion. Hawaiian Shell News.
23(6): 6, text figs.
Reeve, L, 1843-44. Conchologia Iconica; monograph of the
genua Qmits. L. Reeve, London, vol. 1. 47 pis.
Tomlin. J. R. le B. 19.37. Catalogue of Recent and Fossil Cones.
Proc. Malae. Soc. London, 22: 205-330.
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74 THE NALITILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
IS THAIS CAN ALICULATA (GASTROPODA: MURICIDAE)
EVOLVING NURSE EGGS?
Tom M. Spight
Woodward-Clyde Consultants
3 Embarcadero Center, Suite 7()0
San Francisco, Calif. 94111
ABSTRACT
Thais canaliculata appears to be in the course of evolving from one
reproductive mode (!()()% fertility) to another fprovmon of nurse eggs for em-
bryos). In some populatiori% all eggs are fertile. In other populations, as few as
16% in each capsule may he fertile and the infertile eggs are used as nurse
eggs by the embryos. If T. canaliculata is to complete the transition to nurse-
egg feeding, two major adaptive problems must be solved: fertility must be
regulated, arui new larger hatchlings must become much more likely to survive
to maturity.
Some Thais canaliculata (Duclos, 1832)
females produce infertile eggs, and these are used
by the embryos as nurse eggs, while other
females produce only fertile eggs (Lyons and
Spight 1973). These variations in reproductive
mode may indicate that T. canaliculata is in the
process of abandoning one mode in favor of
another. This paper will examine available data
on fertility in order to evaluate this hypothesis.
METHODS
Egg capsules were collected at Cattle Point and
South Beach (on the southeast tip of San Juan
Island, Washington) during May, 1970, at Cattle
Point during May, 1972, and near Friday Harbor
during May and August, 1972. One of the Friday
Harlx)r clusters was attended by a 44-mm female,
and one by a 31-mm female. Capsules were
opened shortly after collection, and contents (eggs
and/or embryos) were counted. The 41-mm
female continued to deposit capsules while kept
in a laboratory aquarium. Some of these capsules
were kept to obtain embryo counts.
RESULTS
Capsules from Cattle Point and South Beach do
not contain infertile eggs. The capsules collected
during 1970 contained cleaving eggs or early em-
bryos, and all eggs were developing. The average
1970 capsule was 8.23 mm long (N = 23, SD =
0..53) and contained 28.1 embn,'os (SD = 8.35).
The 1972 capsules, which contained embryos near-
ly ready to hatch, were slightly smaller (8.04 mm,
N = 17, SD = 0.72), and contained W/o fewer
embryos (23.5, SD = 4.39). Therefore, embryo
numbers do not decline significantly during
development (Fig. 1, open vs. solid circles).
Capsules from Friday Harbor do contain infer-
tile eggs. Several capsules from the 44-mm female
were opened, and of these, 8 contained embryos
that had almost reached the feeding stage. From
16% to 92% of the eggs in these capsules were
developing (mean, 56%). I found feeding embryos,
nurse eggs, and debris of broken nurse eggs in
each of the capsules deposited by another female.
Only 35% of the intact eggs were developing. Ac-
tual fertility must have been even lower, since
some of the nurse eggs had already been torn
apart and consumed.
The number of eggs per capsule is significantly
correlated with capsule size (capsule length, ex-
cluding the stem; Fig. 1). When all counts from
Cattle Point and South Beach capsules, and
counts of eggs plus embryos from Friday Harbor
capsules are included, the logarithm of capsule
height (X) accounts for 34% of the variation in
the logarithm of egg count (Y), and the following
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 75
linear regression between these variables is ob-
tained:
Y = 1.7299 X - 0.1527
for a total of 55 capsules (F , „ = 27.0891, P <
0.01). Almost all of the embryo counts for the
Friday Harbor capsules fall well below this com-
mon line (solid triangles, Fig. 1).
10
o
tr.
m
2
UJ
O
<n
<s
o
2
7 8 9 10 II 12
CAPSULE LENGTH (mm)
FIG. L Contents of capsules of Thais canaliculata from
San Juan Island. WashingUm. Circles indicate capsules from
Cattle Point and South Beach. Open circles and the dotted
line indicate early embryos, while solid circles and the da.'iheil
line indicate late embryos. Triangles indicate capsides from
Friday Harbor. Open triangles and the thin solid line repre-
sent eggs, while .tolid triangles represent embryos. The heavy
line is the calcidated regression fw all data (except .solid
triangles). Individual capsides from Friday Harbor are
represented by 2 triangles (one empty, one filled) when both
egg and embryo counts were obtained. All lines are fit by
least-squares linear regression.
DISCUSSION
Fertility of Viais canaliculata eggs varies
strikingly around San Juan Island, Washington.
In some populations, virtually all eggs become
hatchlings. Counts of early and late embryos dif-
fer by only 16% at South Beach and Cattle Point.
Larger developmental mortalities have been
reported for most other muricid species without
nurse eggs (14-58%; Cole 1942, Federighi 1931,
Hancock 1959, Phillips 1969). In other popula-
tions, many eggs are infertile, and these are used
as nurse eggs by the embryos. The T. cana-
liculata populations of Fig. 1 may be at different
stages of the process of changing from one
reproductive mode (100% fertility) to another
(provision of nurse eggs).
If reproductive mode is changing, what is the
direction of the change? T. canaliculata embryos
possess a feeding mechanism unlike any other
that has been described (Lyons and Spight, 1973).
Firstly, this mechanism could have been in-
herited, but if so, the ancestor has no mid-
latitude species that produce nurse eggs among
its descendents. Secondly, T. canaliculata may
have evolved a low-fertility reproductive mode
early in its history and is now abandoning this
mode. A third explanation is most simple because
it postulates the fewest evolutionary changes:
some T. canaliculata populations are utilizing
nurse eggs for the first time.
If the reproductive mode is changing, how far
has the change progressed? The fertility data pro-
vide a kind of measure of progress because as fer-
tility varies from capsule to capsule, hatching
size also varies, and females whose fertility is
variable will in the long run be less fit than those
with constant fertility and offspring of the op-
timum size. If large hatchlings are much more
likely to survive through the post-hatching period
than small ones are, then females that produce
small hatchlings will be at a disadvantage; if not,
females that produce small hatchlings will be the
most fit because they produce more offspring.
Among the Friday Harbor capsules, some con-
tained only a few embryos (which would become
large hatchlings), while nearly all of the eggs in
others were fertile. Fertility varies much more
than it does among Acanthina spirata capsules.
76 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
although A. spirata has about the same average
fertility (Spight, 1976). Fertility is unregulated in
Friday Harbor populations, but selection favoring
regulation should be strong and therefore
reproductive characteristics should be changing
rapidly at the present time.
Each infertile egg reduces its parents' fecundi-
ty. Since only 35-56% of the eggs are fertile,
Friday Harbor females are producing less than
half as many embryos as females from Cattle
Point are (compare the filled triangles of Fig. 1
with other symbols). If the number of surviving
offspring per f)arent is to be similar at the two
sites, then each Friday Harbor offepring must
have a greater chance of surviving. Larger hatch-
lings are generally more likely to survive through
the post-hatching period than small ones are
(Spight 1972). T. canaliculntn eggs range from
590 to 650 ^m and eggs from Cattle Point become
hatchlings of 1150 to 1300 jim. When only 56% of
the eggs are fertile, the average embryo will have
nearly twice as much yolk as would an embryo
without nurse eggs, and therefore Friday Harbor
hatchlings should weigh twace as much as those
from Cattle Point. The large Friday Harbor
hatchlings should be more likely to survive than
the small ones from Cattle Point. However, if
survival is dependent on size alone, then the op-
timum hatching size is the same for all parents
of T. caudlicidatcu and an increase in hatching
size will result in a net decrease in the number
of hatchlings surviving through the critical post-
hatching period (Smith & Fretwell, 1974). If
nurse-egg feeding, accompanied as it is by
decreased fecundity, is to be evolutionarily suc-
cessful, then the optimum hatching size must be
altered. Further work will be required to deter-
mine whether necessary changes are in progress
for T. canaliculata.
LITERATURE CITED
Cole, H. A. 1942. The American Whelk Tingle. Urasalpiiijc
cinerea. on British oyster beds. Jour. Mar. Biol. Assn. 25:
477-508.
f'ederighi. H. 1931. Studies on the oyster drill, i'msalpinx
riiicrm. Ridl. U. S. Bureau Pi.sh. 47: 8.5-11.5 (19.31).
Hancock. I). A. 19.59. The biology and control of the American
Whelk Tingle, Urosalpini cinerea. on Eiiglish oyster beds.
Fishery Ini'esl. Lond. 22(2): 1-66.
Lyons, A. and T. M. Spight. 1973. Diversity of feeding
mechanisms among embryos of Pacific Northwest TTiots.
Veiiger 16: 189-194.
Phillips. B. F. 1969. The population ecology of the whelk
Dicathais aegrota in Western Australia. Australian Jour.
Mar Fi-e.^hu: Res. 20: 225-265.
Smith. C. ('. and S. D. Fretwell. 1974. The optimal balance
between size and number of offspring. Amer. Natur. 108:
499-.506.
Spight, T. M. 1972. Patterns of change in adjacent populations
of an intertidal snail, Thais lamellosa. Ph. D. Thesis,
University of Washington.
Spight. T. M. 1976. Hatching size and the distribution of
nurse eggs among prosobranch embroys. Biol. Bull. 150:
491-499.
THE CHINESE APPLE SNAIL, CIPANGOPALUDINA CHINENSIS,
ON ORCAS ISLAND, WASHINGTON'
Branley A. Branson
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentucky 40475
ABSTRACT
A vprij hiiyr iiiipiildtidn o/ Cipangopaludina chinensis ((iraii. IS.SJ,) « irpiirlcil
fnini IjiL-c (abrade an (hra.s hliiiiil in tlic I'lKp't Smnid r('(jli>ii nf /r( stern
WiiiilniKjItiti.
Various authors have reported the estab- viviparid snail, Cipangopoludina chinen.'^!^ (Gray,
lishments of populations of the freshwater 1834), in widely separated sections of North
■ Part of a larger study supported by Sigma-Xi-Resa and In- America, assigning several specific epithets to the
stitutional grants. snails (Dundee, 1974), including Viviparus
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 77
malleatun Reeve and V. stelmaphoru^
Bourguignat. Previous reports of the species from
the state of Washington are restricted to a
population in Green Lake at Seattle (Hanna,
1966).
The population reported here was thriving in
1973 in Lake Cascade at Moran State Park on
Orcas Island, the largest and most highly tourist-
oriented body of land in the San Juan Island off
the Washington coast. Although I made no at-
tempt at estimating population size, 56 in-
dividuals were secured in approximately 30
minutes from an area no larger than two square
meters. The smallest individual is 7.0 mm in total
length, and the largest 44.0 mm, indicating, of
course, that reproduction was occurring at that
time. One shell and operculum were deposited at
the Delaware Museum of Natural History (no.
106584) as a voucher specimen.
LITERATURE CITED
Dundee, D. S. 1974. Catalog of introduced mollusks of eastern
North America (north of Mexico). Sterkiana 55: 1-37.
Hanna. G. D. 1966. Introduced mollusks of western North
America. Occ. Pap. Calif. Acad. Set. 48: 1-108.
THE POLYGYRID GENUS McLEANIA IN HISPANIOLA
Fred G. Thompson
Florida State Museum
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida 32611
Mcleania is a genus of medium-sized depressed
helicoid land snails in which the species are
characterized by having a series of nodelike ser-
rations along the peripheral keel of the shell. Un-
til now the genus was thought to be monotypic
and endemic to Puerto Rico (see van der Schalie,
1948:70) where the type species, M. darlingtnni
Bequaert and Clench was discovered by Philip J.
Darlington, Jr. in 1938. Bequaert and Clench
(1939:283-284) tentatively placed Mcleania in the
Cepolidae (= Xanthonichidae, see Baker, 1956)
because of resemblances in size and shell shape
to some Hemitrochus. Baker (1940: 55-57)
demonstrated that the reproductive anatomy of
Mcleania is similar to that of Thysanopkom. Cur-
rently Mcleania, Thysanophora, and allied genera
are placed in the Thysanophorinae, a subfamily
ofthePolygyridae.
During June, 1974, and January, 1976, I col-
lected shells of two undescribed land snails from
the Barahona Peninsula, Dominican Republic.
One species is described in this paper. The second
remains undescribed because it is represented by
a single immature shell that does not show
definitive characteristics of its species. These two
snails are tentatively assigned to Mcleania
because of similarities in shell structure to M.
dmiingtoni. They differ from M. darlingtnni in
important characteristics of the sculpture, as well
as several other traits. No live specimens of the
two new taxa were found, and a more satisfac-
tory basis for relating them to M. dariingtoni
cannot be given at this time.
Field work in the Dominican Republic was
sponsored by the Florida State Museum and the
National Geographic Society, Committee for
Research and Exploration. I am grateful to of-
ficials of both organizations for making this field
work possible.
Mcleania tumidula new species
(Fig. 1, A-C)
S/?r//. -Depressed helicord, about 0.,53-0.67
times as high as wide; medium sized, being about
78 THE NAUTILUS
April 25,1977
Vol. 91 (2)
FIG. 1. A-C Mcleania tumidula neiv species, holotifpe (UF
227:16). U.6 mm in width. D-F Mcleania darlin^imi Be-
1.5 mm wide. Color uniform light brown. Shell
opaque. Spire low, obtuse, nearly flat sided,
slightly convex in outline. Base inflated. Whorls
rapidly increasing in size, keeled, with about
19-21 obliquely compressed knobby serrations
along the periphery that form a scalloped fold
around the shell. 'Die peripheral interior of the
shell is indented beneath the knobs. Body whorls
nearly flat above the periphery, strongly inflated
quaert and Clench: 30 km. N.N. W.. 3 km K Ponce. Puerto
Rim. mm-ll.iO m. alt. (UF 22738).
below: descending very slightly along its last
quarter. Umbilicus narrow, about 1/25 the
diameter of the shell. Umbilicus partially
obscured by reflected columella. Adult shell with
3.6 whorls, and having 1.4 embryonic whorls.
First embryonic whorl smooth. Subsequent em-
bryonic portion with weak incremental growth
wrinkles. First quarter of post -embryonic whorl
with fine incremental thread-striations that are
Vol. 91 (2)
April 25, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 79
replaced rapidly by heavy cord-like folds extend-
ing halfway across the whorl from the suture.
Folds more or less alternating with compressed
knobs along the periphery. Superimposed on the
cords is an oblique series of irregular, fine zig-zag
striations that tend to become corrugated near
the periphery and on the knobs. Base of shell
with fine, irregular, incremental striations bear-
ing superimposed and finer, short, scattered, zig-
zag striations that tend to corrugate the base.
Aperture broadly auriculate, deeply indented by
previous whorl. Peristone simple, thin, weakly
reflected, incomplete across parietal wall. Dorsal
lip nearly straight. Columellar margin moderate-
ly reflected over umbilical area. Parietal callus
thin, transparent, strongly recurved near um-
bilicum. nearly straight otherwise.
Measurements in mm of the three known
specimens are:
Type Locality— DominicsLn Republic, Barahona
Prov., Loma Cana Brava, 6 km. E, 6 km. NNE
Polo, 1370 m. alt. Holotype: UF 22736: collected
18 January, 1976 by Fred G. Thompson. Para-
types: UF 22735(2); same locality as the holotype.
The type locality is in a wet mountain forest
at the crest of the mountain Loma Cana Brava.
The microhabitat occupied by the snail was not
determined for live specimens were not en-
countered. The shells comprising the type series
were found on the ground under limestone slabs
on densely shaded moss and lichen covered knolls.
Remarks— Mcleania tumidida can be compared
with two other species, M. darlingtoni from Puer-
to Rico and another undescribed species from
Hispaniola to which it is more closely related. It
differs from M. darlingtoni in numerous details.
The shell is much larger, attaining a major
diameter of about 15 mm. It has a broadly obtuse
raised spire, resulting in a height/width ratio of
about 0.53-0.67. The whorls are much more in-
flated, and have more (19-21) but much weaker
serrated nodes per whorl along the periphery.
The umbilicus is much narrower, being about
1/25 the width of the shell. The peristome is in-
complete across the parietal wall, and the outer
lip is only slightly reflected. The periostracum is
nearly smooth, having weak incremental stria-
tions and poorly defined oblique anastomosing
wrinkles. The embryonic whorls are smooth in-
itially, with weak incremental sculpture follow-
ing the first whorl.
M. darlingtoni is characterized by numerous
pecularities (Fig. 1, D-F). It attains a major
diameter of about 12 mm, and is planispiral with
a height/width ratio of about 0.36-0.38. The
whorls are relatively small in caliber and have
about 12-16 strong protruding nodes along the
periphery. The umbilicus is very broad and fun-
nel shaped, being about 1/3 the width of the
shell. The peristome is complete and the aperture
is slightly free from the preceding whorl. The
lusterless periostracum bears numerous course in-
cremental threads and fimbriations that form
scattered tufts on the base and apex. The
peripheral serrations are coursely marked with
radial periostracal fimbriations. Finally, the em-
bryonic whorls have rather course, strongly ob-
lique anastomosing wrinkles.
The differences between M. tumidida and M.
dnrlimjtiini are numerous and of such a mag-
nitude that a congeneric assignment of the two
species is only provisional. Most fundamental of
these differences is the sculpture. Until the soft
anatomy of M. tumidula is investigated the
systematic relationships and biogeographic im-
plications must be interpreted with caution.
An additional undescribed Mcleania occurs in
the Sierra de la Salle north of Pedernales, Peder-
nales Prov., Dominican Republic. A single im-
mature shell (UF 22737) was collected 1 km.
south of Altagracia, at 750 m. altitude in a cocao
grove. Compared to M. tumidida this other
species has course, irregular radial sculpture on
the spire, is nearly planispiral, and has a wide
umbilicus that is about 1/6 the diameter of the
shell. In other aspects it is more like M. tumidula
than M. darlingtoni.
80 THE NAUTILUS
April 25.1977
Vol. 91 (2)
LITERATURE CITED
Baker. H. B. 19.56. Family names in Pulmonata. The Nautiltis
69: 128-i:?9.
Baker. H. B. 1940. Some Antillean Sagdidae and Polygyridae.
The Nuut iliix 54: 54-62.
Qench. Wm. J. and J. Bequaert. 1939. Mcl€ania.ai new genus of
land mollusks from Puerto Rico. Meniorids dp la Siiripdntt
Ciibnmi fie Histinia Natural 13: 283-284; pi. %. fig. 4-6.
van der Schalie. H. 1948. The land and fresh-water mollusks
of Puerto Rico. Misc. Publ. Museum ofZool. Unii: Mich. 70:
1-133; pis. I-XIV.
RECENT DEATHS
Alberto Carcelles, well-known and leading
malacologist of Argentina, died Januar\' 23. 1977.
in Alta Gracia. Cordoba. Argentina, at the age of
81. Dr. Carcelles taught at the University in
Buenos Aires and was for years Chief of the In-
vertebrate Section, in the Museo Argentina de
Ciencias Naturales. He was bom in Buenos Aires
on July 18, 1897. He authored many works on the
marine mollusks of Uruguay and Patagonia.
Among his students was Dr. J. J. Parodiz of
Pittsburgh. Pa.
John Dyas Parker, malacological archivist for
the Delaware Museum of Natural History and
long-time assistant to Henry A. Pilsbn,' at the
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,
died February 2, 1977, of a heart attack, in Penn-
sylvania, at 61. He stimulated interest in mol-
lusks among amateurs who funded the Pilsbr>'
Chair of Malacology, and was a co-founder of the
Philadelphia and Wilmington Shell Clubs. He
was active in paleonto logical field work and cave
exploration. Jack was born June 5, 1915. in
Woodhaven, Long Island, N. Y. where he is now
bui'ied.
Willard Lee Mohorter, fonner publisher and
private shell collector, died October 19, 1976, in
Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 88. He and his late
wife travelled extensively from 1936 to 1975 in
search of mollusks. He was honorary curator of
mollusks at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural
Histor>' and donated part of his collection to that
institution. He was born in Kiamensi, Delaware,
October 4, 1888. A short, posthumous biography
of "Mr. Mo" appeared in the Hawaiian Shell
Npuv. February 1977.
Esther Brooks Hadley, well-known shell dealer
in Newton, Massachusetts since 1936, died in
North Adams, Massachusetts, on September 9,
1976 at age 87. Formerly, she worked for the
Veterans Administration in Boston. She and her
late husband, F. Knight Hadley, operated a shell
mail order business for forty years. Her collection
is for sale by her son, Norman, of Jacksonville,
Vermont 05432.
Kenneth R(ichard) H(odgson) Read, biochemist
and marine biologist at Boston University, died
February 24. 1977. at 48, in Boston, Mass. He was
well-known for his underwater photography, and
published on myoglobins in mollusks. He was
born Spetember 9. 1928, in Dinas Powis, Wales,
and obtained a Ph. D. at Harvard University in
1963.
Albert B(ernhard) Kettell, for years a pastor
of the United Church of Christ in New England,
an Army Chaplain during World War II, and an
ardent shell collector, was born in Somerville,
Mass., March 7, 1896. He was a member of the
A.M.U. for 25 years and a former President of
the Connecticut Valley Shell Club. Reverend
Kettell amassed a large collection of shells, and
retired to Clearwater, Florida, where he died
December 30, 1976, at the age of 81. He is sur-
vived by his wife, Clara Dito Kettell. See Ameri-
can Malnrologi<>tii. 1975 supplement, p. 555.
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MOLLUSK VOUCHER SPECIMENS
It is becoming increasingly important for
future research purposes that an identified sam-
pling of species mentioned in publications be
deposited in a permanent, accessible museum
specializing in moUusks. This is particularly
true of moUusks used in physiological, medical,
parasitological, ecological, and experimental
projects.
The Delaware Museum of Natural History
has extensive modern facilities and equipment
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JULY 1, 1977
THE
NAUTILUS
Vol. 91
No. 3
A quarterly
devoted to
malacology and
the interests of
conchologists
Founded 1889 by Henry A. Pilsbry. Continued by
Editor-in-Chief: R. Tucker Abbott
H^,
urrington Baker.
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
CONSULTING EDITORS
Dr. Arthur H. Clarke, Jr.
Division of Molluslts
National Museum of Natural History
Washington, D. C. 20560
Dr. William J. Clench
Curator Emeritus
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Dr. William K. Emerson
Department of Living Invertebrates
The American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York 10024
Mr. Morris K. Jacobson
Department of Living Invertebrates
The American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York 10024
Dr. Aurele La Rocque
Department of Geology
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Dr. James H. McLean
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
Dr. Arthur S. Merrill
Biological Laboratory
National Marine Fisheries Service
Oxford, Maryland 21654
Dr. Donald R. Moore
Division of Marine Geology
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
1 0 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Florida 33149
Dr. Joseph Rosewater
Division of MoUusks
U. S. National Museum
Washington, D.C. 20560
Dr. G. Alan Solem
Department of Invertebrates
Field Museum of Natural History
Chicago, Illinois 60605
Dr. David H. Stansbery
Museum of Zoology
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Dr. Ruth D. Turner
Department of Mollusks
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Dr. Gilbert L. Voss
Division of Biology
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
10 Rickenbacker Causeway
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Dr. Charles B. Wurtz
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Subscription Price; $8.00 (see inside back cover)
THE
NAUTILUS
Volume 91, number 3 — July 1, 1977
CONTENTS
William K. Emerson
Notes on Some Indo-Pacific Species of Modi w (Gastropoda; Tonnacea) 81
Helen DuShane
A New Abyssal Amaea (Gastropoda: Epitoniidae) from the North Eastern Pacific Ocean ST'''
Helen DuShane
Epitonmm textimattum, a New Gastropod from the West Coast of Mexico 89
Craig M. Doremus and Willard N. Harman
The Effects of Grazing by Physid and Planorbid Freshwater Snails on Periphyton 92
Ralph W. Dexter
A Further Note on Geologic Changes in the Relative Size of Bivalve Shells 96
Kathleen A. Burky and Albert J. Burky
Buoyancy Changes as Related to Respiratory Behavior in an Amphibious Snail,
Pomacea urceus (Muller), from Venezuela 97
Clement L. Counts, III, John M. Dingess and James E. Joy
The Electrocardiogram of the Freshwater Bivalve Lcimp.s-i'/is radiata (Bivalvia: Unionidae) 105
Dee S. Dundee
Observations on the Veronicellid Slugs of the Southern United States 108
Steven T. Malek
VeroniceUa occidentalis in Louisiana 115
Ralph W. Taylor, Michael P. Sweeney and Clement L. Counts, III
Use of Empty Gastropod Shells (Polygridae) by Pseudoscorpions 115
Publications received 117
)1 (:5)
Julv 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 81
NOTES ON SOME INDO-PACIFIC SPECIES OF MORUM
(GASTROPODA: TONNACEA)
William K. Emerson
American Museum of Natural History
New York. New York 10024
ABSTRACT
Descriptive and distributional data are given for three poorly known and
misunderstood species of Morum from the Indo-Paciflc. Additional specimens of
Morum (Oniscidia) exquisitum are reported from the Subi Sea, and records other
than those from the Philippines are rejected. Morum (0.) praeclarum, a species
previously reported from deep water off Natal and Zuiuland. South Africa is
reported from four stations in the western Indian Ocean. The recorded range of
Morum (Herculea) ponderosum is extended to include New Caledonia and the Pit-
cairn Islands.
Specimens of two poorly known Indo-Pacific
species of the genus Morum, namely: Morum ex-
quisitum (Adams and Reeve, 1848) and M.
praeclarum Melvill, 1919, have recently come to
the attention of the writer. Morum exquisittim
was described from a unique specimen obtained
by Arthur Adams in the Philippines during the
celebrated voyage of the HMS Samarang to the
western Pacific and Indian Oceans, from 1843 to
1846. Despite the fact that this species, based on
the type specimen dredged in the Sulu Sea, was
well-described and illustrated by Adams and
Reeve (1848, 1850) and by Reeve (1849), the iden-
tity of this taxon has remained uncertain owing
to its extreme rarity in collections. Most subse-
quent workers followed Tryon (1885) who con-
sidered it to be conspecific with Morum
ponderosum (Hanley, 1858), a distinct species
originally described from an unknovra prove-
nance. The two species were finally separated by
Melvill (1919), and he correctly recorded M.
ponderosum from Japanese waters.
Through the good offices of Dr. Joel Greene of
San Francisco, California, a mature, live-taken
specimen of Morum exquisitum (figures E, F, J)
was recently brought to my attention. This
specimen, together with a dead one, was taken by
divers in shallow depths off Laminusa, Sulu,
Philippines. Now in the collection of the Ameri-
can Museum of Natural History (cat. no. 183926),
this specimen compares favorably in all details
with the figured holotype, except it is slightly
larger with 5 post-nuclear whorls, and has 12 ax-
ial ribs on the body whorl. The apex is colored
a pale pink, whereas the parietal shield and the
blotches on the outer lip are a light purple-pink.
Of the livmg species of Morum, it appears to be
most closely related to the New World "twin
species," M. veleroae Emerson, 1968, from the
eastern Pacific, and to M. dennisoni (Reeve,
1842), from the Western Atlantic. Attesting to
the rarity of M. exquisitrim, I was able to locate
only two other specimens in institutional collec-
tions.
Compared to M. exquisitum, M. ponderosum
(figures G, H, I) has a heavier shell, which is
more triangular in outline, with coarser orna-
mentation and a much lower spire. The parietal
wall is heavily callused and the non-pustulose,
flattened shield covers most of the apertural side
of the body whorl. Numerous weakly formed, ir-
regular folds extend down the perietal wall into
the aperture. The outer lip is thickened and the
inner margin is dentate; the lip extends poster-
iorly to the penultimate whorl to form a deep
sulcation. The shell, including the apex, is colored
creamy white with occasional streaks and blotch-
es of reddish brown, which are especially prom-
inent on the reflected surface of the outer lip.
The parietal shield is suffused with creamy tan
and is variegated with reddish brown markings.
82 THE NAUTILUS
July 1. 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
Perhaps one of the reasons Tryon (1885) erro-
neously concluded that M. exquisitum and M.
ponderosum were the same species was the result
of the artist's lapsus in coloring the original
figures (Hanley, 1858) of M. ponderosum reddish
purple, instead of the natural reddish brown col-
oration that is characteristic of this species.
Morum praeclarum Melvill, 1919 was described
from a unique specimen lacking locality data ob-
tained from the collection of J. J. MacAndrew,
FIGS. A-D Morum (0.) praeclarum MehnU; A-B Faqhuar Gniup. Seychelk hUimitt. in «/ m.. A' A/A// ho.
71862. C-D Holotypc. MehnU-Tomlin OAl. NMW (Courtesy of Naiional Museum of Wales): A-D about 3A natural size. E.
F, J Morum (0.) exquisitum (Adam.': & Reeve): Lattiimiita, Sulu Sen, Philippines, in li m.. AMNH No. }SS92(>: E, F about S/J,
natural size: J spire greatly enlarged to show protoconch. G. H, I Morum (H.) pondero.sum (Hanley): Oeno Island. Pitcaim
Islands, off reef. NMNH No. /.ilflOI: G, H about S/i natural size: I spire greatly enlarged to. ih/'upriitnrinirh.
Vol. !)1 CA)
July 1, 1!»77
THE NAUTILUS 83
for whom Monim macandreui (Sowerby, 1889)
had been named 30 years previously. Although
the type specimen of M. praeclarum was il-
lustrated recently in color (Dance, 1971), no addi-
tional material had been recognized until
Kilburn (1975) reported it from South Africa. Dr.
Joseph Rosewater uncovered five specimens in
the National Museum of Natural History collec-
tions. An additional specimen was located in the
Delaware Museum of Natural History by Dr. R.
Tucker Abbott. These specimens were dredged by
the "Anton Bruun".
TVie newly discovered specimens of M. prae-
clanini (figures A, B) are more diminutive than
the holotype (figures C, D), the largest being 30.3
mm in length, compared to 40 mm for the type
specimen. Othenvise they agree well in essential
characters with the description and illustrations
of the holotype (Melvill, 1919; Dance, 1971).
Melvill believed this species to be "nearest" to M.
exquisitum, but he also compared it to M. macan-
dreui. to which it is actually more closely
related. It differs, however, from M. macandreui
in several respects. The shell is smaller, propor-
tionally more robust and less pyriform in out-
line; the axial ridges are more delicate and they
form sharp, scalelike spines at the intersections
of the spiral ridges; the parietal shield is thickly
enameled, finely ornamented with pustules an-
teriorly and lineations posteriorly, and the den-
ticles on the outer lip are confined to the aper-
tural surface. Dance's illustration (1971, p. 119)
suggests that the brownish spiral bands are well-
developed on the holotype. In the present speci-
mens, these bands are more diffused and are
most prominent on the reflected surface of the
outer lip and the adjoining portion of the body
whorl. In these specimens, the surface is suffused
in huffish cream and the spiral bands form
streaks of light brown. As in the holotype, the
aperture, outer lip, and parietal shield are a
milky white.
TAXONOMY
In a revision of the southwestern Pacific
species, Beu (1976) reviewed the taxonomic status
of the genus Morum Roding, 1798, type species by
monotypy: Morum purpureum Roding, 1798
{= St nimbus onisctis Linnaeus, 1767). In addition
to the nominate subgenus, he recognized two
subgenera: (1) Onisddia Morch, 1852, type species
by monotypy: Onkcia cancellata Sowerby, 1824;
(2) Herculea Hanley, in H. and A. Adams, 1858,
type species by monotypy: Oniscia ponderosa
Hanley, 1858.
The attribution of the first valid use of
Oniscidia to Morch, 1852, by action of the Inter-
national Commission of Zoological Nomenclature
(Opinion 1040), precludes the use of Cancel-
lomorum Emerson and Old, 1963, type species by
original designation: Oniscia grandis A. Adams,
1855, and Onimusiro Kira, in Kuroda, Habe, and
Oyama, 1971, with the same type species and
method of designation. Both of these rejected
taxa, which are currently widely used respective-
ly in the American-European literature and in
the Japanese literature, thus become junior sub-
jective synonyms of Oniscidia Morch. Beu (1976)
also referred Pulchroniscia Garrad, 1961, type
species by monotypy: Pulchroniscia delecta Gar-
rad, 1961 {^Oniscidia bruuni Powell, 1958, fide
Beu, 1976), to the synonymy of Oniscidia Morch.
Because generic synonymies of Morum sensu lata
are given by Beu (1976), they are not repeated
here.
INDO-PACIFIC SPECIES
In addition to the three species discussed
below, the following nominal species of Morum
are known from the Indo-Pacific: M. (Oniscidia)
cancellatum (G. B. Sowerby, I, 1824); M. (0.)
grande (A. Adams, 1855); M. (0.) macandrewi (G.
B. Sowerby, III, 1889; M. (0.) bruuni Powell,
1958; M. (0.) teramachii Kuroda and Habe, in
Habe, 1961; M. (0.) iwhiyjamai Kuroda and Habe,
in Habe, 1961; and M. (0.) watsoni Dance and
Emerson, 1967: quod vide for citations to the
original descriptions.
Morum (Oniscidia) exquisitum
(Adams and Reeve, 1848)
Figures E, F, J
Oniscia exquisita Adams and Reeve, in Adams,
1848, p. 35 [text p. 35, issued in May, 1850], pi.
5, figs. 3a, 3b, [References To Plates, p. x and
pi. 5, issued in November, 1848], "Sooloo [Sulu]
Archipelago; outside a coral reef near the city
84 THE NAUTILUS
July 1, 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
of Sooloo (Jolol in about sixteen to twenty
fathoms, sandy mud." Reeve, 1849 [issued in
August], vol. 5, Oniscia pi. 1, fig. 3, "Sooloo
[Sulu] Archipelago" [repeats data of Adams
and Reeve, 1850].
Oniscia exquisita Reeve, Kiister, 1857, p. 58, pi.
55, fig. 10 (after Reeve, 1849, fig. 3), "Soulou-
Archipel von Belcher entdeckt."
Oniscia (OniscidiaJ exquisita Adams and Reeve,
Tryon, 1885, p. 282, pi. 8, fig. 100 (after Reeve,
1849, fig. 3), "Sooloo [Sulu] Sea; Australia."
Morum (Oniscidia) exquisitum, Melvill, 1919, p.
72, "Sooloo [Sulu] Archipelago [etc.], Philippine
Isles (Hidalgo), Japan (Hirase), Saya de Malha
Banks, S. Indian Ocean (J. Stanley Gardiner)."
Morum exquisihim Adams and Reeve, Abbott,
1962, p. 66, color illus., "Philippines, rare."
Tifpe depository: not known (Melvill, 1919, p.
72; Dance and Emerson, 1967, p. 95). The
specimen figured by Reeve (1849), the apparent
holotype, was sold in 1865 when the famous col-
lection of John Dennison was disposed by public
auction in London (Melvill, 1919; Dance, 1966, p.
210). The holotypic specimen is apparently lost.
Type locality: off Jolo [Sulu City], Sulu Island,
Sulu Archipelago, Philippines, in 30 to 36 meters.
Verified geographic range: Known only from
the Sulu Archipelago, Philippines, in 6 to 36
meters.
Material examined: Philippines: 6 meters,
Laminusa, Sulu Archipelago, 1 specimen, 46.7
mm in length, 27.4 mm in width, ex Joel Greene,
AMNH 183926; Tawi-Tawi, Sulu Archipelago, 1
specimen 30.3 mm in length, 19.5 mm in width,
ex Mrs. P. Bautista, ANSP 218411, illustrated in
Abbott (1962, p. 66); Zamboanga, Mindanao, 1
specimen, 32.4 mm in length, 22.5 mm in width,
NSMT .54630.
Remarks: The early citations in the literature
to records from Japan, Australia, and the Indian
Ocean appear to be erroneous. Dr. Habe (personal
communication) has no knowledge of specimens
from Japanese waters. The specimen in the
British Museum (Natural History) reported by
Melvill (1919) from the Indian Ocean was sent to
me on loan. It is apparently referable to Morum
praeclarum Melvill, being a badly worn, broken
and discolored juvenile shell. The Japanese and
Australian records were based most likely on
misidentified specimens of M. (H.) ponderosum.
At the present time M. (0.) exquisitum is known
only from the Sulu Sea.
Oniscia exquisitum Adams and Reeve dates
from November 1848, when the name was applied
to figures 3a, 3b of plate 5 in the "References To
Plates, Mollusca" of the Zoology of the Voyage of
the H.M.S. Samarang. The description appeared
subsequently, in May 1850, when the text was
issued.
Morum (Oniscidia) praeclarum Melvill, 1919
Figures A— D
Morum praeclarum Melvill, 1919, p. 69, text fig.
"Hab.[itat]?" J. J. MacAndrew Coll. Dance,
1971, p. 119, fig. 5, "locality unkown"; 1975,
Kilburn, p. 49, "off Mvoti River, 56 fms., and
off Durban, South Africa, 160 fms."
Type depository: holotype, here illustrated,
figures C— D, Melvill-Tomlin Collection, National
Museum of Wales, Cardiff (Dance and Emerson,
1967, p. 95); N.M.W. accession No. 55.158, teste
June Qiatfield.
Type locality: 11 mi. off Port Shepstone, South
Aft-ica in 2.50 fathoms. (Kilburn, 1975).
Verified geographie range: western Indian
Ocean; off Somali Republic and Mozambique,
Africa; Seychelle Islands, in 78 to 132 meters off
South Africa.
Material examined: Africa; 80 miles E. of Ras
Mabber, N.E. Somali Republic; 78-82 meters, 1
specimen, 28.6 mm in length, 20.1 mm in width,
"Anton Bruun," Sta. 9-445, 09°36' N. Lat.. 5r01
E. Long., ex Harold Vokes, DMNH 117851; off
Mozambique; ca. 40 miles E. Quissico, 132 meters,
2 specimens, 30.3 mm in length, 21.1 mm in
width, .30.1 mm in length, 19.1 mm in width, "An-
ton Bruun," Cruise 7, Sta. 371-E, NMNH 761345.
Seychelle Islands: ca. 80 meters, Faqhuar Group,
1 specimen, 26.7 mm in length, 17.2 mm in width,
"Anton Bruun" Cruise 9, Sta. 444, 09°36' N. Lat.,
5r01' E. Long., NMNH 718962; ca. 90 meters, Fa-
qhuar Group, 2 specimens, 24.8 mm in length,
17.2 mm in width, 2.3.2 mm in length, 16.4 mm in
width. "Anton Bruun" Cruise 9, Sta. 437, 09°25'
N. Lat., .50%54' E. Long., NMNH 718953.
Remarks: At my request, Dr. June Chatfield
kindly compared the holotype of M. pnurlannii
with the illustration of the type specimen in
Dance (1971, p. 119, fig. 5). She concluded that the
Vol. 91 (3)
Julv 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 85
figure is fairly accurate in color, but it is perhaps
a little darker than the holotypic specimen. The
East African provenance of this species has been
revealed through the dredging operations of the
"Anton Bruun" in the Indian Ocean. Additional
unrecognized specimens of this species probably
exist in the extensive collections made in recent
years from this region.
Morum (Herculea) ponderosum (Hanley, 1858)
Figures G. H, 1
Oniscia ponderosa Hanley, 1858, pp. 255, 256, pi.
42, fig. 9, 10, "Hab[itat]?," Cuming Coll. Tryon,
1885, p. 282, pi. 10, fig. 22 (after Hanley, 1858,
fig. 10), [incorrectly cited as a synonym
of Morum exquisitum (Adams and Reeve)).
Stearns and Pilsbry, 1895, "Yaeyama" [Ryukyu
Islands], incorrectly cited as "Oniscia
exquisita," which, following Tryon, was con-
sidered to be a synonym of Morum pondero-
sum.
Monim ponderosum (Hanley), Hirase and Taki,
1951, pi. 98, fig. 2, "Amami-Oshima," Ryukyu
Islands. Kuroda and Habe, 1952, p. 68, Range:
0-29° North Latitude. Oyama and Takemura,
1961, pt. 5, Morum pi. 2, figs. 4, 5, "Amami-
Oshima Isl."
Morum (Herculea) ponderosum (Hanley), H. and
A. Adams, 1858, p. 621. Melvill, 1919, p. 71,
"Japan (Steams)." Shikama, 1963, p. 59, pi. 42,
fig. 4 "Amami-Oshima, Ryukyu Group, Japan."
Habe, 1964, p. 69, p.. 21, fig. 1, "rare, Amami
and Ryukyu Islands, wide-ranging in the Indo-
Pacific regions." Shikama, 1964, p. 114, fig. 193.
Ponder, in Beu, 1976, p. 224, "Herald Cay and
Lady Elliot Island, Queensland."
Type depository, Lectotype: BM(NH) No.
1966724, ex Hugh Cuming Collection, selected by
Dance and Einerson (1967, p. 94); syntype BM-
(NH) No. 196625, ex Hugh Cuming Collection.
Type locality; Amami-Oshima, Ryukyu Islands,
here designated.
Verified geographic range: Ryukyu Ar-
chipelago, Japan; Queensland, Australia (fide
Beu, 1976); New Caledonia; and the Pitcairn
Islands.
Material examined: Japan: Ryukyu Islands:
"Oshima Osumi" [Amami-Oshima], 2 specimens,
47.8 mm in length, 31.5 mm in width, 34.5 mm in
length, 21.6 mm in width, Hirase Coll., NMNH
34938; Amami-Oshima, 1 specimen, 31.7 mm in
length, 21.8 mm in width, Hirase Coll., MCZ
43262; Amami-Oshima, 2 specimens, 45 mm in
length, 28.5 mm in width, 32 mm in length, 22.8
mm in width, Hirase Coll., ANSP 98020; Amami-
Oshima, 1 specimen, 22 mm in length, 18.2 mm in
width, A. R. Cahn Coll., ANSP 275543; Okinawa,
Onna sand flat, 1 specimen, 38.6 mm in length,
26.7 mm in width, Bemice Albert, leg., ANSP
276387; Okinawa, Kadena, 1 specimen, 36.6 mm
in length, 24 mm in width, Rose Burch Coll.,
AMNH 114571; Okinawa, Kadena, 1 specemen,
37.3 mm in length, 25.8 mm in width, W. A. Mc-
Carty, leg., AMNH 183950.
New Caledonia: 1 specimen, C. T. Trenchmann
Coll., BM(NH) 1964504, teste A. F. Blake.
Pitcairn Islands: off reef, N. coast of atoll,
Oeno Island, 1 specimen, 41 mm in length, 27.8
mm in width, H. A. Rehder leg., NMNH 731601:
Henderson Island, 1 specimen, J. R. Jamieson and
D. K. Tait leg., BM(NH) 1913.7.28.90, teste A. F.
Blake.
Remarks: According to Dr. Tadashige Habe
(personal communication) sf)ecimens from the
Hirase Collection bearing the locality Oshima
Osumi are from Amami-Oshima of the Amami
Group in the Ryukyu Archipelago. Early records
attributed to "Japan" are actually referable to
the Ryukyus and Okinawan Islands. The disjunct
distribution of the uncommon species apparently
represents gaps in collecting in the intermediate
areas, rather than a relict distributional pattern.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am indebted to the following curators for pro-
fessional courtesies of various kinds: Drs. R.
Tucker Abbott, Delaware Museum of Natural
History (DMNH); June Chatfield, National
Museum of Wales (NMW); Kenneth J. Boss,
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard
University (MCZ); George M. Davis, Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP);
Tadashige Habe, National Science Museum,
Tokyo (NSMT); Joseph Rosewater, National
Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institu-
tion (NMNH); and John Taylor and Miss A. F.
86 THE NAUTILUS
Julv 1. 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
Blake, British Museum (Natural History)
(BMNH). I thank my colleague, Mr. William E.
Old, Jr., for technical assistance.
LITERATURE CITED
Abbott, R. T. 196Z Sea shells of the World. Golden Press, New
YorkieOp.. illus.
Adams, Arthur. 1855. Descriptions of new genera and species
of gasteropodous [sic] Mollusca. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 21:
182-186.
Adams, Arthur, and Lovell Reeve. 1848-.50. Mossusca. In A.
Adams, The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang;
under the rommand of Captain Sir Edward Belcher. London
(see Keen, 1971, p. 971, for dates of publication).
Adams, Henry, and Arthur. 1853-,58. The genera of Recent
Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London,
3vols.,661p., 138 pis. (dates of publication: vol. a p. 661).
Beu. A. G. 1976. Revision of the southwest Pacific species of
Manan {(Miscidia). Juur. Malac. Soc. Australia 3(4):
223-231.
Dance, S. P. 1966. Shell Collecting: an Illustrated History.
Univ. Calif Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 344, p., 35 pis.
Dance, S. P. 1971. Seashells. Hamlyn, London, 159 P., illus.
Dance, S. P. and W. K. Emerson. 1967. Notes on Monim den-
nisoni and related species. The Veliger 10(2): 91-98, pi. 12.
Einerson. W. K. 1968. A new species of the gastropod genus
Murum from the eastern Pacific. Jour, de Conchyl., 107(1):
.5.3-.57,pl. 1.
Emerson, W. K., and W. E. Old, Jr. 1963. Results of the
Puritan-American Museum of Natural History Expedition
to western Mexico. 19. The Recent Mollusks: Gastropoda,
Strombacea, Tonnacea, and Cymatiacea. Amer. A/)is.
Novitates, 21,53. .38 p., 28 figs.
Garrard. T. A. 1961. Mollusca collected by M. V. "Challenger"
off the coast of Australia. Jour. Malac. Soc. Australia 1(5):
2-37, pi. 12.
Habe, Tadashige. 1964. Shells of the Western Pacific in Color
2. English ed., Hokusha, Osaka, Japan. 233 p.
Hanley, Sylvanus. 18.58. Description of a new Oniscia. Pruc.
Zool. Soc Londm 26: 2.5,5-256, pi. 42.
Hirase, Shintaro, and Isao Taki. 1951. A Handbook of Il-
lustrated Shells, in Natural Cohrs. Tokyo, 134 pis. + 46.p.
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. 1975.
Opinion 1040, Oniscidia Mbrch, 1852 (Mollusca): Placed on
the Official List. BuU. Zool Nomen. 32(3): 139-140.
Kilbum. R.N. 1975. The rediscovery of Morum pmeclarum
Melvill (Ca-ssidae). 77!eA«i((i7M.s89(2):49-.50.
Keen, A. M. 1971. Sea Sheik of Tropical West America. Stan-
ford Univ. Press, ed. 2, xiv + 1064 p.. illus.
Kuroda, Tokubei, and Tadashige Habe. 1952. Checklist and
Biblitiyraphy of the Recent Marine Mollusca of Japan,
Tokyo, 210 p.
Kuroda, Tokubei. T. Habe, and K. Oyama. 1971. The Sea
Shells <}fSayami Bay Collected by His .Majesty the Emperor
of. Japan. Tokyo, 751 -(-489-1- 51 p., 121 pis.
Kiister, H. C. |1846| - 18.57. Systematisches Conchylien-
Cabinet.Sd): 5.3-59; pi. 5.5.
Linnaeus, Carl. 1767. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae.
Editio duodecima, reformata, pt. 2, p. ,533-1327..
Melvill, J. C. 1919. Description of Morum praeclarum, sp. no.,
with remarks on the Recent species of the genus. Proc.
Malm: &.C. Lorukm 13(3, 4): 69-72, 1 fig; Addendum, Itrid,
13(.5.6):145
Mfirch, 0. A. L. 18.52. Catalogus conchyliorum . . . de Yoldi,
Regis Daniae. Copenhagen, Fac. 1, 170 p.
Oyama, Katura, and Yoshio Takemura. 1961. The Molluscan
Shells, Resources Exploitation Institute, Tokyo, pt. 5,
Morum pis. 1,2.
Powell, A. W. B. 1958. Mollusca of the Kermadec Islands. Pt.
1. Records Auckland Inst.&Mus. 5(1-2): 65-8,5, pis. 9-11.
Reeve, L. A. 1842. Conchologia Systematica, or Complete
System ofConchology. London, Paris, Berlin, vol. 2.
Reeve, L. A. 1849. Monograph of the genus Oniscia, In, Con-
chologia Iconica, London, vol. 5. 1 pi.
Roding, P. F. 1798. Museum Boltenianum . . . pt. 2, Conchylia.
Hamburg, vii -I- 109 p.
Shikama, Tokio. 1963. Selected Shells of the World Illustrated
in Colours, vol. 1. Tokyo, 154 p., 102 pis., 211 figs.
Shikama, Tokio. 1964. Selected Sheik of the World Illustrated
in Colours, vol. 2. Tokyo, 212 p., 70 pis., 245 figs.
Sowerby, G. B., I. 1824. TTie Genera of Recent and Fossil
Shells. London, vol. 1, Oniscia pi. 233.
Sowerby, G. B., III. 1889. Descriptions of fourteen new species
of shells from China, Japan, and the Andaman
Islands... fVoc. Zool. Soc. London for 1888, p. .5&5-570, pi.
28.
Stearns, Frederick, and H. A. Pilsbry. 1895. Catalogue of the
Marine Mollusks of Japan. Detroit, 196 p., 11 pis.
Tryon. G. W.. Jr. 1885. Manual of Conchology. Philadelphia,
ser. 1, vol. 7, Family Cassididae, p. 268-283, 10 pis.
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 87
A NEW ABYSSAL AMAEA (GASTROPODA: EPITONIIDAE) FROM THE
NORTH EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN
Helen DuShane'
1M12 El Soneto Drive
Whittier, California 90605
ABSTRACT
Amaea siapnoi new species, a deepwater epitoniid, is described from a location
about 540 nautical miles southwest of Mas Revillagigedo, Mexico.
Species of Amaea are rare in the North Pacific
Ocean. Until now, no species of this genus has
been reported from the south eastern portion of
the North Pacific Ocean. Recently, I have re-
ceived, on loan, a live-collected specimen of a new
species of Amaea s. s. for purposes of identifica-
tion. Deepsea Ventures, Inc., May 1975, retrieved
this mollusk from 14,521 feet (4428.60 meters), ap-
proximately 540 nautical miles southwest of the
Islas Revillagigedo, Mexico.
Superfamily Epitoniacea
Family Epitoniidae
Genus Amaea H. and A. Adams, 1853
[Type species (SD, deBoury, 1909:
Scalaria magnifica Sowerby, 1844]
Subgenus ylmoea H. and A. Adams, 1853
Amaea (Amaea) siapnoi DuShane, n. sp.
(Figs. 1 and 2)
Shell medium in size, off-white in color;
nuclear and early postnuclear whorls missing, six
whorls remaining, gradually expanding to the
last whorl; sides of the whorls more perpen-
dicular than in most Amaea, giving it a columnar
outline; suture well-defined; costae curved and
retractive, lamellar near the distinct suture, worn
on the whorls, not continuous from whorl to
whorl; with a change of slope in the outline of
the whorls just below the suture, causing the
costae to curve rather abruptly; axial costae on
the last whorl 85, of varying thickness, sometimes
fusing with adjoining ones, continuous over the
base to the simple lip (outer lip partially
fragmented); with a poorly defined basal thread,
below which the sculpture is the same as that
above; spiral sculpture of approximately 16 to 22
uneven but mostly extremely wide ribs, separated
by narrow incised lines that cross the close-set
axial costae and impart to the shell a somewhat
beaded appearance; aperture round, lip thin; um-
bilicus lacking; operculum dark, round, horny.
Length 34 mm, width 12 mm (holotype).
Type Locality— Approximsitely 540 nautical
miles southwest of Isla Clarion, Islas
Revillagigedo, Mexico (14°50' N, 124°29' W), from
a depth of 4428.60 meters.
' Museum Associate, Department of Malacology, Los Angeles
County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California
90007.
FIG. 1. Map showing approximate location where Amaea
(Amaea) siapnoi DuShane, n. sp. was taken in a dredge haul
from a depth ofUJ,28.60 meters.
88 THE NAUTILUS
July 1. 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
FIG. 2 Amaea (Amaea) siapnoi DuShane. n. sp. Left: Ven-
tral view. Length 31, mm. uidth 12 mm. Center: Dorsal
view. Right: Anterior portion enlarged to show poorly
defined basal thread. X 2
Type Material— Holotype, Department of
Marine Invertebrates, San Diego Natural History
Museum, San Diego, California: SDSNH 65482.
Etymology— The species name honors the chief
scientist of Deepsea Ventures, Inc., William Siap-
no.
DISCUSSION
Deepsea Ventures, Inc., working out of San
Diego, California, is involved in exploratory min-
ing for manganese nodules. William Siapno, chief
scientist of Deepsea Ventures, Inc., collected this
new species in May 1975. Other material in the
dredge haul included coarse, gritty manganese
that still adheres to the shell, manganese nodules,
large Carcharodon teeth, pelagic shark teeth
(probably of Miocene age), a whale ear-bone,
small brittle stars, and worm tubes.
The nuclear and immediate post-nuclear whorls
of the holotype are missing. One can only conjec-
ture that the live-taken specimen was damaged
in the dredge as it was retrieved.
Among the other Amaea collected in deep
water are Amaea (Scalina) ferminiana (Dall,
1908) from 118 to 1333 m off the coast of Peru by
the SEPBOP Program on the vessel ANTON
BRUUN (DuShane, 1974; 55); Amaea (Scalina)
pompholyx (Dall, 1908) collected in 1485 m near
the Galapagos Islands by the ALBATROSS (sta-
tion 2807) in ooze (DuShane, 1974; 56). These are
the only two records of Amaea (Scalina) from
deep water in the tropical eastern Pacific; these
depths do not approach the depth from which the
present species was taken. Comparison with
Amaea luxus Okutani, 1964, collected 56 miles off
Aogashima Island (32° 20' N, 140° 55.5' E), in
from 3,150 to 3,350 m, shows the two species to be
congeneric, each with an usually large number of
costae. The live-taken specimen of luxus differs
by having 140 (instead of 84) close-set costae on
the last whorl, a very elongate shell with 15
whorls, and a hardly distinguishable basal disk.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To the following people I am indebted in many
ways; Drs. Myra Keen, Professor Emeritus, Stan-
ford University and George Radwin, Department
of Marine Invertebrates, San Diego Museum of
Natural History, for reading preliminary drafts
of the paper and providing constructive criticism;
to Bertram Draper, Museum Associate, Los An-
geles County Museum of Natural History, for the
photographs; to Anthony D'Attilio, Department
of Marine Invertebrates, San Diego Museum of
Natural History, for the map; to William Siapno,
Deepsea Ventures, Inc., and Dr. Hugh Bradner,
University of California, San Diego, for their help
in obtaining the holoptye for examination and
description.
LITERATURE CITED
Dall. W. H. 1890. Scientific results of exploration by the U. S.
Fish Commission steamer ALBATROSS. VII. Preliminary
report on the collection of Mollusca and Brachiopoda ob-
tained in 1887-88. Proc. USNM 12(773): 219-362, pis. 5-14. (7
March)
deBoury, E. A. 1909. Catalogue des sous-genres des Scalidae.
Jourii. de Conchyl. 57: 256-258.
DuShane. Helen 1974. The Panamic-Galapagan Epitoniidae.
The VeUger. Suppl. 16: 1-84, 154 photos, 1 map, 5 figs., 3
tables. (31 May)
Sowerby, G. B. (2nd) [\W1] 1847-1848. Thesaurus con-
chyliorum, or monograph of genera of shells, edited by G. B.
Sowerby, Jr.. completed by G. B. Sowerby 3rd. London, vol.
1, part 4:83-146; pis. 32-40. (11 April)
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 89
EPITONIUM TEXTIMATTUM, A NEW GASTROPOD
FROM THE WEST COAST OF MEXICO
Helen DuShane
15012 El Soneto Drive, Whittier, California 90605
ABSTRACT
Epitonmm (Asperiscala) textimattum DiiShane, n. sp. (Gastropoda,) in dencrihed
from sublittoral water off the west Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco, and Colima.
It resembles E. walkerianum Hertlein and Strong.
Family EPITONIIDAE
Genus Epitonium Rbding, 1798 [Scala
of authors; Scalaria Lamarck, 1801]
Subgenus ylsperisca/a deBoury, 1909
Species referable to the subgenus Asperiscala,
with its type species of Scalaria bellastriata
Carpenter, 1864, are relatively common consti-
tuents of the Panamic-Galapagan fauna, there be-
ing 21 recognized species. The new species is
known only from the sublittoral zone, 7 to 18
meters, in a mud substrate, dredged from 4 sta-
tions off the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, and Co-
lima, Mexico.
Epitonium (Asperiscala) textimattum n. sp.
(Figs. 1-8).
Description: Shell medium to large in size,
elongate-conic, white, sturdy; nuclear whorls .3 to
4, horn-color, rounded, glassy, with a brown
sutural line, first two whorls small, subsequent
ones much larger and more bulbous with no
noticeable sculpture; fifth whorl down with
minute indentations and small axial ribs; post-
nuclear whorls 5 to 10, rounded, slightly sloping;
suture distinct; axial sculpture of 10 to 12 low,
rounded, chinalike ribs, inverted V-shaped on
early whorls, flat-topped and of varying widths
on later whorls, with fine axial grooving and
widely-spaced spiral sculpture on the sides
(magnification of 20X), without angulation, curv-
ing into the sutures, not continuous from whorl
to whorl, with an occasional one twice the width
of the others; channels between ribs twice the
width of the ribs; axial and spiral sculpture
striolate (magnification of 40X) between ribs,
carr>'ing over the ribs as fine indentations; aper-
ture ovate, outer lip but slightly thickened by the
last rib, with faint traces of spiral impressions;
peritreme complete, narrower on the columellar
portion; umbilicus lacking; operculum light horn
color, paucispiral. Length, 12 mm; width, 4 mm
(holotype).
Discussion: This epitoniid from the Panamic-
Galapagan fauna has an elongate-conic shape
combined with a matte texture and sturdy ribs
with faint, irregular spiral impressions. Sizes
vary from 9.5 to 17 mm in length, with from 10
tol2costae. (See Figs. 1,2,3)
At first it was thought that this species might
be the enigmatic Epitonium (Asperiscala)
regulare (Carpenter, 1856), type locality, Panama.
The original description of E. regulare mentions 3
syntype specimens; Keen (1965) photographed 4
specimens labeled with this name, but the label
[BM(NH) Reg. No. 19.50. 4. 18. 13/16] is not in
P'IGS. 1-3— Epitonium (Asperiscala) textimattum Lhi£hane. n.
.■<p. l—Hiiliiti(pe (L.ACM. Mulnrnliigy Type Ciillectian. mi.
ISi6). Length. 12 mm; uidth, I, mm. 2 and Z—Parat ifpes
(LhiShane Collection). Smaller specimen: length, 11 mm:
width, 5 mm. Larger specimen: length, 15.5 mm: width, 5
mm.
90 THE NAUTILUS
Julv 1. 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
FIG. 4— Epitonium regulare (Carpenter. 1856): xyntype
specimens. IBMlNH) Reg. No. 1950. I 18. 13/16]. The smallest
.specimen in the phoUigraph. which may be the broken top of
the Jii-st specimen to the left, has been lost fteste D>: John
Taylor). Specimen to the far right was erronemisly considered
by Palmer to he theholotype. X S.U
Carpenter's handwriting (teste Keen). It is doubt-
ful if any of the specimens shown (Fig. 4) are E.
regulare of Carpenter, therefore, I do not choose
to select a lectotype from among them. Compared
to E. textimattum the left hand specimen has
prominent sprial sculpture between the whorls
and very thin costae. The smallest specimen from
the left (lost, fide Dr. John Taylor, BM(NH)),
might well be the upper broken portion of the
lefthand specimen. The largest specimen has more
convex whorls, a less contracted suture and twice
the number of costae (20-22), with narrow in-
terspaces between costae. The right hand
specimen has many strong costae, crowded on the
whorls, with fine spiral threads between.
The brief description given by Carpenter (1856:
164) makes identification of his nominal species
difficult, if not impossible: therefore, their type
status is questionable. Palmer (1963: 332) unwise-
ly cited the last specimen mounted on the right
as the holotype, which being figured by her, is
tantamount to a type selection. This specimen
does not fit Carpenter's original description.
Because of the uncertainty of the identity of
Carpenter's taxon it must stand as a species in-
quirenda,
Pilsbry and Lowe (1932: 120) reported having
taken Epiti>nium regulare at Acapulco, Mexico,
but examination of the two specimens in the
Lowe collection (SDMNH 26442), at San Diego,
California, proves them to be Epitonium
(Asperiscala) eutaenium Dall, 1917. Except for
this one reference there seems to be no other cita-
tions to E. regulare other than to the syntypic J
specimens at the BM(NH). "
Epitonium (Asperiscala) textimattum is closer
to Epitonium (Asperiscala) walkerianum Hertlien
and Strong, 1951 (3.7 to 8 mm in length), than to
any other species in the Panamic— Galapagan
fauna. It differs from the latter by having much
finer spiral threads, fewer and discontinuous ribs,
with an occasional heavier rib, and by having a
larger shell (9.5 to 17 mm in length). The range
for E. walkerianum is from San Felipe. Gulf of
California, along the west coast of Mexico as far
south as Nicaragua, taken from the intertidal
zone down to 23 meters, whereas E. textimattum
is known only from off the west Mexican states
of Nayarit, Jalisco, and Colima.
The soft parts, when live, show through the
shell as coral-pink in color. The color fades to a
peach-tan within a few weeks. Sixty specimens of
this species were dredged just beyond the wave
line at Playa Los Angeles, Jalisco. Mexico, mud
substrate, at a depth of 7 to 18 meters in associa-
tion with the sand dollars, Encope firagilis Clark,
1948 and Encope perspective Agassiz, 1841,
August 1975, by Carol and Paul Skoglund. Dredg-
ing repeated at the same locality in December,
1975 revealed only two specimens of the new
species and only a few specimens of Persicula sp.
and Kurtziella sp. that were so numerous in
PACIFIC OCEAN
I
lO*' SO'
FIG. 5-Mn/) taken from the U. S. Hydrographic Siitfey
showing the coastline along which Epitonium (.\.speriseala)
textimattum IhiShane. n. sp. occurs. Tlie .tolid triangle in-
dicates the type locality.
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 91
FIG. 6— Epitonium (Asperiscala) textimattum IkiShane n. sp.
Niuclear whorls showing sculpture on the fifth whorl down of
minute indentations and small axial ribs (white portions).
August. In addition, few sand dollars were pre-
sent in the December dredgings.
Type locality— Play a. Los Angeles, Tenacatita
Bay, Jalisco, Mexico (Lat. 19° 18' N; Long. 104°50'
W). at depths of 7 to 18 meters. (See Map)
Type material— hohtype, Los Angeles County
Museum, Malacology Type Collection, No. 846.
Paratypes (1): To each of the following institu-
tions, American Museum of Natural History,
British Museum (Natural History), Delaware
Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles County
Museum of Natural History, National Museum of
Natural History (Smithsonian Institution),
Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia, Santa Bar-
bara Natural History Museum, San Diego Na-
tural History Museum; (2) DuShane Collection;
remainder in the Bennet and Skoglund Collec-
tions. Additonal paratypes.— Lo de Marcos, Na-
yarit; collected by the Bennets and Skoglunds,
September, 1974, dredged from 7 to 18 m, 1
specimen; Cuastecomate, Jalisco; collected by the
Skoglunds, August, 1975, dredged from 11 to 27
FIGS. 7 and 8— Epitonium (.'\speriscala) textimattum
DuShane, n. sp. 7— Operculum showing growth lines. Actual
size 2 mm. %— Attachment side of operculum showing
muscle attachment scar.
m, 2 specimens; Santiago Bay, Colima; collected
by the Skoglunds, August, 1975, dredged from 11
to 18 m, 1 specimen.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Dr. William K. Emerson I am most in-
debted for having read the manuscript and of-
fered useful suggestions and corrections, as well
as the species name; to Dr. George E. Radwin for
the loan of two specimens form the Lowe Collec-
tions; to Dr. Myra Keen for her photograph of
syntypic specimens of E. regulare in the BM(NH)
and to Bertram Draper for photographs of the
new species; to Dr. John Taylor for comparison of
species involved; to Merton Goldsmith for the
drawings and the map; to the Skoglunds (Carol
and Paul) for the privilege of naming this new
taxon.
LITERATURE CITED
Carpenter, Philip Pearsal. 1856. Description of new species of
shells collected by Mr. T. Bridges in the Bay of Panama and
its vicinity, in the collection of Hugh Cuming. Esq. Proc.
Zool. Soc. London. 159-166 (for 1856), (9 June)
Carpenter. Philip Pearsal. 1864. Supplementary report on the
present state of our knowledge with regard to the Mollusca
of the west coast of North America. Brit. Assoc. Adv. Sci..
Report. 33 (for 1863): 517-686 (post 1 August) [reprinted in
Carpenter. 1872: 1-172 (dating: Carpenter. 1872)1
Clark, Hubert Lyman. 1948. A report on the Echini of the
warmer eastern Pacific, based on the collection of the
Velero III. Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions, Univer. So.
Calif Press. 8(5): 1-352. pits. 35-71, text figs. 1-3.
deBoury, Eugene Auborg. 1919. Catalogue des sous-genres des
Scaladea. Jo!(n!. de Conchyl. 57: 256-258.
DuShane. Helen. 1974. The Panamic-Galapagan Epitoniidae.
The Veliger. Suppl. 16: 1-84; 1.54 photos. 1 map, 5 figs. (31
May 1974)
Hertlein, Leo George and Archibald McClure Strong. 1951.
Eastern Pacific expeditions of the New York Zoological
Society. Mollusks from the west coast of Mexico and Central
America. Part X. Zoologica 36: 67-120; pits. 1-11 (20 August
1951)
Palmer. Katherine V. W. 1963. Type specimens of marine
mollusca described by P. P. Carpenter from the west coast
of Mexico and Panama. Bull. Amer Paleo. 46(211):285-408;
pits. 58-70 (22 October 1963)
Pilsbry, Henry Augustus and Herbert N. Lowe. 1932. West
American and Central American mollusks collected by H.
N. Lowe. 1929-31. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 84:
33-144; 7 figs.; pits. 1-17; 2 photogr. (21 May 1932).
92 THE NAUTILUS
July 1, 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
THE EFFECTS OF GRAZING BY PHYSID AND PLANORBID
FRESHWATER SNAILS ON PERIPHYTON
Craig M. Doremus and Willard N. Harman
Biology Department
The State University of New York
College at Oneonta 13820
ABSTRACT
Populations of Physa heterostropha (Say) (Physidae) and Promenetus exacuous
(Say) (Planorbidae), were used in two-week experiments in controlled laboratory
microeconystems. Comparison of cholorphyll extracts from periphyton in snail-less
aquaria unth those containing snails were used to determine relative grazing effi-
ciency. Snail population density was inversely correlated with periphyton standing
crop in all sitautions, except for pure cultures of?, exacuous.
Studies of this kind have application in natural areas where decimation of snail
populations has effects on the species composition of the algal flora, and therefore,
water quality and resource utilization.
The effects of grazing by snails and other
aquatic invertebrates on periphyton (benthic
algae) is poorly known. Logically, one would ex-
pect the standing crop of periphyton to decrease
in the presence of grazing invertebrate popula-
tions. Indeed, Douglas (1958) suggested that the
caddis fly larvae, Agapetus fuscipes, controlled
the population size of the diatom Achanthes dur-
ing the spring and summer in a small stream in
England. She noted a strong inverse relationship
between the numbers of the caddis fly larvae and
numbers of diatoms during that time. A study
along the Oregon coast by Castenholtz, (1960)
demonstrated how a heavy diatom population in
the upper half of the intertidal zone was held in
check by limpets and littorines during summer
periods. Kehde and Wilhm (1972) noted how snail
grazing affected the community structure of
periphyton in labortory streams. They exposed
the periphyton to grazing by the snail Physa
gyrina Say for three months and measured a
significant increase in the chlorophyll a concen-
tration and a slight reduction in the standing
crop of the periphyton. Beyers, (1963) in a
laboratory microecosystem, showed that when the
large herbivorous snail Marisa comuarietis
(Linne) was added to the system, it severely
overgrazed the macrophytes and associated
periphyton.
The following pilot study was undertaken to
determine: (1) the effect that selected freshwater
pulmonate snails have on periphyton standing
crop, (2) the effects the population density of
these snails has on the grazing ability of in-
dividuals, and (3) whether one species has effects
on the other's grazing ability when both are in
the same laboratory microecosystem.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Individuals of Physa heterostropha (Say) about
13 mm. in length and with an average wet weight
of .06 gm. and those of Promenetus exacuous
(Say) about 4.5 mm. in length and with an
average wet weight of .01 gm. were used for the
experiment. Both species are commonly found in
central New York State (Harman and Berg,
1971). The individuals used for the study were
taken from coexisting populations in Rat Cove, a
partially protected bay along the southwestern
shore of Otsego Lake, the headwaters of the Sus-
quehanna River in east-central New York. The
lake is morphometrically oligotrophic but
chemical characteristics are typical of eutrophic
waters. It has a surface area of 1,725 ha (6.7 sq.
miles) and a maximum depth of 51 m (166 ft.).
Rat Cove has a littoral area roughly .4 x .2 km.
in size, up to 6 m. in depth and has a bottom
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1. 1977
THE NAUTILUS 93
TABLE 1. Oiaracteristics of gastropod populations, algal populations and water utilizedfor the study.
Controls
Laboratorj'
Microecosystems
5
10
15
5
5
10
10
10
15
15
.3
.6
.9
.12
.04
.06
.32
.34
.62
.64
.66
.94
.96
100
70
30
25
60
75
70
30
40
60
15
35
10
20
42.17
14.06
9.37
9.38
23.43
28.12
30.46
14.06
14.06
23.43
7.03
14.06
7.03
9.37
93.0
92.0
89.0
76.0
96.0
102.5
96.0
84.5
84.5
83.0
82.0
90.0
87.5
90.5
129.3
121,0
108.5
106.0
137.5
134.5
130.5
124.0
120.0
108.0
125.0
124.5
124.0
124.0
8.3
8.3
8.1
8.0
8.4
8.4
8.2
8.3
8.2
8.3
8.1
8.3
8.3
8.1
7.2
7.6
7,5
7.6
7,3
7,6
7.4
7.2
7.2
7.6
7.2
7.2
7.5
7.6
90.3
925
94.5
93.0
93.5
94.5
93.0
93.5
93.5
96.0
93.5
92.0
94.5
94.0
27.3
26.0
27.5
26.0
28.5
26.5
27.5
29.5
29.5
28.5
29.5
29.5
28.0
26.5
* estimates per unit area equal to one laboratory microecosystem.
composed of deep organic muds (Herrmann and
Harman, 1975).
Laboratory microecosystems were set up in
twenty-nine covered, rectangular plastic "mini-
tanks" (18 X 25 X 10 cm). Each was sterilized with
95% ethanol and then rinsed thoroughly with tap
water. Three liters of lake water from Rat Cove,
filtered through a screen with a .5 mm filter
mesh to remove macroinvertebrate grazers, were
added to each tank to provide a potential snail
grazing surface area of 1250 cm^ Three
microscope slides, each with a surface area of 19
cm^ were placed in each container. Various
population densities of snails (Table 1) were used,
some with one species present and others with
both species coexisting. A density of 10 in-
dividuals of Physa and 4 individuals of Pro-
menetus was considered an estimation of the
population density of each respective snail
population in Rat Cove. With this as a basis, we
arrived at the densities shown in Table 1 by
lowering or increasing the number of snails per
tank proportionally. The complete series was
duplicated and the control (no snails in a con-
tainer) was repeated three times.
Aquaria were arranged in rows 25 cm below
continuously illuminated 20 watt naturescent and
gro-lux fluorescent lights. Each tank was fur-
nished with continuous aeration. Half the water
was removed twice a week from each container
and replenished with filtered lake water to pro-
vide a regular turnover of nutrients. At these
times dead snails were replaced with living in-
dividuals from Rat Cove.
To ascertain if conditions varied among the
tanks and between natural and laboratory condi-
tions, various chemical and physical charac-
teristics of the water were determined in each
aquaria and the snail collection site in Rat Cove.
Water was analyzed for pH using a Beckman pH
meter. Dissolved oxygen determinations (mg/1)
employed the Winkler method-azide modification
(APHA et al, 1970). Total alkalinity (as CaCo, in
mg/1) was determined by titration with .02N
H2SO4 using methyl orange as an indicator
(APHA et al, 1970). Temperature and dissolved
oxygen were utilized to determine oxygen satura-
tion from a nomograph (Hutchinson, 1957). Dis-
solved solids were determined by a Myron Dis-
solved Solids Meter.
Snails were allowed to graze two weeks in the
tanks. At the end of that time all slides were
removed. The three slides from each aquaria were
collectively placed in flasks with 200 ml of 90%
acetone for 72 hrs. at 5° C to extract chlorophyll.
In a 2.54 cm spectrophotometer cell, chlorophyll
transmittance was read at the 665 mn setting of
a Bauch & Lomb (Spectronic 20) spectrophoto-
meter. Results, expressed as a percentage of the
94 THE NAUTILUS
July 1, 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
transmittance exhibited by the chlorophyll ex-
tracted from the controls, were utilized as
measurements of the standing crop of periphyton.
Thus, low values indicated that periphyton
populations were greatly reduced by grazing
snails. We consider these to represent efficient
grazing abilities. The ^ig of chlorophyll a per m'
was also utilized for comparative purposes
because it is a potentially more definitive index.
The results are given as fig Chi a/m' = 937.01
(Optical Density at 665 m/i), which assumes the
absence of degredation products and interfering
pigments in the chlorophyll extract.
There was a significant size and weight dif-
ference between specimens of Physa (.06 gm/in-
dividual) and those of Promenetus (.01 gm/in-
dividual). In order to give an accurate picture of
the relative grazing abilities of the two species,
total weight of the populations were used as a
measure of population density. Since individuals
of P. heterostropha weighed six times more than
those of P. exacuous, it was assumed that six
individuals of P. exaciunis would have grazing
abilities comparable to one individual of P.
heterostropha.
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PARAMETERS
Limnological characteristics of the tanks con-
taining Physa are illustrated in Table 1 as are
characteristics of aquaria supporting populations
of Promenetus and limnological features of tanks
containing populations of both species. Also il-
lustrated are physical and chemical characteris-
tics of the water in Rat Cove at the time the
snails were initially collected on August 4, 1974.
The chemical and physical characteristics of
the tanks containing P. heterostropha tend to ex-
hibit reduced values as population density in-
creases, except for oxygen saturation and the
related parameters of temperature and oxygen
concentration. All values peaked at intermediate
population densities when only Promenetus was
present. When the two species coexisted, the
values appeared to remain stable as density in-
creased. A series of t-tests indicated that signifi-
cant differences between aquaria occurred in
alkalinity and dissolved solids despite continual
addition of lake water. All statistical analyses
were performed at the 0.05 level.
Water from Rat Cove and in the experimental
aquaria differed greatly. Both environments were
provided with the same amount of nutrients, but
the tanks were completely enclosed and exhibited
the characteristics of high eutrophy in a short
time under continuous illumination. This is ap-
parently related to the great surface area per
unit substrate in Rat Cove that absorbs the
nutrients, only slowly releasing them, compared
Control
Promenetus exacuoui
Physa heterostropha
Both species coexrsting
.4 5 .6
Total snail weight per crisper
FIG. 1. (ir(uing€fficie7Uiy of maik expressed as Log (Ckl a ^igrns/m^) ^ 2.550 - .297 Log (total snail weight per crisper).
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 95
tx) their immediate availability in the tanks. The
result is a buffering of the eutrophication process
in Otsego Lake when enrichment is not too
severe.
Limnological parameters measured in each
container were well within the limits for the two
species measured by Harman and Berg (1971) in
their survey of freshwater snails of central New
York, indicating that the chemical conditions in
the tanks were not atypical and the results can
be applied to natural populations.
SNAIL GRAZING
Table 1 indicates the grazing efficiency of both
mixed and pure cultures of P. heterostropha and
P. exaxnious. The grazing efficiency of all snail
populations was represented by the equation (Log
Y = 2.550 - .297 Log X) where Y equals the
chlorophyll a content in ^gm/m^ (extracted from
slides placed in the aquaria) and X equals the
total snail weight per tank, a measure of snail
population density. The negative correlation,
shown in Figure 1, clearly illustrates the fact
that as snail population density increased, stand-
ing crop of periphyton (chlorophyll a content)
decreased.
Physa heterostropha had a grazing ability effi-
cient enough to reduce the standing crop of
periphyton at all population densities studied
(Fig. 1). The positive correlation between popula-
tion density of P. exacuous and periphyton
chlorophyll concentration illustrates the fact that
this species is unable to limit growth of algae
(Fig. 1). The increase in periphyton population
density writh increase in snail population density
may be due to the increased availability of nu-
trients brought about by the presence of snails in
the crispers. However, equally possible are effects
of competitive interactions between algal species
resulting from differences in the grazing char-
acteristics of the snail species involved.
The grazing ability of coexisting snail popula-
tions is not significantly different from that of
pure cultures of P. heterostropha (Fig. 1). This is
what was expected, since P. exacuous added very
little biomass in the experiments utilizing coex-
isting populations.
The sides and bottom of the snail-less control
tanks were thickly covered with attached algae,
but those with snails in them appeared relatively
free.
CONCLUSIONS
It is an overgeneralization to state that
periphyton standing crop is decreased by the
presence of snail populations. Although this is
often the case, as shown by our data collected
form pure cultures of P. heterostropha and mixed
cultures of P. heterostropha and P. exacuous,
situations can arise when algal standing crops in-
crease in size.
When a particular species of gastropod grazes
it undoubtedly alters competitive interactions
between various species of algae by more effi-
ciently cropping one species than another. In a
natural environment these alterations could be
extremely significant. In this study it was not
determined whether this kind of phenomenon
caused the periphyton standing crop to increase
as the population density of P. exanwus in-
creased. These results may have come about
because of "inefficient" grazing of P. exacuous, in
combination with the effects of continuous il-
lumination and added nutrients associated with
the presence of the snails.
In many localities great effort has been ex-
pended on the eradication of freshwater snail
populations because they are intermediate hosts
of economically important trematode parasites.
The harvesting of rooted aquatic plants, with con-
comittant removal of gastropods, is taking place
in more and more situations where the plants
have become nuisances. If snails have important
effects on the standing crops of benthic algae in
those ecosystems, studies such as this could deter-
mine how well snails control algal population
densities, and therefore, maintain the quality of
natural waters.
LITERATURE CITED
APHA, AWWA, and WPCF. 1970 Standard metehods for
the examination of water and wastewater. American Public
Health Association.
Beyers, R. J. 1963. The metabolism of twelve aquatic
laboratory microecosystems. EcnI. Monagr. 33:281-.306.
Castenholts. R. W. 1961. The effect of grazing on marine lit-
toral diatom populations. Ecology A2(i): 783-794.
96 THE NAUTILUS
July 1. 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
Douglas. Barbara. 1958. The ecology of the attached diatoms
and other algae in a small stony stream. J. EcoL 46:
295-32^
Harman. W. N. and C. 0. Berg. 1971. Tlie freshwater snails of
central New York with illustrated keys to the genera and
species. Search: Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta., Eiitomol.,
Ithaca my. 1-68.
Herrman. S. A. and W. N. Harman. 1975. Studies on two
populations of Physa heterostropha (Say). Ohio J. Sci. 75(2):
85-95.
Hutchinson, G. E. 1957. A treatise on limnology. Volume 1.
John Wiley and Sons. Inc.
Kehde, P. M. and J. L. Wilhm. 1972. The effects of grazing by
snails on community structure in laboratory streams.
Amer. Mid. Nat. %7 {I): S-2i.
A FURTHER NOTE ON GEOLOGIC CHANGES IN THE RELATIVE
SIZE OF BIVALVE SHELLS
Ralph W. Dexter
Department of Biology
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242
At the 1965 meeting of the American Mala-
cological Union, I challenged the conclusions of E.
S. Morse who published various reports from 1879
to 1925 showing differences in the proportion
(length-width) of bivalve shells between those
found in native shell-heaps and living sjjecimens
from the same locality. He believed that the dif-
ference was due to climatic change. However, it
was demonstrated that the ratio of Mya arenaria
L. depends upon the nature of the substratum in
which the clams developed. Without a knowledge
of the substratum, comparisons cannot by made
{Annual Reports, A.M.U. for 1965, p. 18).
In studying the correspondence of naturalists
at the Museum of Science, Boston, Massachusetts,
I encountered a similar situation. Apparently,
Sameul H. Scudder, Curator at the Boston Society
of Natural History, believed he could detect a dif-
ference in shell size between fossil and recent
shells of the quahog (Mercenaria mercenana L.)
and, like Morse, had assumed an evolutionary
change. Addison E. Verrill, at Yale University,
however, realized the differences could be due to
local environmental conditions. He wrote to Scud-
der 9 October 1875 as follows:
"You are perfectly correct in regard
to the peculiarities of the majority of
the fossil quahogs with the average
specimens seen in our markets. I had
noted the same differences, but they
are not constant in the fossils, for in
my lot there are some of good size that
are as thin and smooth as ordinary
New Haven specimens of the same size
and they have the same form also. We
have a large number (50 or more) of
good, large (3-4'/2 in.) Nantucket
quahogs obtained from a native. They
are remarkable for their massiveness,
for their strong concentric rings and
most of them are rather rounded and
the disk violet color extends in a broad
zone entirely across the shell (the
same is true of some of the fossils that
retain traces of color), and in the
totality of their characters they are
more like the average fossil quahogs
than are those from any other locality
yet examined, but in the same lot are
some of the thin, elongated ones nearly
smooth in the middle like the ordinary
sort and others that are intermediate.
I imagine that such differences as oc-
cur are due to local causes and were in
ancient times as now, inconstant. I
presume that localities might now be
found where the quahog would be
precisely like the fossils."
Permission to quote Verrill's letter was kindly
given by the Museum of Science, Boston, Mass.
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 97
BUOYANCY CHANGES AS RELATED TO RESPIRATORY BEHAVIOR IN AN
AMPHIBIOUS SNAIL, POMACEA URCEUS (MULLER), FROM VENEZUELA
Kathleen A. Burky' and Albert J. Burky'
Instituto de Zoologi'a Tropical, Facultad de Ciencias,
Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
ABSTRACT
The ampullariid Pomacea urceus uses its ctenidium and lung in respiration. The
snails reach the surface urith their siphon and ventilate their lung by urithdraunruj
their head-foot in a pumping action. The lung gas also serves to change the
buoyancy of the snails. After a ventilation a snail does not necessarily return to
the same hioyancy level. They may achieve overall specific gravities of <1 to >1
after a ventilation. They may remain submerged (s.g. >1) or float (s.g. <1) for long
periods. In the field many P. urceus are found floating during periods of low ox-
ygen tension. Underwater weights were recorded over 2h hr and five day periods.
Weight changes are representative of gas volume changes in the lung. The most
rapid changes take place over the first six hours. Adult snails normally ventilate
their lung within the first two hours of submersion. Juvenile P. urceus ventilate
their lung more frequently than adults. Pomacea falconensis and P. luteostoma are
similar to juveniles of P. urceus in size and show similar ventilation rates. The
rate differences probably reflect the difference in lung capacity to total tissue in
relation to metabolic rate.
Considerable significance attaches to any obser-
vations on the structural and functional adapta-
tions shown by "primitive" lung-fish. This is also
true for amphibious snails. Such observations,
especially physiological data from whole animals,
can be of interest in two ways. First, at the level
of mechanistic physiology, they help establish our
concepts of how such an "unlikely" animal ma-
chine as one built on the basic molluscan plan —
of great efficiency in an aquatic environment —
can maintain itself on land. Secondly, it is possi-
ble that hypotheses on the evolution of the major
land stocks can be modified as a result of phy-
siological investigation of amphibious stocks
(whether they involve "partially adapted" or
"doubly adapted" forms).
The remarkable physiological plasticity shown
by amphibious and freshwater snails of the major
class Pulmonata has been discussed elsewhere
(Russell-Hunter, 1964). The mantle-cavity con-
verted as a "lung" can be used in rhythmic "div-
' Present address: Department of Biology, University of
Dayton, Dayton Ohio 4&J69, U.S.A
ing" (Russell-Hunter, 1953a, b, 1957), or be
water-filled, or have its gas used as a "physical
gill" for the underwater uptake of oxygen (Rus-
sell-Hunter, 1953b; Henderson, 1963), or prin-
cipally to provide buoyancy (Jacobs, 1941; Rus-
sell-Hunter, 1953b; Henderson, 1963).
Among the amphibious prosobranchs are sever-
al genera and species in the family Ampulla-
riidae (superfamily Viviparacea). It has long
been known (Troschel, 1845; Pelseneer, 1895) that
ampullariid snails possess unusually "amphib-
ious" respiratory structures, one part of the
mantle-cavity containing a ctenidium and ano-
ther part being modified as a gas-filled lung cavi-
ty. Significant anatomical studies on ampul-
lariids have been reviewed (FYetter and Graham,
1962; Demian, 1965; Andrews, 1965a, b) and the
physiology of aestivation has received attention
(Meenakshi. 1956. 1957, 1964; Visser. 1965;
Burky. Pacheco. and Pereyra, 1972). The behavior
of lung ventilation has been discussed by Robson
(1922). Prashad (1925, 1932), and Andrews (1965b),
and examined in greater detail by McClary (1964)
and Demain (1%5). Until recently there has been
98 THE NAUTILUS
Julv 1, 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
little modern physiological and ecological work
on populations of ampullariids, but now there are
extensive data on Fomacea urceits. which is abun-
dant over vast areas of the Venezuelan savannah.
These include data on growth and biomass turn-
over (Burky, 1973, 1974) and on temperature, wa-
ter, and respiratory regimes (Burky, Pacheco,
and Pereyra, 1972). This paper reports work on
buoyancy changes in relation to respiratory be-
havior in Pomacea urceus (conducted by the
senior author in Venezuela in 1970, along with
some comparative notes on other aspects of respi-
ration in P. urreua, and with limited comparative
data on three other species of ampullariids.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The snails were initially maintained in large
outside tanks and then moved to aquaria in the
laboratory. Caracas tap water was used but only
after it had been allowed to stand for 24 hr or
longer. When changing the water (at least twice
a week), 25%-50% of the used "conditioned"
water was usually retained. Snails were regularly
fed lettuce.
The weighing apparatus used in this investiga-
tion (Fig. 1) was designed after that used by
Balance
eratlon
FIG. 1. Weiyhiny apparatus.
Henderson (1963). A triple-beam balance and a
plastic weighing cage (made from a two liter bot-
tle) with a volume of about 1.25 I were used.
Lead weights were added to the naturally buoy-
ant plastic cages until an underwater weight of
9-10 g was reached and this weight is referred to
as the zero weight. This could easily ac-
commodate the range of buoyancy changes in P.
urceus. When the underwater weight of a snail is
greater than the zero weight, it has an overall
specific gravity of greater than one. It follows
that underwater weights of less than or equal to
the zero weight will correspond to specific
gravities of less than one and one respectively.
Snails were taken from aquaria at ambient room
temperature (about 20-25° C) and placed in cons-
tant temperature tanks (maintained near 29° C)
two days before each experiment. Eighteen to 24
hr before an experiment, a snail was placed in an
experimental cage with lettuce. The cage was
suspended from the balance by coated copper
wire a few centimeters below the water surface.
On the morning of each experiment uneaten let-
tuce was removed and the snail was observed un-
til it ventilated its lung by reaching the surface
with its siphon. It was immediately lowered to a
depth of more than double its shell length so it
could not reach the surface with its siphon to
ventilate, and weighed. Subsequent weighings
were made at various intervals depending on the
experiment. The water was continuously aerated
throughout each experiment; all snails were
starved throughout each experiment; and all ex-
perimental temperatures were in the range of
28.75-29.75° C, since this is near the natural field
temperature during the rainy season (Table 1).
The weight of a snail is reduced by a force
equal to the mass of the water displaced when
submerged. The submerged weight reduction in
grams (without gas in the lung) is equal to the
volume of water displaced (milliters), since one
gram of water can be assumed to have a volume
of one milliliter. It follows that the weight of a
submerged snail will be further reduced by one
gram per milliliter of gas (weight of the gas is
disregarded) in the lung. Therefore underwater
weight changes give an accurate picture of the
gas volume changes in the lung. Since milliliters
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1. 1977
THE NAUTILUS 99
TABLE 1. Physical data from the natural habitat of
Pomacea urceusduhng the rainy season.
and grams are equivalent, the gas in the lung at
the start of each exi)eriment can be estimated.
The volume of a contracted snail in milliliters
(determined by displacement of water) was sub-
tracted from the weight of the snail (in air) in
grams to give the underwater weight of the snail
without any gas in the lung. It follows that the
difference between the underwater weight with-
out gas and the underwater weight of the snail
immediately after ventilation will give the mil-
liliters of air present in the lung. It is necessary
to estimate the initial gas volume since it is not
possible to force these snails to expel all gas for
an underwater weight (without gas) at the end of
an experiment. It also follows that the volume
meaurement of a snail is not accurate and will
include the volume of any retained gas. There-
fore, initial gas volumes are underestimates but
make reasonable comparisons between snails pos-
sible.
Observations on the interval between successive
ventilations and the number of pumps per ven-
tilation were made on adults and juveniles of
Pomacea urceus, and on adults of P. falconensis
and P. luteostoma (Swainson). Some general
observations were also made on Marisa cor-
nuarietis (Linne).
Field measurments were taken hourly over a
24 hr period. Temperatures were recorded with a
YSI Tele-thermometer; oxygen tensions were re-
corded with a YSI portable oxygen electrode; and
pH values were recorded with a portable pH
meter.
RESULTS
It is important to know the weight and volume
of body parts for Pomacea urceus. This informa-
tion is partly based on the data of Burky,
Pacheco, and Pereyra (1972) and is given for a
hypothetical snail of lOOg in Table 2.
Volume reductions over twenty-four hours of
submersion— Ohservsitions of underwater weight
changes were made over 24 hr periods of contin-
uous submersion. Periods of submersion started
immediately after ventilation of the lung. Under
experimental conditions a snail usually reduces
its overall specific gravity without becoming
buoyant. The results of such an experiment are
illustrated in Fig. 2 and given in Table 3.
The weight increases (volume reductions) are
brought about smoothly with time. The most
rapid changes take place during the first six
hours. The weight increase in the first hour is
equivalent to a 6.7% reduction in the volume of
gas. The rate decreases to Ll% of the initial
volume in the sixth hour. In the first six hours,
TABLE 2. Estimated weight and volume of body parts for a
hypothetical snail with a maximum live weight of 100 g (shell
length, abotit 85 mm).
_ <mlr
Without gas
Body part and condition g' volume of
lung
Whole live active snail (includes shell)
Water retained in mantle cavity
Wet tissue of active snail
Dry tissue of active snail
Whole live aestivating snail at end
of dry season (includes shell)
Wet tissue of aestivating snail at end
of dry season
Dry tissue of aestivating snail at end
of dry season
Shell
* The above values are based on weights from 59 active and
15 aestivating snails, and from the extensive data on the rate
of weight loss during aestivation (Burky, Pacheco, and
Pereyra. 1972). The shell volume is based on a compromise
specific gravity (2.8) between calcite and aragonite since the
crystalline structure is not known. Also, the shell contains
organic compounds. It is assumed that the specific gravity of
wet tissue is 1.0.
100 THE NAUTILUS
July 1. 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
Tim* (hours)
FIG. 2. Underwater weight changes during a twenty-four
hour period uf submersion. Erperimental snail No. 1. Zero
weight, 9.72 g.
19.6% of the initial volume has been lost while at
the end of 24 hr, a 28.3% reduction was observed.
Volume reductions over five days of sub-
mersion—Table 4 gives the results from ex-
perimental snails which were maintained under
experimental conditions for an additional four
days. Figure 3 illustrates the results for one of
these snails. The smooth weight increase (volume
reduction) continues but at a reduced rate. The
weight increase for the first day is equivalent to
a gas volume reduction of 28.3% (Table 3) or
29.5% (Table 4). The rate decreases to 4.0% of in-
itial volume on the fifth day (equivalent to 0.17%
of initial volume per hour). The total volume re-
duction after five days is 46.2% of the initial
volume. Although these snails were without food
or access to air they appeared to be in good con-
dition throughout the five day period. E^ch snail
was active and tried to ventilate throughout the
r
r. I
Time (hours)
FIG. 3. Underwater weight changes during a five day period
of submersion. Experimental snail No. S. Zero weight. 9.72g.
experiment by reaching upwards with its siphon.
This behavior was characteristic of all experimen-
tal snails.
Buoyancy of smmls—\i has already been
pointed out that these snails usually do not
become buoyant under experimental conditions.
The results of the one experiment in which the
snail became buoyant is illustrated in Figure 4.
The results presented for the snail of Figure 4
are not given in either Tables 3 or 4. The snail of
Figure 4 was neutrally buoyant after about 3 hr
of submersion. At the end of nearly three days
the snail was allowed to ventilate and it returned
to its original buoyancy level. Following this ven-
tilation, the weight increase with time was re-
duced. This rate reduction may be a result of
starvation, respiratory stress, and other undeter-
mined experimental conditions.
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 101
TABLE 4. Gas volume changes in the lung during a five day period of submersion.
It should be pointed out that flotation is com-
mon in these snails. On numerous occasions over
50% of these snails have been observed to float in
laboratory tanks. At other times all are sub-
merged. In the field most of the snails collected
are those which are floating. Collecting snails is
easiest in the early morning because of the large
numbers which are buoyant. By mid-day condi-
tions have changed and floating snails may be
difficult to find.
Pomacea urceus is either buoyant or has a
specific gravity of greater than one after each
ventilation. Therefore these snails do not always
return to the same specific gravity after each
ventilation. However, one must ask if a level is
maintained while floating or while submerged.
Figure 5 gives the results of a snail (specific
gravity greater than one) which was allowed to
ventilate at will. This individual may return to
the same weight level; it may go to a much lower
specific gravity; or it may decrease the total gas
volume during the process of ventilation. On two
occasions this snail ventilated three successive
times before a smooth weight increase was re-
corded. This type of ventilating activity has been
observed frequently in laboratory tanks.
Siphonal ventilation in Pomacea urceics, P.
falconensis, P. luteostoma, and Marisa cor-
nuarietis.— During ventilation the tip of the
siphon is brought into contact with the surface to
form an air tube to the lung. The head of these
ampullariids is then observed to contract in a
pumping action. Adults of P. urceus are gigantic
and are capable of extending their siphon by at
least 1.5 times their shell length. A large snail of
125 mm can easily extend its siphon about 200
mm and makes little effort to reach the surface
of shallow laboratory tanks. The juveniles of P.
urceus and the adults of P. falconerms, P.
luteostoma, and Marisa comuarietis all had max-
imum shell dimensions of about 30 mm.
/
7^
2400 2400
Tim* (hours)
FIG. 4. Underwater weight changes of a snail which was
buoyant after ventilation of its lung. Broken line indicates a
decrease in weight when snail was allowed access to air after
a period of nearly three days.
1200 laoo
TImi (hours)
FIG. 5. Undenrater weight changes after successive ventila-
tions of the lung. Those weights marked by an X indicate the
weight immediately after completion of a ventilation. Zero
weight, 9.75 g.
102 THE NAUTILUS
July 1. 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
Adults of P. urceus ventilate their lung every
62 min with about 18 pumps per ventilation
(Table 5). Juveniles of P. urceiw^ ventilate every
20 min with about eight pumps per ventilation
(Table 5). The difference between the adults and
juveniles of P. urceus undoubtedly reflect size.
The adults of P. falconemns and P. luteostoma
were similar to juveniles of P. urceus in the in-
terval between ventilations and in the pumps per
ventilation (Table 5). In addition to the snails of
Table 5, Marisa comuarietvi was also maintained
in aquaria. All the ampuUariids regularly surface
and actively ventilate their lung by extending
and withdrawing their head-foot. They have all
been ovserved to release from the bottom and
float to the surface. They may also float for pro-
longed periods as well as release gas at the sur-
face and sink to the bottom.
DISCUSSION
Unfortunately there are no published data on
the underwater weights of ampullariids. There-
fore many comparisons must be made with the
extensive data of Henderson (1963) on freshwater
pulmonate snails.
This investigation has shown that Pomacea
urceus regularly surfaces and ventilates its lung.
This snail may become buoyant and float or
maintain a specific gravity of greater than one.
Ventilation normally occurs during the period of
greatest weight change. This is also true of the
pulmonates studied by Henderson (1963). For
Henderson's pulmonates, the buoyancy level is
apparently used as a very sensitive signal for sur-
facing. This is not the case for P. urceus, which
ventilates at various buoyancy levels (Fig. 5). En-
vironmental oxygen tension is probably a more
important signal for surfacing. McClary (1964)
showed that the buoyancy in P. paludosa is
reduced before surfacing, but believes that oxygen
tension is probably the critical stimulus. Pomacea
urce^ui maintains an overall specific gravity of
greater than or less than one for periods of ac-
tivity while continuously submerged or while
floating. The apparent greater variability of sur-
facing behavior in P. urceus may well be ac-
counted for by the presence of a functional
ctenidium. This provides an alternative: aquatic
respiration with its gill or aerial respiration with
its lung. Henderson (1963) points out that Lym-
naea stagnalis and Planorbarius comev^ are very
sensitive to disturbances and such will cause an
increased amount of gas to be taken in at the
surface. In P. urceus there is a sensitivity to
vibration, movement near aquaria, and light
changes. Such irritations may cause a snail to
retract and remain inactive for long periods.
However, there is no evidence that disturbances
cause an increase in the amount of air taken in
during ventilation. TTiis sensitivity increased as
TABLE 5 Prpqiipnry and intensity of siphonal ventitation nf the Ivng in adultii nnd jiwenilfs o/ Pomacea urceus. and in P.
falconensis and P. luteostoma.
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 103
the breeding season neared. During November
when copulating pairs are common, experiments
are impossible to perform. Therefore, these
results are not representative of snails at all
times. Further, P. urceits aestivates during the
dry season and remains buried in the dry ground
surface where aerial respiration is obligatory
(Burky, Pacheco, and Pereyra, 1972; Burky, 1973,
1974).
Over periods of 24 hours, Henderson (1963)
reports that for L. stagnalis and P. comeus,
56.7% and 52.2% of the gas bubble has been lost,
respectively. For P. urceus, only 28.3% of the gas
bubble has been lost for the same period. At the
end of five days these pulmonates have lost 93.5%
and 91.5% of the gas respectively, while P. urceus
has only lost 46.2%. The lower percentages for P.
urceiis probably represents a lower respiratory
rate for this large snail. However, the ratio of gas
volume to body tissue, as well as the presence of
a gill are also involved.
On occasion the interface of the gas at the
pulmonary opening was observed. However, this
opening is relatively small in the genus Pomacea
(Andrews 1965b) and is probably not suitable as
a diffusion interface. Further, there is no
evidence that P. urceus uses the pulmonary gas
as a physical gill. After ventilation some snails
have been observed to retract and remain inac-
tive on the bottom until just before the next ven-
tilation. In these snails the pulmonary gas must
be used as an oxygen store.
It is known that the rate of aquatic respiration
of snails decreases with oxygen tension (Berg and
Ockelmann, 1959). Similarly it follows that the
volume reductions for P. urcevs represent
reduced rates of gas consumption with time. This
has also been claimed for pulmonates by Hender-
son (1963) who points out that the weight
changes, although representative of volume reduc-
tions, cannot be converted to oxygen consumption
rates. There is a constant loss of nitrogen and
other gases to the surrounding water. However,
the rates reported by Henderson are of the same
order as oxygen consumption rates reported by
others for pulmonates. In P. urceus the weight
changes can be assumed to be even less represen-
tative of oxygen consumption rates since apart
from cutaneous respiration there is a functional
gill. Regardless, the initial hourly volume change
for P. urceus is of the same order as the oxygen
consumption rates of active adults (Burky,
Pacheco, and Pereyra, 1972).
It was observed that juveniles of P. urceus ven-
tilate their lung more frequently than adults.
This probably reflects a higher metabolic rate in
the smaller snails. Significantly, these juveniles
show ventilation frequencies which are similar to
those for adults of other species with the same
approximate size (P. falconensis and P.
luteostoma, from Table 5; P. paludosa from Mc-
Clary, 1964; Marisa comuMrietis from Demain,
1965). The difference between juvenile and adult
P. urceus may also reflect differences in the ra-
tio of lung capacity to total tissue in relation to
metabolic rate.
It has been pointed out that more snails are
observed to float during the morning in the field.
Over vast areas of the savannah, greater than
three meters of water may cover the savannah
during the rainy season. Significantly the oxygen
tension is lowest during the morning hours
(Table 1). At times of high oxygen tension, in the
aftemon and evening, there may be "less" de-
pendency on aerial respiration. Andrews (1965b)
points out that the ctenidium of ampullariids is
relatively smaller that in other prosobranchs
and that the genus Pomacea has a relatively
large lung when compared to other ampullariids.
The relative proportions of gill to lung support
the field observations in relation to oxygen
tensions and floating activity.
Willmer (1934) studied the relation between
the mode of respiration and the gas content of
the water in a tropical fish, the yarrow. At low
oxygen tension aerial respiration is used; at high
oxygen tension and specific carbon dioxide ten-
sions aquatic respiration is used; and at in-
termediate gas concentrations both means of
respiration are employed. It would be interesting
to know the specific responses of Pomacea urceus
to varying tensions of oxygen and carbon dioxide
as well as the characteristics of its haemocyanin.
Ampullariids possess a typical prosobranch
ctenidium and it is unlikely that this could be of
secondary origin (Andrews, 1965b). The develop-
ment of the lung in ampullariids is unlike that of
104 THE NAUTILUS
July 1, 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
pulmonates (Ranjah, 1942) and is a new secon-
darily derived structure (Ranjah, 1942; Demain,
1964 discussion and references therein). This sup-
ports the primary ctenidial origin and the secon-
dary pulmonary structure and physiological me-
chanisms in ampullariids. As indicated in the in-
troduction and above, more information on respi-
ratory behavior and physiology will give a better
basis to our concepts of the evolution of this pro-
sobranch group and the structural-functional ba-
sis for the colonization of amphibious-terrestrial
habitats by these snails.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank Professor Jesus
Pacheco for making facilities and equipment
available; Eduardo Miranda and Oswaldo Tra-
vieso for their assistance in collecting snails; Mr.
T. Pain for the identification of the snails and
Dr. W. D. Russell -Hunter for his continuing in-
terest and constructive criticism of the manu-
script. Voucher specimens are on deposit for
future reference at the Delaware Museum of
Natural History, no. 102235.
LITERATURE CITED
Andrews, E. B. 1965a. The functional anatomy of the gut of
the prosobranch gastropod Pomacea canaliculata and of
some other pilids. Proc. Zool. Soc. Land. 145: 19-36.
Andrews. E. B. 1965b. The functional anatomy of the mantle
cavity, kidney and blood system of some pilid gastropods
(Prosobranchia). J. Z<ioL 146: 70-94.
Berg, K., and K. W. Ockelmann. 1959. The respiration of
freshwater snails. J. Exp. Biol. 36: 690-708.
Burky, A. J. 1973. Organic content of eggs and juveniles of an
amphibious snail, Pomacea urceus (Muller), from the
Venezuelan savannah and their ecological significance.
Malac. Rev. 6: 59.
Burky, A. J. 1974. Growth and biomass production of an am-
phibious snail, Pomacea urceus (Muller), from the
Venezuelan savannah. Proc. Malac. Soc. bond. 41: 127-143.
Burky, A. J., J. Pacheco, and E. Pereyra. 1972. Temperature,
water, and respiratory regimes of an amphibious snail,
Pomacea urceus (Muller), from the Venezuelan savannah.
Biol. BuU. 143: 304-316.
Demian, E. S. 1965. The respiratory system and the
mechanisn of respiration in Marisa comuarietis (L). Ark.
Zool 17: 539-558.
Fretter, V., and A. Graham. 1962. British Prosobranch
Molhiscs. London: Ray Society.
Henderson, A. E. 1963. On the underwater weights of
freshwater snails. Z Vergl. Physiol. 46: 467-490.
Jacobs. W. 1941. Die hydrostatische Bedeutung der At-
mungsorgane von Wassertieren. S.B. Ges. Morph. Physiol
Munch. 50: 45-52 (Citation from Henderson 1963)
Lufty, R. G., and E. S. Demian. 1965. The histology of the
respiratory organs of Marisa comuarietis (L.). Ark. Zool
18: 51-71.
Meenakshi, V. R. 1956. Physiology of hibernation of the
apple-snail Pila virens (Lamarck). Curr. Sci. 25: 321-322.
Meenakshi, V. R. 1957. Anaerobiosis in the south Indian
apple-snail Pila iHrens (Lamarck) during aestivation. J.
Z(x>l Soc India 9: 62-71.
Meenakshi, V. R. 1964. Aestivation in the Indian apple-snail
Pila-l. Adaptations in natural and experimental conditions.
Camp. Biochem. Physiol 11: 379-386.
McQary, A. 1964. Surface inspiration and ciliary feeding in
Pomacea paludosa (Prosobranchia: Mesogastropoda: Am-
pullariidae). Ma/<Kofo9ia 2: 87-104.
Pelseneer, P. 1895. Prosobranches aeriens et Pulmones bran-
ch i feres. A fr/i. Biol. Paris 14: 351-393.
Robson. G. C. 1922. Notes on the respiratory mechanism of the
Ampullariidae. Proc. Zool Soc. bond for 1922, 341-346.
Prashad, b. 1925. Anatomy of the common Indian apple-snail
Pilaglobosa. Mem. Ind. Mus. 8: 91-154.
Prashad, B. 1932. Pila (the apple-snail). Indian Zool Mem. 4:
1-83.
Ranjah, A. R. 1942. TTie embryology of the Indian apple-snail,
Pila globosa (Swainson) (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Rec Indian
Mus. 44: 217-322.
Russell -Hunter, W. 19.53a. On migrations of Lymnaea peregra
(MQller) on the shores of Loch Lomond. Proc. Roy. Soc.
Edinburgh. B65: 84-105.
Russell-Hunter, W. 1953b. The condition of the mantle cavity
in two pulmonate snails living in Loch Lomond. Proc. Roy.
Soc Edinburgh. B65: 143-165.
Russell-Hunter. W. 19.55. Endemicism in the snails of Ja-
maica. QasgowNat. 17: 173-183.
Russell-Hunter, W. 1964. Physiological aspects of ecology in
nonmarine molluscs, p. 83-126. In Wilbur, K. M. and C. M.
Yonge, eds. Physiology of Mollusca, Vol. I. Academic Press,
Inc., New York.
Troschel, F. H. 1845. Anatomie von Ampidiaria urceus und
uber die Gattung Lam.'^tes Montf Arch. \aturgei<ch. 11:
197-216.
Visser, S. A. 1965. A study of the metabolism during aestiva-
tion of the amphibious snail Pila oi-aia. West African J.
BiolApplChem.S:i\-41.
Willmer. E. N. 1934. Some observations on the respiration of
certain tropical fresh-water fishes. J. Exp. Biol 11: 283-306.
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 105
THE ELECTROCARDIOGRAM OF THE FRESHWATER BIVALVE
LAMPSILIS RADIATA (BIVALVIA: UNIONIDAE)
Clement L. Counts, III, John M. Dingess, and James E. Joy
Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University
Huntington, West Virginia 25701
ABSTRACT
The electrocardiographic configuration of the fi-eshwater mussel Lampsilis
radiata ivas investigated and described using three standard leads, three
augmented leads, and one unipolar lead. Electrocardiograms demonstrated
depolarization complexes for both the atria and the ventricle. Longitudinal mean
electric axis of the ventricle revealed anterior-to-posterior depolarization and
repolarization from posterior-to-anterior. Heart rates were irregular and bradycar-
dic due to the electrocardiographic measurement while the valves of the mussels
were closed.
Electrocardiographic studies in Bivalvia have
been employed mainly as a measure of the ani-
mals response to various environmental stimuli
(Crozier and Stier, 1924; Pickens, 1965; Helm and
Trueman, 1967; Trueman, 1967; Coleman and
Trueman. 1972; Trueman, et al, 1973). The ma-
jority of these studies used marine bivalves,
freshwater species being almost completely ig-
nored. Further, most moUuscan electrocardio-
graphic studies have only one lead which results
in presentation of "rhythm strips" which provide
information only on heart rates and their regu-
larity. The present paper describes the electrocar-
diographic configuration of the North American
freshwater mussel, Lampsilis radiata (Lamarck,
1819), as revealed by a seven lead system.
METHODS
Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were made for 10
specimens (6 males and 4 females) of L. radiata
taken from Beech Fork of Twelve Pole Creek,
Wayne County, West Virginia. The mussels were
maintained in an aquarium for two weeks prior
to recording the ECGs. Weight, water displace-
ment, and shell dimensions were measured before
each ECG was made.
Two 25 gauge hypodermic needles were placed
such that one needle entered between the mar-
gins of the valves 2 cm from the anterior and the
other 2 cm from the posterior margins of the um-
bonal ligament. In this manner, electrodes were
thus located at the anterior and posterior mar-
gins of the pericardium. A third 25 gauge needle
was placed in the foot, directly beneath the umbo
(Fig. 1). All recording equipment was manufac-
tured by Harvard Apparatus. The needles were
connected to a model 369 EKG lead selector with
a model 354 bioamplifier input module such that
the anterior needle was connected to the left arm
input, the posterior needle was connected to the
right arm input, and the foot needle was con-
nected to the left leg input. ECGs were preamp-
lified with a model 371A preamplifier with a
gain control variable to over 100 and a band-
width of 0.2 Hz to 12.0 kHz at a gain of 100 and a
bandwidth of 0.2 Hz to 4.5 kHz at a gain of 1000.
A 10-speed chart mover (0.005 cm/sec to 5 cm/
sec) equipped with a model 283 event/time mark-
er module (1 min/ 10 sec/ 1 sec intervals) and a
model 350 recorder were used.
Leads measured were I, II, III, aVR, aVL, aVF,
and a single unipolar lead recorded by connecting
the foot electrode to the chest input jack. ECGs
were measured at a variable speed and amplica-
tion. Once amplitude was established for a mus-
sel, the entire ECG was run at that amplitude.
ECGs were run continuously, using lead II, for
one hour intervals to determine rhythmicity. All
E£Gs were obtained while the mussels were lying
on their left valve in a wooden pan of water at
22°CandapHof7.5.
106 THE NAUTILUS
July 1, 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
FIG. 1. Placement of the needle electrodes in L. radiata. The
left arm electrode (LA) was placed in the anterior end of the
mitssel and the right arm electrode (RA) was placed in the
posterior end. The left leg electrode (LLj was placed in the
foot and was used to record the single unipolar lead (VJ. Elec-
trodes were connected to appropriate input jacks an an EKG
lead selector.
Electrocardiographic intervals analyzed were
the QRS complex (which measures the time
elapsed during contraction (depolarization), and
the strength on contraction), the T wave (which
measures the elapsed time during which the
heart prepares for the next contraction (re-
polarization)), and the QT interval which meas-
ures the total elapsed time between depolariza-
tion and repolarization. The mean electrical axis,
which is a measure of the general direction of
depolarization and repolarization, was deter-
mined by taking the algebraic sum of R waves
( + ) and S waves (-) of leads I and III and plot-
ting the result on a triaxial reference system. The
axis was measured in the longitudinal plane due
to the placement of the needle electrodes and was
measured for both depolarization and repolariza-
tion of the ventricle.
The bivalves were identified by Dr. David H.
Stansbery of the Ohio State University Museum
of Zoology, The Ohio State University, Columbus,
Ohio, where voucher specimens were placed in
the collections. Other voucher specimens are in
the Marshall University Malacological Collection
(MUMC 17), Marshall University, Huntington,
West Virginia, and the Delaware Museum of
Natural History, Greenville, Delaware (DNMH
107101).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Interpretation of the ECG wave components of
L. radiata was complicated by the presence of
two distinct QRS complex forms (Fig. 2). TTiese
complexes could not be related to each other in
terms of duration or sequence timing. As the
heart of L. radiata is composed of a single ven-
tricle and two smaller atria, connected to the
ventricle by small vessels, and the ventricle is the
largest chamber of the heart, the strongest QRS
deflections were interpreted as being ventricular
in origin and the smaller complexes as origi-
nating from the atria. Tliis phenomenon was best
seen in leads I, aVL, and the unipolar foot, or V
lead, in the majority of tracings. The QRS of the
ventricle (QRS,) had a mean duration of 1.4 sec
(range 0.8-2.0 sec) and the mean duration of the
atrial QRS complex (QRS.) was 0.6 sec (range
0.6-0.8 sec). The smaller size of the QRS. is to be
expected as the atria are smaller and the amount
of work necessary to pump blood to the ventricle
is less than that required to pump blood to the
entire body. The shorter duration of contraction
periods of the atria support this supposition.
Also, the longer contraction periods of the ven-
tricle may be necessary to pump the molluscan
FIG. 2. Representative electrocardiogram of L. radiata
demonstrating the independently occurring ventricular (QRS.)
and atrial (QRS.) depolarization complexes.
Vol. 91 (;?)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 107
blood by a "milking" action of the ventricle. Ven-
tricular QRS complexes were seen to be positive
deflections only in a Vr and were negative in all
other leads.
No T waves could be demonstrated for the
QRS„ as they occurred during the repolarization of
the ventricle. This is explained by the fact that
the repolarization signal of the ventricle, being
stronger than the repolarization wave of the
atria, wall take precedence over weaker signals.
Thus, the repolarization of signal of the atria was
buried in the T wave of the ventricle. Ventricular
T waves had a mean duration of 2.2 sec (range
1.3-4.6 sec). T waves were negative only in aVr
and were positive in all other leads.
The placement of the electrodes (Fig. 1)
allowed measurement of the mean electrical axis
in the longitudinal plane which was desirable, as
the heart of L. radiata lies in this plane. The
mean electrical axis of ventricular depolarization
(Fig. 3) was -165° (range -111' - +54°) while
the mean axis of ventricular repolarization was
-21° (range ±0° -60°). Thus the ventricle of L.
radiata depolarizes, or contracts, in an anterior
to posterior direction and repolarizes posterior to
anterior. This may be visualized by superimpos-
ing Figure 1 over Figure 3.
The heart rate of L. radiata had a mean of 9.5
beats/minute (range 3-18). Rates were irrregular-
ly irregular and long periods of asystole were
noted in some ECGs. Ventricular QT intervals
FIG. 3. Mean electrical axis and distribution for ventricular
depolarization (QRS) and repolarization (T) in L. radiata.
Arrows indicate the arithmetic mean of these axes.
had a mean duration of 3.5 sec (range 1.6-60 sec).
Other studies (Coleman and Trueman, 1971;
Trueman and Lowe, 1971) demonstrated brady-
cardia in the ECGs of marine Bivalvia recorded
while the valves were closed. All of the ECGs of
L. radiata were recorded under these conditions.
The low heart rates may be due to reduced
metabolic requirements when the valves are
closed (Hill and Welsh, 1966; Coleman and
Trueman, 1971), and our data suggests the same
mechanism may be present in freshwater mus-
sels. However, further studies are necessary to
determine if the position in which the ECGs were
recorded, which was different from the position
normally assumed by the mussels in their natu-
ral habitat, plays a significant role in heart rate.
Another aspect of interpretation of ECGs from
mussels by the technique used in this study is the
degree of change in "normal" ECG findings
caused by the invasive method of electrode place-
ment. No correlation between weight, size, or sex
could be found for the electrocardiographic inter-
vals measured.
LITERATURE CITED
Coleman, N., and E. R. Trueman. 1971. The effect of aerial ex-
posure on the activity of the mussels Mytilus edtdis L. and
Modiolus modiolus (L.). Jour. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 7:
29,5-304.
Crozier. W. J., and T. B. Stier. 1924. Temperature
characteristics for heart beat frequency in Umax. Jour.
Gen.Phy.'nal..7:105-l(».
Helm. M. M.. and E. R. Trueman. 1967. The effect of exposure
on the heart rate of the mussel Mijtilns edulis L. Comp.
Biochem. Physiol. 21: 171-177.
Hill. R. B., and J. H. Welsh. 1966. Heart, circulation, and
blood cells. In, Physiology of Mollusca. Vol. 2, K. M. Wilbur
and C. M. Yonge, Eds. Academic Press, New York. pp.
12.5-174.
Lowe, G. A., and E. R. Trueman. 1972. The heart and water
flow rates of Mi/a arenaria (Bivalvia: Mollusca) at different
metabolic levels. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 41 A: 487-494.
Pickens, P. E. 1965. Heart rates of mussels as a function of
latitude, intertidal height, and acclimation temperature.
P/!!/s!:o;. Zoo/, 38:390-405.
Trueman. E. R. 1967. Activity and heart rate of bivalve
molluscs in their natural habitat. Nature 214: 832-833.
Trueman. E. R... and G. A. Lowe. 1971. The effect of
temperature and littoral exposure on the heart rate of a
bivalve mollusc, Isognomon alatus. in tropical conditions.
Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 38 A: 555-.564.
Trueman. E. R.. J. G. Blatchford, H. D. .Jones, and G. A. Lowe.
1973. Recordings of the heart rate and activity of molluscs
in their natural habitat. Malacologia 14: 377-383.
108 THE NAUTILUS
July 1, 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
OBSERVATIONS ON THE VERONICELLID SLUGS
OF THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES
Dee S. Dundee
Department of Biological Sciences
University of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana 70122
ABSTRACT
During the past decade veronicellid slugs have entered the United States. Some
of them have become established and are spreading. These slugs are associated
with the movement of plant materiah and are affected by insecticides used on
plants. Environmental factors which influence them are temperature, wind, light,
pH and relative humidity. Tiro reproductive periods per year occur, with each slug
depositing several (1-5) egg masses containing up to 15 ova per mass. A pathogenic
dviease, which might serve as a biological control, occurs when the individuals are
crowded. The significance of these introductions cannot be underestimated in view
of the problems encountered in past biological introductions in various parts of the
world.
In 1960 a veronicellid slug was first found in
the Gulf Coast area in Mobile, Alabama, and
New Orleans, Louisiana. It had not been taken
prior to that time in any of the extensive collec-
tions which had been made in connection with a
molluscan survey (Dundee, 1970; Dundee, et al.,
1965), nor had it been reported in the literature.
Here, then, was a perfect opportunity to work
with an introduced species from the probable
time of its introduction. Since then, its ever-
widening distribution has been documented, its
life cycle studied, its anatomy has been charted
(Petrellis and Dundee, 1969), and study of its
ecological requirements has begun.
This slug is Veronicella ameghini Gambetta.
This identification is based upon comparisons of
these slugs with types residing in European mu-
seums. For this I thank Dr. Jose Thome of Port
Alegre, Brasil, who is currently working on the
nomenclature of the Veronicellidae. V. ameghini
is endemic to Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.
During the spring of 1970 another veronicellid,
Veronicella floridana (Leidy) was reported in
New Orleans and since then several other local-
ities for it have been discovered in the city.
The United States Department of Agriculture
has reported Veronicella moreleti (Crosse and
Fischer) from Brownsville, Texas, and Vaginulus
occidentalis (Guilding) from McAllen, Texas, and
state that a third unidentified species was taken
from Raymondville, McAllen, Edinburg and San
Benito.
Thus, it is obvious that veronicellids are mov-
ing into the south with rapidity, making it im-
perative that we have information on them.
DISTRIBUTION OF VERONICELLIDS
IN THE UNITED STATES
Veronicella floridana can be considered native
in the south Florida area. Only recently has it
begun to spread into other Gulf Coast areas
(Figure 1).
Veronicella ameghini was first discovered in
New Orleans and Mobile in 1960. Our last survey
of the area (summer 1970) revealed its present
distribution as shown in Figure 1.
The other records are those of slugs found in
nurseries and/or greenhouses. Thus far they have
not, to our knowledge, become established else-
where, but it is probably only a matter of time
until they do. The means of distribution is
through the moving of plants by man. Most likely
the egg masses deposited in the soil around the
plants are the stage transported since nursery
operators generally pick off and kill any visible
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 109
VERONICELLA FLORIOANA
VERONICELLA AMEGHINI
VERONICELLA MORELETI
VERONICELLA KRAUSII
SCALE IN MILES
9 50 i()o zoo 390
FIG. 1. Distribution of veronkellids in the United States.
adults or young. It is obvious that the Gulf Coast
provides suitable habitats for these animals and
we can expect to see more of them colonize the
area as time goes by.
OBSERVATIONS ON
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Population densities: Dundee, Stutts, Hermann
(1965) provide an adequate description of a ty-
pical habitat. Population densities in these ha-
bitats fluctuate greatly. In the New Orleans area
both slug populations, which are usually associ-
ated with the grass, Stenotaphrum secundatum,
fluctuate tremendously. In peak seasons such as
1965, populations were very large; in one 375 sq.
m. area we were able to collect the following num-
ber of slugs in a half hour period: July 13 (584),
August 10 (454), September 15 (254). All slugs
were returned to the habitat after collection.
During the next eight years the populations
fluctuated considerably (Figure 2). By 1973, they
were at the lowest ebb since introduction. In fact,
they were so scarce that the author wondered if
they were dying out in the area. Note that, while
measurements of the population were made in
the one area routinely, casual observations were
made in numerous areas since the author had
some concern about the effects on the population
of using the same area regularly. Those substan-
tiated the measured results. As any collector well
knows, one is well aware of relative population
densities over a period of time, if one is collect-
ing or observing in an area regularly.
Stenotaphrum secundatum (St. Augustine
grass) used widely as a lawn grass, is subject to
damage by chinch bugs, Blissus leucopterus. As a
result, lawns throughout the south are routinely
treated with various products: Ortho Malathion
50, Cygon, Ortho Dieldrin, and others. These di-
rectly affect the slugs living in the grass. During
the summer of 1970, for example, in the New Or-
leans area the bug problem was severe and much
spraying was done.
A simple experiment (Table 1) involving
various easily obtainable insecticides and
molluscicides was run to determine the effects of
these on the slugs. Slugs were placed in a con-
tainer identical to their usual laboratory hous-
ing: lightly moist sand on the bottom with part
of it covered by a piece of paper toweling. The
no THE NAUTILUS
July 1, 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
TABLE 1. Results of lab tests with molluscicides and insecticides (10 slugs of each species were used in each trial/
application of the chemicals was as shown in
Table 1.
Three of these chemicals, Snarol, Bug-Geta, and
Green Lite, are specific for snails and slugs.
Snarol's active ingredients are tricalcium
arsenate and metaldehyde. Green Lite has hex-
achlor - epoxy - octahydrodimethanonaphthalene
(0.5% Dieldrin) and metaldehyde. Bug-Geta con-
tains calcium arsenate and metaldehyde as active
ingredients.
600
500
400
>-
i 300-
200
100
The others are insecticides. Dieldrin, designed to
kill beetles, ants, grasshoppers, box elder bugs as
well as "many other lawn and ornamental soil in-
sects", is composed of dieldrin (see above) and an
aromatic petroleum derivative solvent. Malathion
50 is designed "for use on evergreens, roses, or-
namentals, shrubs, trees" and is meant to control
red spiders, aphids, flies, mealybugs, scale insects
as well as various other household pests. It is a
choline esterase inhibitor. Active ingredients are
65
66
67
68
69
YEAR
70
71
72
73
FIG. 2. Population densities of V. ameghini in one 375 sq. meter area. Left column of each year represents a mid-July collec-
tion, middle is mid-August, and right is mid-September.
Vol. 91 (;3)
July 1, H»77
THE NAUTILUS 1 1 1
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
24 26 28 30 31 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90
DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
54*- 82' TOLERANCE
FIG. .3. Temperature tulerance in Veronicella ameghini. Bars indkate the temperature range tu which the slugs were exposed
in each experiment.
malathion (0, 0-dimethyl dithiophosphate of di-
ethyl mercaptx)succinate) and an aromatic petro-
leum derivative solvent. Cygon 2-E has as an ac-
tive ingredient dimethoate (0, 0-dimethyl S-(N-
methyl-carbamoylmethyl)phosphoro-dithioate).
Although a much broader experiment with
more variables such as size of area, moisture con-
trol, would, of course, be more desirable, it is ap-
parent from Table 1 that, even with these simple
tests, these insecticides used for lawns (as well as
the molluscicides which are for sale) are very
quickly detrimental to the slugs. This could be a
significant factor in population fluctuations.
Temperature. Experiments patterned after
Dainton(1954) were run numerous times to deter-
mine temperature tolerance. The temperature
measured was that of the air immediately above
the substrate upon which the slugs were resting.
In each trial, except one, 6 slugs were used. No
difference in species behavior was found. Repeat-
edly the results were shown in Figure 2 wherein
the range of tolerance falls between 12 and 28°C
(54-82°F) with the preference seeming to be
20-24T (68-75°F). When the temperatures fall
below 12°C (34°F) inactivity prevails whereas if
it rises beyond 28T (82°F) and remains even
for a short period of time, death ensues. In
relating these data to the situation in nature, one
must remember that the soil temperature in the
micro-habitat is modified by other factors not in-
volved here: shade, wind, humidity. For example,
we have collected active slugs when the air
temperature was 10°C, but simultaneously the
relative humidity was 92% and the slug substrate
was approximately 23°C due to a warm water
sewer close by (see section on relative
humidities).
Light. In another series of experiments involv-
ing a combination of temperature and light
several factors were discovered. When air
temperatures have been higher than 3rC (88°F)
and begin decreasing, the slugs begin activity
whereas when temperatures have been lower
than 25°C (77°F) and are increasing, activity
does not begin to occur until 25°C is reached
even though this is above the preferred range
(20-24°C) as demonstrated in the substrate
studies. Since these temperatures approximate
112 THE NAUTILUS
Julv 1, 1977
Vol. 91 (3)
the summer season daily temperature range
(21-30T) here, this leads us to superimpose
light as a factor directing slug behavior. We
discovered that slugs (in our experimental
chamber) moving towards a cooler area, will, if a
light (anywhere from 44 to 260 foot candles) is
directed at their anterior ends, go in the reverse
direction even if the temperature is intolerably
high there. Several such experiments lead us to
believe that temperature controls time of activity
but that light determines the area of activity. All
of these factors together could account for noc-
turnal activity which is seen normally. But, the
further problem of desiccation must also be con-
sidered.
Wi-nd. A series of experiments to test for ef-
fects of wind upon the slugs was done. Superim-
posed upon these experiments were additional
conditions of heat, light and temperature.
The method of procedure was as follows: a
clear, plastic box 25 cm wide X 17.5 cm high X
15 cm deep, with moist paper toweling on its
floor and sides, was used as the light chamber. A
similar box with all sides painted black served as
the dark chamber. A partial barrier (15 cm high
X 5.5 cm wide) was taped upright in the right
front side of each box. The box was turned so
that the top faced frontwards to the path of the
air from a small electric fan. Screen covered the
top (front) of each box. Twenty slugs (the ex-
periments involved each species) were placed in
each chamber approximately 2.5 cm abeam of the
plastic wind barrier. Exposure time was planned
to be fifteen minutes per experiment; however,
under certain conditions the animals were dying
sooner so that results were obtained more quickly.
The animals were observed and responses
recorded. A control set was maintained in a
similar box for each experiment but without the
variables (wind, hot, cold)— simply at room condi-
tions. No behavior similar to that observed in the
experiments was seen. Terminology used was as
follows:
barrier area: that portion of the box behind the
plastic barrier (the area sheltered from the
wind)
exposed area: the rest of the box
aggregation: animals close together so as to form
a group; characterized by a mound-like ap-
pearance and complete or near complete
absence of motion
random orientation: any motor activity not
specifically directed towards the barrier area;
includes extension -retraction of tentacles, mo-
tion of anterior body and/or actual movement
into the barrier area
sheltered activity: activity occurring after the
animal had reached the barrier area but which
was not directed towards the outside of that
area
temperature: room temperature was 22°C
(72°F). Heat was introduced into the boxes by
placing a hot-plate directly in front of the fan.
Temperatures as high as 33°C (92°F) could be
attained by this method: however, tem-
peratures between 23 and 29°C (74-84°F)
were used since it was determined that the
animals would not survive above 28°C (84°F);
again this verified previous experiments.
A summary of results follows:
Experiment 1 (repeated ten times with each
species): light box— room temperature— wind
(fan)
1. Animals initially stationary; no motion for
first five minutes.
2. Random orientation on the part of three
animals; others motionless or with only
slight movement. Lasted 6-15 minutes.
3. By the end of twenty minutes, most animals
had migrated to the barrier area.
4. Remaining animals aggregated.
Note: Attainment of barrier area did not
necessarily indicate cessation of movement. On
a number of occasions sheltered activity con-
tinued. In some cases, animals having attained
the barrier area early would return to the ex-
posed area to any clustered group. One time
when a single slug attained the barrier area
and the others clustered in the exposed area,
that individual returned to the cluster. Under
conditions of exposure all animals secreted
mucus heavily unless clustered. This occurred
in both the light and the dark.
Experiment 2 (repeated ten times with each
species): Dark box— room temperature— wind
(fan)
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 113
1. The same absence of activity for the first
five minutes.
2. Much less activity for the first ten minutes
than in the light.
3. Some random orientation leading to
clustering by most; in some of the ex-
periments several slugs had, by the end of
fifteen minutes, attained the barrier area
and ceased activity.
Note: There was much less activity in the dark
than in the light when wind was applied.
Experiment 3 (repeated ten times with each
species); Light box— heat— wind (fan)
1. Motion often leading to aggregation in first
five minutes.
2. Random orientation leading to signs of
shriveling accompanied by increase in ac-
tivity for next ten minutes. Those reaching
the barrier area often returned to the ex-
posed area. Appearance of general discom-
fort; the higher the temperature, the
greater the appearance of discomfort (in
combination with wind)
Experiment 4 (repeated ten times with each
species); Darkbox— heat -wind (fan)
1. Aggregation was the response within the
first five minutes with no other behavior oc-
curring.
Experiment 5 (repeated ten times with each
species); Light box— cold (whole experiment
placed in 3T (;38°F)-wind (fan)
1. Immediate shriveling.
2. Moved into an aggregate within two
minutes; appear "pinched"; very heavy
mucus secretion.
Experiment 6 (repeated ten times with each
species); Dark Box— cold— wind (fan)
1. Aggregation close to point of release
followed by inactivity; same appearance
and mucus as in light-cold.
Several interesting results were obtained from
these experiments. First, it is obvious that
veronicellids have a negative response to wind
and either seek shelter or aggregate in the
presence of it. The temperature of the wand seems
to be of no more importance than temperature
alone (based upon a comparison of these ex-
periments with the previously-discussed tem-
perature experiments). The reason for less activi-
ty in the dark than in the light is as yet unex-
plained; it is the reverse of the situation without
wind.
pH: the range in soil pH in areas where slugs
are common is 7.2-7.8.
LIFE HISTORY
There are two periods of egg deposition by
Veronicella ameghini in the Gulf Coast area. One
is from March through June and another from
September through mid-November. The same tim-
ing prevailed in the laboratory despite different
experimental conditions.
E^s are normally deposited in a shallow con-
cavity which the slug makes in the soil. This
usually occurs under leaf litter where a higher
moisture level is likely to be maintained. The egg
mass is coiled and the eggs are attached together
by a gelatinous, fecal-containing strand. The slug
deposits the strands while it is curled in the form
of a circle. The curve of the body apparently
helps form the coil-shaped egg mass. A single slug
may deposit from one to five masses during each
breeding season. Five to fifteen eggs are laid in
this manner and the period of deposition is
known to be at least five hours. Each egg is oval,
6 mm in length 3 mm wide, gelatinous without a
hard cover. Once deposited, the eggs are not
covered over with soil but are merely left to
hatch.
Hatching occurs in approximately 20-28 days
depending on the temperature. The average in-
cubation period in the laboratory with a room
temjjerature averaging 24°C was 21.4 days. The
late spring masses hatch sooner than those laid
in early spring, probably due to a higher
temperature; likewise, the later fall eggs require
a longer period to hatch.
Length of newly hatched slugs is about 3-4
mm. It is impossible to accurately measure living
slugs; therefore, weighing was employed. Average
weight of a newly hatched slug .016 g.
Grovrth rate in the laboratory is slow. Here
they were maintained at room temperature (ap-
proximately 24°C or 76°F with air condition-
ing) and fed lettuce. The average rate was 0.28 g
in six months. The average weight of hundreds of
THE NAUTILUS
.Julv 1. 1977
Vol. ;»1 (3)
slugs collected at random throughout the year
was 0.523 g. It is suspected that the average
growth rate in laboratory is well under that in
the field.
The largest adult captured weighed 2.94 g. If
the alx)ve-mentioned growth rate does occur in
nature the calculated age would be approximate-
ly five years for this individual. Longevity is
more likely around two years as it is with many
other land molluscs. Laboratory maintenance is
difficult for periods longer than six months. One
has a constant die-off as time goes by. The prob-
lem is one which is being investigated in more
detail— namely, that of a blistering phenomenon
wherein the slugs become pitted, form blisters
and gradually become weak and die. It is thought
that the disease is caused by either a yeast or a
bacterium (DeGravelle, 1971).
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INTRODUCTIONS
Repeated checks in nature and in greenhouses of
our local colonies of Veronicella ameghini and
Veronicella floridana reveal no significant
damage from them to native vegetation, crops, or
property. The latest finding of veronicellids in
southern Texas is new enough that no informa-
tion is available on their activities. USDA does
rep(jrt that damage has been done to greenhouse
plants by these slugs. The author has received a
picture of damage done to bananas in Honduras
by V(ujmuhis olivaceous (courtesy of Div. of Trop.
Res., Dept. Entomology, La Lima, Honduras). It
shows holes and browm spots where the slugs
have rasped the banana "peel", thus making the
banana unmarketable.
With more introductions being reported recent-
ly, it is well that we stay alert and be prepared
with knowledge in case of any major problems
such as have been associated with introductions
of Achatinafidica, the giant African snail (Mead,
1961).
LITERATURE CITED
Dainton. B. H. 1954. The activity of slugs. ./ Erp. Biul. 31:
165-197.
DeGravelle. L. 1971. An investigation of a blistering condition
in the slug. Vcrdiiici'lla amcyhDu. MS Thcsix: Louisiana
State University in New Orleans.
Dundee, D. S. 1970. Introduced Gulf Coast Molluscs. Tulane
Studies inZool. andBot. 16(3): 101-115.
Dundee. D. S., B. S. Stutts. and P. W. Hermann. 1965.
Preliminary survey of a possible molluscan pest in the
southern United States. Ecol 46(1&2): 192-193.
Mead. A. R. The Giant African Snail: A pmhlem in economic
nialiu-dliyi/. Univ. Chicago Press. 1961.
Petrellis, L.. and D. S. Dundee, 1969. Veronicella ameghini
(Gastropoda): Reproductive. Digestive and Nervous
Systems. Trans. Amer. Micr Soc. 88(4): 547-558.
V(.l. 91 (:?)
July 1. 1977
THE NAUTILUS 115
USE OF EMPTY GASTROPOD SHELLS (POLYGYRIDAE)
BY PSEUDOSCORPIONS
Ralph W. Taylor, Michael P. Sweeney, and Clement L. Counts, III
Department of Biological Sciences
Marshall University
Huntington, West Virginia 25703
Pseudoscorpions are noted for their phoretic
associations with many living vertebrates and in-
vertebrates (Muchmore, 1971). However, their
associations with non-living animal remains for a
survival advantage has not been documented.
Specimens of Chthonitis tetrachelatus (Preyssler)
and Apochthonius moestus (Banks) have been col-
lected by us from the empty shells of the ter-
restrial gastropods Diodopais alholahri.'^ (Say and
Mesodon thyroidvs (Say) from Cabell, Kanawha,
Putnam, and Wayne Counties, West Virginia.
The empty shells were collected from mid-
February to May, 1976, and the pseudoscorpions
were collected in them up to April.
The use of gastropod shells by arthropods is
not an uncommon occurrence in the marine and
littoral environment, as demonstrated by several
species of hermit crab. Indeed, the use of ter-
restrial gastropod shells by pseudoscorpions may
have the same survival advantage in protecting
the animal's soft parts during molting. However,
this behavior may have other implications. The
shells may offer protection from excessive cold,
heat and desiccation.
We would like to thank Drs. Sigurd Nelson,
Jr., SUNY at Oswego, New York, William B.
Muchmore, University of Rochester, and C.
Clayton Hoff, University of New Mexico, for their
advice and assistance. Voucher mollusk speci-
mens are in the Marshall University Malaco-
logical Collection and the Delaware Museum of
Natural History.
LITERATURE CITED
Muchmore. William B. 1971. Phoresy by North and Central
American pseudoscorpions. Proc. Rochester Acad. Sci 12:
79-97.
VERONICELLA OCCIDENTALIS IN LOUISIANA
Steven T. Malek
826 Fern Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
A comprehensive review of introduced mollusks
in eastern North America (North of Mexico) was
recently published by Dundee (1974). The tropical
veronicellid slugs introduced in the above area
received attention in the review. In the summer
of 1975 I collected veronicellids in New Orleans,
in the uptovm region of the city. These slugs fit the
description of Veronicella nccidentalis (Guilding).
This is a new record for this slug in Louisiana.
About twenty slugs were found under logs,
garbage cans and leaves, and on side-walks.
Veronicella occidentalis was reported by
Dundee (loc. cit.) to have been introduced into
Oklahoma and Texas. The slug is believed to have
originated in southern Mexico, northwestern
South America and the Antilles. I have seen and
examined specimens collected on the Caribbean
Island of St. Lucia (E. A. Malek, 1976, in press),
and the Louisiana material is quite identical to
those from St. Lucia. These tropical slugs were
probably introduced into the United States on
several plants, judging from interceptions by the
116 THE NAUTILUS
Julv 1, 1977
V.)l. 91 (3)
U. S. Department of Agriculture, at ports in
Florida, Louisiana, New York and Texas. Among
the plants are bromeliad, caladium, Dracaena sp..
Funis, orchid, palm, pineapple, and philodendron.
Another veronicellid previously introduced in
Louisiana, circa 1960, is Veronicella ameghini
(Gambetta), and was reported upon by Dundee
and Herman (1968). The latter slug occurs now in
small numbers, that it is rarely encountered in
New Orleans. It did, however, occur in large
numbers in New Orleans in the early 1960's.
I am grateful to Dr. Dee Dundee of the Univer-
sity of New Orleans for having e.xamined the slugs
which I collected in New Orleans, and having
confirmed my identification.
LITERATURE CITED
Dundee. D. S. 1974. Catalog of introduced molluscs of
eastern North America (North of Mexico). Sterkiana No.
55: 1-37
Dundee. D. S. and Herman, P. W. 1968. New records for in-
troduced molluscs. NautUus. 82: 43-45.
Malek, E. A. 1976. Land and freshwater snails of St. Lucia,
the West Indies. Tidane Studies ZooL Bot. (in press).
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF
NATURAL HISTORY
Department of Invertebrate Zoology— Mollusca
Several changes have occurred recently in the
malacological staff of the Department of In-
vetebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural
History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington,
D.C. 20560 (formerly known as Division of Mol-
lusks, U.S. National Museum).
Dr. Arthur H. Clarke joined the staff in Janu-
ary, 1977, as Associate Curator of freshwater and
land mollusks in the position created by the
retirement of Dr. J. P. E. Morrison (1975). Dr.
Clarke formerly was curator of Molluscs and
later Head, Invertebrate Zoology Division at the
National Museum of Natural Sciences, National
Museums of Canada, Ottawa.
Dr. Richard S. (Joe) Houbrick became an Asso-
ciate Curator in marine mollusks in March 1977,
transferring from the Smithsonian Oceanographic
Sorting Center (NMNH), where he supervised the
benthic invertebrate sorting program. Dr. Hou-
brick occupies the vacancy created by the retire-
ment of Dr. Harald A. Rehder (1976).
Dr. Rehder remaines in mollusks as Zoologist
Emeritus, Department of Invertebrate Zoology.
Dr. C. F. E. Roper and Dr. Joseph Rosewater
continue to serve as Curators in cephalopods and
marine mollusks, respectively.
Each department of the National Museum of
Natural History (Anthropology, Botany, Eii-
tomology. Invertebrate Zoology, Mineralogy,
Paleobiology and Vertebrate Zoology) is ad-
ministered by a chairman. The Departmental
chairmanship is a rotating position so that no in-
dividual Curator need have his research program
permanently curtailed. Curatorial staff are ad-
ministratively responsible to the Department
Chairman, as divisional Head Curators no longer
exist. The subject areas within the Department of
Invertebrate Zoology are Crustacea, Echinoderms,
Lower Invertebrates, Mollusca, and Worms. Ad-
ministrative requirements within a subject area
are attended to by a Supervisor, a position
rotated among the curatorial staff every year or
two. Requests should be directed to the Super-
visor or to a specific curator.— C. F. E. Roper.
Vol. 91 (3)
July 1, 1977
THE NAUTILUS 117
PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED
Thompson, Fred G. 1977. The Hydrobiid Snail
Genus Marstonia. Bull. Florida State Mus.,
Biol. Sci., vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 113-158. Eight
species, of which five are new, are treated
systematically. The genus, limited to Southeast
and Central United States, is placed in the sub-
family Nymphophilinae Taylor, 1966. $1.75,
Florida State Nuseum, Gainesville, Fl. 32611.
Thompson, Fred G. and Richard Franz. 1976.
Some Urocoptid Land Snails from Hispaniola.
Rev. Biol. Trop., vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 7-33, 9 figs.
Allocoptis ne6rms,new genus and species, and
three new species of Autocoptis are
described.
Hickman, Carole S. 1976. Bathyal Gastropods of
the Family Turridae in the E^arly Oligocene
Keasey Formation in Oregon . . . Bull. Amer. Pa-
leontology, vol. 70, no. 292, 119 pp., 7 pis.
Iversen, E. S. 1977. Farming the Edge of The
Sea. 436 pp., 202 text figs. Fishing News Books
Ltd., 1 Long Garden Walk, Famham, Surrey,
England. $23.00. This is a greatly improved
and enlarged second edition of a very in-
formative and accurate book on the mari-
culture of marine organisms, including mol-
lusks.
Marincovich, Louie, Jr. 1977. Cenozoic Nati-
cidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of the North-
eastern Pacific. Bull. Amer. Paleontology, vol.
70, no. 294, 494 pp., 42 pis. An excellent
systematic, paleontological and biogeographical
treatment of 18 genera, 87 species, of Cenozoic
naticids from the Eastern Pacific. The family
Choristidae Verrill 1882 is now synomymized
with Polinicinae Finlay and Marwick, 1937.
Cain, A. J. 1977. Variation in the spire index of
some coiled gastropod shells, and its evolu-
tionary significance. Philos. Trans. Royal Soc.
London, Biol. Sci., vol. 277, no. 956, pp. 377-428.
Yonge, C. Maurice 1977. Form and evolution in
the Anomiacea—Pododesmus, Anomia, Patro,
Enigmonia (Anomiidae): Placunanomia, Pla-
cuna (Placunidae Fam. Nov.). A magnificent
anatomical analysis of a complex group. The
family name, Placunidae, however, dates from
J. E. Gray, 1840. Placunanomiinae Beu, 1967, is
a synonym.
Habe, Tadashige. 1977. Systematics of Mollusca in
Japan. Vol. 1, Bivalvia and Scaphopoda. 372
pp., 72 pis. of drawings. A much-expanded and
up-dated checklist, with synonyms, English to
Japanese glossary, and index. About $20.00
Rare and Exotic Specimen Shells
for the discriminating collector
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LIVING MARINE
MOLLUSCS
Contents
Introduclion
1 Historical hy C. M. Yonfie
2 The nature of molluscs by C. M. Yonge
3 Classihcation by C. M. Yonge
4 Chitons by C. M. Yonge
5 The first gastropods by C. M. Yonge
6 Limpets and top shells by C. M. Yonge
7 Mesogastropods hy C. M. Yonge
8 Mesogastropods — burrowers and drifters by C. M. Yonge
9 Neogastropods — scavengers and predators by C. M. Yonge
10 Opisthobranch sea-snails hy T. E. Thompson
1 1 Sea slugs hy T. E. Thompson
12 Origin and nature of bivalves hy C. M. Yonge
13 Evolution and adaptation of bivalves by C. M. Yonge
14 Ark shells, mussels, fan and file shells, scallops and oysters
hy C. M. Yonge
15 Shallow and deep burrowing bivalves by C. M. Yonge
16 Borers in rock and timber hy C. M. Yonge
17 Anomalous bivalves and scaphopods by C. M. Yonge
18 Cuttlefish, squids and octopods hy C. M. Yonge
Epilogue by C. M. Yonge
Selected book list
BEHAVIOUR y
C. M. Yonge and T. E. Thompson
An Understandable
Biology Text
"The first modem book on the biology of marine mollusks
that is oi textbook quality, yet so beautifully written
and illustrated that the legions of amateur conchologists
will readily absorb its wealth of information"—/?. Tucker
Abbott. Ph.D.
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Cldthbound, 288 pp., 162 text figures. 16 plates with 18
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MOLLUSK VOUCHER SPECIMENS
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OCTOBER 27, 1977
THE
NAUTILUS
Vol. 91
No. 4
A quarterly
devoted to
malacology and
the interests of
conchologists
o
Founded 1889 by Henry A. Pilsbry. Continued by H. Burrington Baker.
Editor-in-Chief: R. Tucker Abbott
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
CONSULTING EDITORS
Dr. Arthur H. Clarke. Jr.
Division of Mollusks
National Museum of Natural History
Washington. D. C. 20560
Dr. William J. Clench
Curator Emeritus
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Dr. William K. Emerson
Department of Living Invertebrates
The American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York 1 0024
Mr. Morris K. Jacobson
Department of Living Invertebrates
The American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York 1 0024
Dr. Aurele La Rocque
Department of Geology
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Dr. James H. McLean
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
Dr. Arthur S. Merrill
Woods Hole Biological Laboratory
National Marine Fisheries Service
Woods Hole, Mas.sachusetts 02543
Dr. Donald R. Moore
Division of Marine Geology
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
1 0 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Florida 33149
Dr. Joseph Rosewater
Division of Mollusks
U. S. National Museum
Washington, D.C. 20560
Dr. G. Alan Solem
Department of Invertebrates
Field Museum of Natural History
Chicago, Illinois 60605
Dr. David H. Stansbery
Museum of Zoology
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Dr. Ruth D. Turner
Department of Mollusks
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Dr. GUbert L. Voss
Division of Biology
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
1 0 Rickenbacker Causeway
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THE
NAUTILUS
Volume 91, Number 4 - October 27. 1977
CHANGE IN ADDRESS OF THE EDITORAL OFFICE
The editorial office of The Nautilus after November 15, 1977, will be P.O. Box
4208, Greenville, Delaware. 19807. All editorial correspondence should be addressed
to Dr. R. Tucker Abbott, Editor, at that address. The address of the business office
remains the same.
CONTENTS
Donald R. Moore ..„
Small Species of Nuculidae(Bivalvia) from the Ti-opical Western Atlantic ns^
Richard H. Bailey
Varworhula chowanemis. a New Species (Bivalvia: Myacea) ^^
from the Pliocene of North America
Carl C. Christensen and Walter B. Miller
Two New Rabdotus (Pulmonata: Bulimulidae) from Baja California, Mexico i'^'
David Mook
Studies on Fouling Invertebrates in the Indian River, Florida.
2: Effects of Modulus modulus (Prosobranchia: Modulidae) ^^
Thomas H. Dietz and Edward M. Stern
Seasonal Changes in Reproductive Activity and Biochemical Composition of
the Fingernail Clam. Sphaemm transvermm '
Raymond W. Neck .„
Introduced Land Snails of Travis County, Texas
A. Byron Leonard ^ .„
Three New Pulmonate Gastropods from the Late Tertiary of New Mexico i'*'^
Alan Solem
RfuiwdL^cus hubnchti Branson, 1975, a Synonym of Stnatura (S.)pugeienm
(Dall, 1895) (Pulmonata: Zonitidae)
Alan Solem
Shell Microsculpture in Stnatura. Punctum, Radiodincus,
and Planogifra (Pulmonata)
News '^^
Deaths
PrBLK'ATIONS RECKIVKD
Andrews, Jean. 1977. Shells and Shores of
Texas, .xx + 365 pp. text figs., 12 colored
photos. University of Texas Press, Austin, TX.
78712. $19.95 ($24.95 after Dec. 31, 1977). This
is a greatly improved second edition of S-a
Shells of the Texas Cocuit, and now qualifies
as the best hook on marine mollusks of any
state. The hook has been reset and much new-
material added. It will .serve for years as an
excellent guide to shore conditions and shells
of Texas and beaches of neighboring states
(R.T.Abbott).
McMillan, Nora F. 1977. TJie Observer's Book of
Seojihells of the British Isles. 158 pp., 195 te.vt
figs., 8 colored pis. Frederick Warne, Ltd.,
London. About one of the smallest (3' 2 x 6
inches) hardback guides to shells ever pub-
lished. Worth taking on field trips in the
British Isles and northern France. $2.00.
Jacohson, Morris K. and William K. Emerson.
1977. Wonders of Starfish. 80 pp., illus. Dodd,
Mead & Co., N. Y. $4.95.
coverage for 10-year olds and up.
An excellent
(iastropodia. Edited by Glenn R. Webb. vol. 1,
no. 10, pp. 97-112, pis. 42-46. Six articles on
anatomy, hybridization and sexolog>' of North
American land pulmonates. Index to vol. 1.
Published May 22, 1977.
Jewell, ('. B. 1977. 'Hie Inception and A.'ircnsion
if Man. 93 pp. Hardback. Vantage Press, N.
Y. Mentioned only because the author
theorizes that man descended from mollusks.
This should make malacologists feel special.
Powell, A. W. B. Shelh of New Zealand. Fifth
revised edition. 153 pp., 45 pis. (2 in color).
Hardback. Whitcoulls Ltd., N. Z. Checklist of
2256 New Zealand mollusks, with 555 now il-
lustrated. Leading guide, up-dating Suter's
Manual $12.00 N. Z. Obtainable in U. S.
from Seashell Treasures, P. 0. Box 73l).
Uakhurst,CA 93644.
Tlie costs of publication of certain articles in thi.s journal
(labelled "Page charges paid" on the title page) were defrayed
in part by the payment of voluntary page charges. These ar-
ticles are thercfure and hereby dwlared "advertisement" in
accordance with 18 U.S.C. .section 1734 solely to indicate this
fact, and do not count as true advertising as far as computa-
tion of sea)nd-class postal rates.
Vol. 1)1(1)
October 27, 1977
'Hie Nautilus Uil
SMALL SPECIES OF NUCULIDAE (BIVALVIA) FROM THE
TROPICAL WESTERN ATLANTIC
Donald R. Moore
University of Miami,
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
ABSTRACT
Three small species of NucuMae, two of which are the smallest known
bivalves, are described from tropical western. Atlantic sediments. Nucula
calcicola n. sp. is a small, less than 2.0 mm, clam found in calcareous sediments
over much of the Caribbean region. The other two species are placed in a new
genus. Condylonucula, with C. cynthiae n. sp. as the tvpe. C. cynthiae, matnre^
at around 600 /i, is found in the western Caribbean on atolls off the coast oj
Nicaragua. C. maya n. .sp., mature at around 500 /a has been found at Cozumel
and Arrowsmith Bank at the northwestern extremity of the Caribbean. Recent
and Upper Cenozoic Nuculidae of the area are listed, and some are discussed.
A very small shallow-water species of Nucula
is widely distributed throughout much of the
Caribbean region. Specimens, when found, have
apparently been identified as juvenile N. prorima
Say or as A^. aegeensis Jeffreys. However, N.
proxima is a temperate species with a distribu-
tion from New England to Texas, and is a much
larger species reaching a size of 10 mm. The
small tropical species does not reach, at least in
the material at hand, more than a length of two
mm. A^. aegeensis. in the western Atlantic, was
identified by Dall in 1886, and this identification
has not been challenged even though A^. aegeeyisis
was described from the Mediterranean. While
most of the material ascribed to the species came
from depths of more than 200 m, Dall (1889) gave
a depth range of 5-464 fins (9-849 m). Later, Dall
and Simpson (1901) reported a single worn juve-
nile valve from Mayaguez Harbor (Puerto Rico).
The American specimens of A'^. aegeensis. ac-
cording to Dall, are fairly large, reaching a
length of more than 10 mm. Dall did not give size
or locality for the shallow water specimens, and
apparently no one has studied them recently.
Dall apparently considered small Nucula from
shallow water to be either A^. proxima or A^.
'Contribution from the University of Miami. Rosenstiel
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and Contribution
No. .5 from the West Indies Laboratory, Fairleigh Dickinson
University.
aegeensis. This was probably due to the amount
and condition of the material that he had to
study. He apparently did not have any of the
rather distinctive species from northern South
America at the time. South Caribbean shallow
water species are Nucula dalmasi Dautzenberg
1900, N. Surinam ensis Altena, 1968, and A''.
venezuelana Weisbord, 1964.
OBSERVATIONS
I first found the new species in a bottom sam-
ple collected at a depth of two m in Lameshur
Bay, St. John, U. S. Virgin Islands (Moore, 1970).
Thinking that these were very young specimens, I
did not attempt to identify them at the time.
Several years later, I found more specimens in
bottom samples from Serrana Bank (Bock and
Moore, 1971), an atoll in the western Caribbean
(Milliman, 1969). It was not until I found that I
had 72 specimens from two stations made at
Courtown Cays, a small atoll east of Nicaragua,
that I became convinced that I had a small
shallow-water-dwelling species. The largest
specimen measures 1.90 mm.
By this time I had also found several
specimens of a much smaller species with a
peculiar prodissoconch. This nuculid gave every
indication of having attained full growth at a
length of about 600 ji. Naturally, I wanted more
material before attempting to describe either
120 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol. 91(1)
species as there have been many cases of im-
mature mollusks described as adults, often badly
misclassified (Moore, 1966, Pilsbry, 1949). Search-
ing through sediment samples from St. Croix,
Virgin Islands, Key Largo in the Florida Keys,
and from Bermuda all provided more material of
the larger species.
Bottom samples from Chancanab Lagoon,
Cozumel, Mexico, collected in November, 1971.
provided a large suite of the largest species and
over 30 specimens of another, very small species.
The latter species was also found in sediments
from Arrowsmith Bank, a flat topped bank about
34 km NNE of Cozumel. Since I now had well
over 300 specimens of the largest species, and 52
of the two smaller ones, I felt that there was lit-
tle doubt that all three species matured at a very
small size. In the following descriptions, the
largest species is assigned to Nucula. and a new
genus is erected for the smaller two.
DESCRIPTIONS
Genus Nuada Lamarck, 1799
Type species by monotypy, An-a nucleus Lin-
naeus
Nucula calcicola new species
Description: A small species of Nucula matur-
ing at a length of about 1.5 mm. The pro-
dissooinch is about 220 ^ long, somewhat flat-
tened, pitted, and has a small knob near the
posterior edge. The dissoconch is about 25%
longer than high; thickness of an adult specimen
is about one half the length. The anterior end is
extended and rounded; posterior end truncate.
The posterior margin forms a straight or nearly
straight line. The ventral margin is well-rounded
and weakly dentate. Both concentric and radial
sculpture are present, but are exceedingly weak.
A thin brownish periostracum is present on fresh
specimens.
The resilifer is internal, short, and nearly at
right angles to the hinge line. The anterior limb
of the hinge is broad, and is widest distally be-
tween the la.st two teeth. Mature specimens us-
ually have seven anterior teeth in the left valve,
six in the right. The posterior limb of the hinge is
short and broad with four teeth in the left valve,
four in the right. The adductor muscle scars are
located at each end of the hinge. Shell structure
in fresh specimens is transparent; there is no
nacre, or at most, an extremely thin wash of this
material.
Material: Holotype. Specimen collected alive,
1.74 mm long and 1.38 mm high. U. S. N. M. No.
75&5a5.
Type locality: Chancanab Lagoon, depth 2 m,
Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Paratyj)es and other localities: Courtown Cays,
western Caribbean, Lagoon, depth 11 m, 59
separate valves. North end of the atoll, depth 2
m. 13 separate valves. Serrana Bank, western
Caribbean: Lagoon, 14 valves, 2 complete spe-
cimens. St. John, Virgin Islands: Lameshur Bay.
depth 2 m, 15 separate valves. St. Croix, Virgin
Islands: West side of Cottongarden Point, depth 1
m. one valve. Tague Bay, depth 3 m, 3 valves
and one complete specimen; depth 4 m, one com-
plete specimen; station at inside edge of outer
reef, 4 m, 3 valves and one complete specimen.
Glovers Reef, Belize (British Honduras): depth 2
m, 3 valves, 2 complete specimens. Cozumel,
Quintana Roo, Mexico: Chancanab Lagoon, depth
2 m, 74 complete, 98 separate valves, and 14
identifiable fragments: depth 5 m, one valve. Key
Largo, Florida: Harry Harris Park, depth 2 m. 2
complete, 17 separate valves, some badly broken.
Andros Island, Bahamas: one mile east of Wax
Cut. depth 3 m, one complete specimen. Har-
rington Sound, Bermuda: notch at 4.6 m, 2 com-
plete, 3 separate valves.
The paratypes range in length from 0.38 mm.
for a complete specimen from Cozumel to 1.90
mm for a single valve from the same locality.
One typical complete mature specimen from
Cozumel measured 1.60 long by 1.24 mm high by
0.86 mm thick.
Paratypes have been placed in the following
institutions: National Museum of Natural His-
tory. Smithsonian Institution (USNM 7585;?7);
Delaware Museum of Natural History (DMNH
120581); Academy of Natural Sciences Phil-
adelphia (ANSP 344387); American Museum of
Natural History (AMNH 18:^57); Museum of
Comparative Zoology (MCZ); British Museum
(Natural History); Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke
Historie, Leiden; Laboratoire de Malacologie.
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 121
Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris:
University of Miami Marine Laboratory Museum
(UMML 28-2812).
Name: From calcis. lime, and cnla. dweller in,
referring to the calcareous sediments the new
species seems to prefer.
Remarks: At first I thought that A^. calcicola
should go into Pronucula Hedley, 1902, but I
could not find any character in the new species,
except lack of nacre, that was actually distinct
from other species of Nucula. The one character
that seems to set Pronucula off from other genera
is the large smooth area surrounding the um-
bones, with the sculptured area coming in
relatively late. Both N. venezuelana Weisbord,
1964, from the lower Caribbean and A^. eiigua
Sowerby, 1833, in the eastern Pacific, have this
feature, but no one has assigned these species to
Pronucula. Furthermore, a species dredged by me
in 45 m off Abidjan, Cote d'lvoire, looks like a
Promicula with a size of 1.0 to 1.5 mm. The large
prodissoconch, the arched hinge, and the teeth
distant from the resilifer are all characters used
by Hedley in forming his new genus. However,
the largest specimen is 17 mm long, and has the
characters of a typical Nucula. The above men-
tioned characters for Pronucula thus appear to be
juvenile characters, at least in some species.
Whether P. decorosa Hedley and its allies in
Australian waters are described from immature
specimens or are adults, I do not know.
The collection of 330 specimens of A^. calcicola
with a maximum size of 1.90 mm from nine
localities in the western Atlantic left little doubt
this was a distinct small species of Nucula. The
only locality where a different Nucula was col-
lected along with the new species was at Glovers
Reef, Belize, where two specimens of another,
perhaps undescribed, species were collected.
Large specimens of N. calcicola (1.4 to 1.9 mm)
were examined for signs of maturity, and in this
material a thickening on the inside of the valves
was noted as well as some irregularity of the in-
ner surface. 'Rie adductor muscle scars were
sunken, indicating that shell material had been
deposited on the inner surface after growth had
been completed. However, this is not the smallest
species of Nucvla. For instance, Powell (1939)
described Austronucula schencki whose length
was 1.15 mm, and recently Marincovich (1973)
described a 1.12 mm species as Nucula interfluc-
ta. Marincovich had more than 2,(XX) specimens.
The range of A', calcicola now extends from
Courtown Cays and Serrana Bank, atolls off the
coast of Central America, to Belize, to C^izumel
off the east coast of Yucatan, and the Florida
Keys. Far to the eastward, it is found in the
Virgin Islands, and it almost certainly must live
in the Greater Antilles between the two areas. It
has also been collected at Bermuda.
This appears to be a very shallow-water-
dwelling stenohaline species. All of the known
localities are around coral reefs, in lagoons
behind reefs, or where at least a few corals are
living. Chancanab Lagoon, where N. calcicola was
most abundant, is a small shallow landlocked
hjdy of water, Moore (1973), but it is connected
with the open sea by a short underground pas-
sage. Several coral colonies were observed grow-
ing on rocks in the lagoon, and the other animals
observed were all marine in habitat.
The greatest depth of any of the material of A^.
calcicola was 11 m in the lagoon of Courtown
Cays. All of the specimens taken at this locality
were rather worn separate valves making it a
distinct possibility that the clams had been car-
ried to that depth by water movement from near-
by shallows. Live material was only collected in 2
m at Chancanab Lagoon; the depth range for
empty valves is one to 11 m. Some of the Key
Largo material (2m) was very fresh in appearance,
but none were alive when collected.
N calcicola has apparently been considered in
the past to be young A'^. aegeensis Jeffreys. Our
knowledge of this species in the western Atlantic
stems mainly from Ball's (1886) discussion. There
is a brief description of N. aegeensis in Dall and
Simpson (1901), but it is based on the "one young
left valve" found at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, or on
larger specimens in the U. S. National Museum.
There is also a brief description and figure of a
2.7 mm specimen ascribed to N. aegeensis in
McLean (1951), and another very brief description
and figure in Warmke and Abbott (1961) of a
specimen collected in a shallow dredging at Puer-
to Rico. It is not certain what species these
specimens represent. It is interesting to note that
Dall first (1886) reported A^. aegeensis at a depth
122 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol.!) 1(4)
range of 175 to 464 fathoms (320 to 849 m). I^ter.
he dec-ided that shallow water material from the
shelf off North Carolina also was A^. aegeensis.
Probably this material should be reexamined.
At least a dozen Recent species of Nwula have
been described or reported, from the Caribbean
region. In the following list, the ma.ximum
reported size of the species is given, and also the
known depth range in the Caribbean area. No at-
tempt has been made to arrange the species ac-
mrding to the latest classification, or to provide a
synonymy.
Recent species of western Atlantic Nuculn
from northern South America to the southeastern
United States.
There are also more than twenty Cenozoic
fossil species described from various formations
from Trinidad to the southeastern United States.
The list as it stands may not be complete as the
paleontological literature is now enormous.
Again, no effort was made to revise the classifica-
tion, but maximum size and presumed age are
listed. N. venezuelana is listed again since it was
originally described from the Pliocene, but the
other species are apparently known only from the
fossil record.
Cenozoic fossil species of Nucula from lands
bordering the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico are:
.V. chipiitana waltonia
Gardner. 1926
A', mmria Dall, 1898
Af.fap/ina Dall, 1898
A', pntniaila Dall. 1898
A', tampae Dall. 1915
A', dma Gardner, 1926
A', defuniak Gardner, 1926
■V. g(uLsdenensi.< Mansfield. 1937
A', miiratensis Woodring, 1925
A'. /iiHi Woodring, 1925
4 mm Miocene
4.75 mm Oligocene& Miocene
.3.8 mm Miocene (fig.sp.)
6 mm Miocene
7.3mm L.Miocene
3.5 mm Miocene
5 mm Miocene
3 mm Miocene
4.8 mm Miocene
8.9 mm Miocene
All of the 32 other species enumerated in the
two lists are distinctly larger than A^. calcicola.
The only Recent species close in size is A^.
venezuelana, but this species is only known from
the northern coast of South America, is heavily
sculptured, and lives in a muddy environment.
However, immature specimens of one or more
species could be confused with N. calcicola.
Material of the unidentified species found with
N. calcicola at Glovers Reef consists of two right
valves, 2.2 and 2.64 mm long. This was the only
station where a similar species was found along
with A^. calcicola. However, the Glovers Reef
material, a 4.16 mm right valve from Hook Bank
(Belize), 13 valves from 19° 14' N., 9r20' W (max.
size 2.0 mm), and six valves (max size 4.0 mm)
from a depth of 113.5 m (east of Port Aransas,
Texas), all agree with N. proxima in having a
narrow elongate resilifer directed anteriorly. The
shape and sculpture is similar to that of A^.
calcicola. but the resilifer of A^. calcicola is quite
different from A^. proxima and its allies. A record
of Nucula proxima from Panama, based on
material collected by Olsson and McGinty, ap-
f)ears to be an undescribed species. A specimen
donated to the Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia is a single valve measuring about
2.3 mm in length.
There are many species in the ancient family
Nuculidae, and most of these are small simple
clams without strong characters setting them off
from other species. Perhaps the most divergent of
the genera is Acila with divaricate external
sculpture. Acila is not known from the Atlantic.
Species in the tropical western Atlantic range
from smooth to somewhat sculptured, and have
little diversity of form. Thus identification is
often difficult, and this is especially true for the
smaller species.
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 123
The other new species of Nuculidae herein con-
sidered are distinctive for several reasons; their
extremely small size, few hinge teeth, and com-
paratively large sculptured and pitted prodis-
soconchs. They appear to be so different from
other nuculids that a new genus is hereby erected
to contain them.
Condylonucula newgenus
Extremely small nuculids wath a large caplike
prodissoconch. The valves are inflated, well-
rounded, and have concentric sculpture. The
anterior end is longer than the posterior; the pro-
dissoconch is pitted and sculptured and as much
as 40% of the length of the dissoconch. Hinge
teeth few in number, while the resilifer is small
and more or less normal to the hinge line. There
is no nacre on the interior of the shell. TTie ad-
ductor muscle scars are paired, roughly equal in
size, and the valve margins are smooth.
T)ff)e species: Condylonucula cynthine,
new species
Name: from condylus, a knob on the end of a
bone, referring to the prodissoconch, and nucida.
a small nut. Gender: feminine.
The genus is erected for a pair of species, both
new, from the western Caribbean. They are
characterized by the relatively enormous pitted
and sculptured prodissoconch, few hinge teeth,
concentric sculpture, and smooth ventral margins.
TTiey are also smaller than any other species in
the family.
(Condylonucula cynthiae new species
Description: An extremely small species
maturing at a length of about 600 ^i (0.6 mm).
The shell is compact, a little longer than high,
and is rather thick. The prodissoconch is large,
about 210 fi long, and has a large knob centrally
located adjacent to the hinge line. There are two
concentric ridges, an inner one about half way to
the edge of the prodissoconch, and an outer ridge
forming the projecting outer edge. Both ridges
are best developed in the anterior and posterior
areas, the inner ridge especially so on the pos-
terior side. The surface of the prodissoconch is
pitted. The anterior end of the dissoconch is
well-developed, the posterior end short. The ven-
tral margin is well rounded. About ten to twelve
concentric ribs are present on the adult. There
are fine concentric striae between the ribs. The
interior of the shell is without nacre. Two oval
adductor muscle scars are present, the ventral
margin is smooth, and the hinge plate is short
and broad. There are four anterior, three pos-
terior hinge teeth in the right valve, four an-
terior, two posterior in the left valve. There is a
slight depression or notch on the inside at either
end of the hinge. The resilifer is short and almost
normal to the hinge.
Name: named for Cynthia Moore, wife of the
author.
Material: Holotype. Complete specimen 600 ^^
long, 480 M high. USNM No. 758534.
Type locality: About 800 m west of outer reef
(lagoon) Courtown Cays (Cayos del E.S.E.) in the
western Caribbean off Nicaragua. Depth, 7.5 m.
Paratypes: (specimens are complete unless
otherwise noted). Courtown Cays, depth 1.5 m,
one 350 m long, one (bored) 600 m long, one 460 f^
long, one 460 n long, one 6.30 m long, one broken
right valve, one fragment, USNM No. 758538.
Courtown Cays, depth 1.5 m, one 620 ^ long, one
right valve 560 ^^ long, ANSP No. 344388. Cour-
town Cays, depth 1.5 m one 570 n long, one left
valve 620 ^ long DMNH No. 120580. Courtown
Cays, north end, about two m, one 465 n long, one
left valve 600 m long, one left valve 580 n long,
MCZ No. Unknown. Courtown Cays, outer reef,
one m, one 630 ^ long, one left valve 590 ^i long.
Serrana Bank, lagoon, one 590 ^ long, UMML No.
28-2811.
Two specimens from Serrana Bank, one com-
plete, one a left valve, both 600 ^ long, were lost
after being photographed with the Scanning Elec-
tron Microscope at the University of Illinois.
Hence there were originally eighteen good
specimens available for this study.
Remarks: TTie minute size of C. cynthiae makes
it unlikely that it would be confused with any
other species of Nuculidae except another new
species (C. maya) described in this paper
(for comparison of the two species, see remarks
after the description of C. maya). The young of
other species such as C. calcicola may look super-
ficially like C. cynthiae, but do not have the
124 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol.91 (4)
strongly sculptured prodissoconch or show signs
of maturity.
Maturity is always a problem when studying
very small mollusks. TTiere have been many cases
of a larval or immature shell being described as
an adult. Externally, one should look for a dif-
ferentiated prodissfX'onch or protoconch to be cer-
tain that the sf)ecimen is beyond the larval stage.
In bivalves, indications of maturity should be
looked for on the inside of the valves. The shell is
usually thickened internally after reaching max-
imum growth, and this is often accompanied by
irregularities of the inner surface. Adductor mus-
cle scars become sunken while changes in the
hinge line may also occur.
One other species in the family, Nunda
calcicola, has been found at both Courtown Cays
and Serrana Bank. At present, these two atolls
(Milliman, 1969), some 250 km apart, are the only
known localities for C. cynthiae. A number of
islands, islets, and shallow banks, however, are
located off Nicaragua and Honduras, and prob-
ably have other populations of the species. There
is also very little information on the vertical
range of C. cynthiae. All of the specimens were
collected in quite shallow water 1 to 7.5 m deep.
Condylonucula tnaya new species
Description: 1^ is is an extremely small species
maturing at a length of about 500 n. The shell is
compact, oval in shape when viewed from the
side, and moderately thick.
The prodissoconch is large, 220 fi long, and has
a small knob centrally located next to the hinge
line. The edge of the prodissoconch is somewhat
raised above the adult shell, but does not form a
distinct ridge. An inner concentric ridge is ex-
tremely weak or absent on the anterior and me-
dian area of the prodissoconch, but becomes an
upright projection on the posterior part. This pro-
jecting ridge is about the same height as the cen-
tral knob. The surface of the prodissoconch is pit-
ted. The dissoconch is oval in side view, and has
most of the prodissoconch confined to the pos-
terior half The anterior end is more elongate
than the posterior; both ends are rounded to
about the same degree. The ventral margin is
moderately well rounded, and there are about 10
to 12 weak concentric ribs.
The shell is transparent when fresh. Two oval
adductor muscle scars are present; the ventral
margin is smooth; and the hinge plate rather
narrow. Ilie hinge teeth number three anterior,
two posterior in both valves. The resilifer is a
short triangular notch beneath the prodissoconch.
Name: Named for the inhabitants of the
Yucatan Peninsula.
Material: Holotype. Complete specimen 500 ji
long, 380 M high. USNM No. 758536.
Type locality: Chancanab Lagoon, Cozumel,
Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Paratypes: Chancanab Lagoon, depth 2 m.
Seven complete, 365, 270, 430, 530, 480, 500, and
480 ^i long; one right valve 500 (i long. USNM No.
758536. One 540 ^*, one 520 /i, and a right valve
480 /i long, MCZ No. Unknown. One 460 n, one
520 fi, one 325 ji, and a left valve 500 fi long.
ANSP No. 344389. One 460 ^i. one 425 n. and a
left valve 445 m long, AMNH No. 183858. One 500
M. one 490 m, one 380 ^, and 510 n long. DMNH
No. 120579. One 490 m long. Fm (Field Museum)
No. 198080.
Five complete sjjecimens ranging from 470 to
510 fi long, and three separate valves ranging
from 370 to 465 ^ long have been kept by the
author.
Arrowsmith Bank, "Gerda" Sta. 899, September
10, 1967, depth 110 to 220 m, two specimens both
520 fi long, UMML No. 28-2810.
Remarks: C. maya is clearly closely related to
C. cynthiae. The chief differences are: in C. maya
the prodissoconch is not as strongly sculptured,
the central knob is weaker, and the dissoconch is
FIG. 1. Interior view of right valve of holotype of Nucula
calcicola.
FIG. 2. Exterior view of left I'olve of holotifpe of Nucula
calcicola. length for both isl.7J,mm.
FIG. 3. Interior mew of left valve of paratypc of Nucula
calcicola. This was a large specimen, 1.9 mm long, and s/ioxvs
signs of old age. irregvlar shelly deposits on the inteior and
strongly deveUrped hinge. Thissperimen waslaterlost.
FIG. 4. Ejcterior mew of right vali'e of holotype of
Condylonucula maya.
FIG. 5. Interior view of left valve of holotype of Con-
dylonucula maya, both 500 ^ in length.
FIG, (i. Exterior view of left valve of holotype of Con-
dylonucula cynthiae.
FIG. 7. Interior view of right valve of holotype of Con-
dylonucula cynthiae, both 600 jj in length.
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 125
^
6
5 -^-^— /
New NucuMae—D. R. Moore (see explanation on opposite page)
12fi Tlie Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Voi.yi(i)
more elongate. Two representative adult speci-
mens had the following measurements: (In each
case, the percentage refers to the length of the
specimen).
C.cynthiae
C. maya
Another comparative feature is the concentric
sculpture. It is stronger in C. cynthiae, and this
species also has fine concentric striae between the
ribs.
C. maya is presently known only from Cozumel
and Arrowsmith Bank, some 34 km to the NNE
of Cozumel. The examples from Cozumel are all
from a depth of two m. The Arrowsmith Bank
specimens were collected dredging up the steep
slope of the side of the bank. They were probably
in sediment that poured over the edge of the
bank, and, if so, must have been living at a depth
of25to35m.
It is interesting that all known specimens of
the two species have been found at atolls or
shallow banks, and not on the continental shelf. I
have recently examined reef sediment samples
from Belize. These samples were taken from con-
tinental shelf reefs, and while rich in micro-
mollusks, did not contain any Condylonucula.
Other species of bivalves slightly less than a
millimeter in length have been described. Usual-
ly, these descriptions have been based on very
scanty material, often dredged, and little has
been done since to ascertain whether these are
truly mature specimens or only partially grown.
The smallest of these appears to be Cuna gem-
mula Turton, 1932, from South Africa described
as fully grown at 0.5 mm. There was only one
quite transparent valve which was supposed to be
quite similar to C. concentriea Bartsch, 1915, but
not so pointed at the top! It is hardly necessary to
point out that the validity of this species is ex-
tremely doubtful.
There are signs of maturity to look for in
bivalves. These are: thickening of the shell,
sunken adductor muscle scars, rugosity of the in-
terior surface, thickening of the hinge line, and,
sometimes formation of denticles along the ven-
tral margin. Even with these guides, one must ex-
ercise caution, as there is considerable variation
in the appearance of the adult from one species
to another. It is best to have a series of spe-
cimens, preferably from more than one locality,
so that morphological changes from sub-adult to
adult can be observed. These changes are some-
times dramatic although the maximum dimen-
sions of the shell may be almost unchanged.
SUMMARY
Tlie three species herein described present
quite a contrast. Nucula calcimla is ubiquitous in
the Caribbean and adjacent areas, while the two
species of Condylonucula appear to be confined to
two small areas in the western Caribbean. All
three species, however, have only been found in
calcareous sediments. Information is usually lack-
ing on ecological requirements of species, but
Hampson (1971) has shown that A^. proiima Say
lives in fine to medium quartz sand, and that the
similar appearing A'^ annulata Hampson lives in
muddy areas.
N. calcicola has been found in back reef to
stenohaline inshore areas in quite shallow water.
The depth range of the present material is one to
11 m. but live or fresh material has only been
found at two meters. C. cynthiae has been found
only in back reef and lagoonal deposits from one
to 7.5 m in fairly coarse sediments. C. maya has
been found in 2 m in quiet water and at 25 to 35
m (dead material from steep slope). It may well
be a deeper water species that shuns the turbu-
lent water of shallow reefs. Chancanab Lagoon,
however, provides a quiet environment with
oceanic water, and this seems to prove an ac-
ceptable niche for C. maya. Chancanab sediments
are much finer than those in which C. cynthiae
are found.
The three species have a number of character-
istics in common. They are very small (two are
the smallest known bivalves), and are rather
similar in appearance. They are stenohaline and
tropical in distribution. TTiey live in quite
shallow water, and in areas with calcareous
sediments. Thus their ecological requirements are
similar to those of hermatypic reef corals. The
Vol. 91(1)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 127
two species of Condylonuctda especially seem to
be confined to a very narrow range of physical
conditions. Their very limited geographic range
may signify a very brief planktonic larval stage,
or none at all.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Gray Multer for the op-
portunity to collect and study Virgin Island
raicromollusks. It was because of this material
that I started working on the small Nuculidae. I
also thank John Milliman for his invitation to
take part in the Caribbean Atoll cruise in 1966.
Thanks are due to Wayne Bock for sorting part
of the Serrana Bank material in which the first
two C. cynthixie were found. To Jon Staiger,
thanks also for the opportunity to participate in
the Arrowsmith Bank cruise of September, 1967.
To Peter Supko, thanks for two bottom samples
from Bermuda. Thanks are also due to Donald
Marszalek for bottom material from Belize. I also
thank my wife Cynthia for the trip to Cozumel as
she discovered the bargain tour that made it
possible to visit the island.
Acknowledgment is made to the donors of the
Petroleum Research Fund, administered by the
American Chemical Society, for partial support of
this research (PRF No. 5063-AC2). This work was
also supported in part by National Science Foun-
dation Grant GB-8684.
LITERATURE CITED
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128 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol. 91(1)
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VARICORBULA CHOWANENSIS A NEW SPECIES (BIVALVIA: MYACEA)
FROM THE PLIOCENE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Richard H. Bailey
Dept. of Earth Sciences
Northeastern University
Boston, Mass. 02115
ABSTRACT
Varicorbula chowanensis n. sp. occurs in the late Pliocene deposits along the
Chowan River of northeastern North Carolina. This i,s the first report of the
genus in the Neogene Chesapeake Group of Virginia and North Carolina.
Late Pliocene deposits along the Chowan River
in northeastern North Carolina contain diverse
molluscan assemblages that are indicative of
shallow shelf and estuarine environments. Within
these assemblages the family Corbulidae is rep-
resented by Caryocorhida inequalis (Say), C. cf.
conradi Gardner, and Varicorbula chowanensis n.
sp. The genus Varicorbula has not been reported
from well-exposed late Miocene and Pliocene
strata of the Chesapeake Group of Virginia and
northern North Carolina; however, specimens of
Varicorbula, labeled V. caloosae (Dall), from the
Pleistocene Waccamaw Formation of south-
eastern North Carolina are in the collections of
the United States National Museum.
Varieorbula is unique in that it exhibits the in-
equivalved condition of the Corbulidae to a very
high degree. Tlie right valve is extremely convex
and bears coarse concentric rugae. The smaller
left valve is flatter and bears concentric growth
lines crossed by irregular radial riblets. Yonge
(1949) demonstrated that Varicorbula gibba
(Olivi) lives with the plane of the commissure
vertical despite the asymmetry of the valves. He
suggests that the large overlap of the valves may
allow the animal to compress water in the man-
tle cavity periodically to expel pseudofeces. The
inhalent siphon of V. gibba is flush with the sedi-
ment surface so that when the clam is actively
pumping, large quantities of fine sediment, along
with diatoms, bacteria, and organic detritus are
carried into the mantle cavity (Yonge, 1949). In
order to utilize such a food resource Varicorbula
needs an effective mechanism to dispose of the
sediment accompanying the food. Varicorbula
chowanensis also lived in bottoms consisting of
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27. 1977
The Nautilus 129
%
FIG. 1. Exteriw of hohtype (USNM m806) of Varicorbula
chowanensis n. sp.. right valve, length 7.2 mm (a): left valve,
paratype (USNM 2i 1807), length 6.9 mm (b); interior of right
valve (c): interior of left valve (d).
Interior of right valve with a very faint pallial
line and small pallial sinus; with well-developed
marginal groove for insertion of left valve; ad-
ductor scars small, slightly impressed and closest
to dorsal valve margin; single conical cardinal
tooth below and slightly anterior of beak; deep
subumbonal resilial pit. Interior of left valve
shows pallial line; adductor scars poorly-de-
veloped; small thick chondrophore immediately
beneath and posterior of beak is firmly fused to
hinge plate; immediately anterior of chondro-
phore and beneath beak is a large socket for the
cardinal tooth of the right valve.
very clayey and silty fine sands. It is likely that
the function of the valves hypothesized by Yonge
(1949) also operated for the extinct species, V.
chowanensis.
Family Corbulidae Lamarck, 1818
Genus Varicorbula Grant and Gale, 1931
Varicorbula chowanensis new species
(Figs. 1, 2)
Description: Shell small, very strongly ine-
quivalve; right valve convex and inflated with
high prosogyrate umbo, rounded anterior, trun-
cate posterior, flat corselet separated from rest of
valve by poorly defined posterior diagonal ridge
and abrupt anterior turn of concentric ribs; left
valve flatter and smaller than right, narrow well
defined umbo, rounded low posterior ridge defines
irregular corselet, rounded anterior, sub-truncate
posterior.
Sculpture of right valve consists of regularly-
spaced, rounded concentric ribs, becoming higher
and wider near ventral margin; prodissoconch
devoid of sculpture. Exterior of left valve with ir-
regular concentric grooves parallel to the growth
lines; distinct but frequently irregular growth
lines are crossed by faint discontinuous riblets
that converge toward the umbo; riblets 3 to 8,
with highly variable spacing, and are more
distinct on ventral portion of valve.
FIG. 2. Valve outlines of Neogene species o/ Varicorbula; V.
caloosae (Doll), early Pleistocene Caloosahatchee Formation,
(a) right valve, length 10.lt mm, fb) left valve, length 8.6 mm,
after Olsson arid Harbison (1953); V. chowanensis n. sp., late
Pliocene "Yorktown" Formation, (c) right valve (USNM
21,1812). length 7.0 mm, (d) left, valve (USNM 21,1815), length
7.0 mm; V. waltonensis (Gardner), middle Miocene Shoal
River Formation, (e) right valve, length 7.5 mm. (f) left valve,
length 6.5 mm, after Ckirdner (1928); V. chipolana (Gardner),
lower Miocene (Jhipola Formation, (g) right valve, length 6.5
mm, (h) left valve, length 5.8 mm. after Gardner (1928).
130 The Nautilus
Measurements
Valve
Holotype (USNM 241806) R
Paratypes (USNM ail8fl7) L
(USNM 2-1 MIX) R
(USNM msm) R
(USNM 241810) R
(USNM •211811) R
(USNM 211812) R
(USNM 241813) L
(USNM 211814) L
(USNM 211815) L
October 27, 1977
Vol.91 (4)
H
(mm)
5.7
5.0
6.4
6.6
5.4
5.0
5.4
4.4
5.4
5.0
;,
(mm)
7.2
6.9
8.4
8.9
6.9
6.6
7.0
6.3
7.8
7.0
No. No.
Ribs Riblels
18
22
21
21
18
20
tion, 2.0 kilometers upstream (north) of bridge
where U. S. Route 17 crosses Chowan River, Ber-
tie County, North Carolina, locality 27 of Bailey
(1973).
Twes: Holotype, right valve, USNM 241806,
ventral margin partially broken; figured para-
type, left valve, USNM 241807, measured and/or
figured USNM paratypes, 241808-241815; undes-
ignated paratypes, 3 fragmentary valves. USNM
241816.
DISCUSSION
Varicorbnla chowanends is most similar in
shape to V. caloosae (Dall, 1898). However, it may
be distinguished from the latter by its smaller
size, more gently sloping anterior and posterior
dorsal margins, narrower umbonal region, and its
broader, more distinct posterior region (Fig. 2).
The Vancorbida lineage of the Neogene of the
Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains is represented
by at least four species (Fig. 2). Varicorbula
chipolana from the lower Miocene Chipola For-
mation is the earliest reported member of the
lineage. The evolutionary relationships of these
species remains to be clearly demonstrated.
T]ff)e locality: Pliocene deposits along the west
bank of the Chowan River, "Yorktown" Forma-
LITERATURE CITED
Bailey, R. H. 1973. Paleienviriinment, paleoecology and
stratigraphy of molluscan assemblages from the Yorktown
Formation (upper Miocene— lower Pliocene) of North
Carolina. Ph.D. dissertatmn. University of North Carolina.
110 pp.
Gardner, J. 1928. The molluscan fauna of the Alum Bluff
Group of Florida. Part V. U. S. Geological Survey Prof.
Paper 142 E. pp. 185-249.
Dall. W. H. 1898. Contributions to the Tertiary fauna of
Florida. Part IV. Trans, of the Wagner Free Inst, of Sri..
PhUadelph m. pp. 511-947.
Olsson, A. A. and Harbison, A. 19.53. Pliocene mollusca of
Southern Florida. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. Man. 8. 4.57 pp. 65
pis.
Yonge, C. M. 1946. On the habits and adaptations of Ahidis
(Corbulaj gibba. Jour. Marine Biol. Assoc. United Kingdom
26: :358-376.
TWO NEW RABDOTUS (PULMONATA: BULIMULIDAE) FROM
BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
Carl C. Christensen and Walter B. Miller
Department of General Biology
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona 85721
ABSTRACT
Tira ncir speri.ps of the land snail genus Rabdotus are described from Baja
(alifiiniia Siir. Mr.riro. R. gigantensis is reported from the Sienv de la (riganta
and R. laevapex is reported from Isla Cerralvo.
The bulimulid genus Rabdotus contains most of
the larger land snails of Baja California Sur,
Mexico. Although snails of this genus also inhabit
much of mainland Mexico and of the southern
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 131
FIG. 1 and 2. Rabdotus gigantensis Christensen arid Miller,
neir species. San Javier. Baja California Sur. Mexico.
Holotj/pe. CASGTCNo. 57937. Shell height 19.7 mm.
FIG. 3. Rabdotus gigantensis Christensen and Miller, new
species. Shell opened to show columellar lamina. Paratype.
CASGTCNo. 579U. Shell height 20.5 mm.
FIG. 4 and 5. Rabdotus laevape.\ Christensen and Miller,
new .species. Isla Cerraho, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Holotype. CASGTCNo. 579J,2. Shell height 27.8 mm.
FIG. 6. Rabdotus laevapex Christensen and Miller, new
species Shell opened to show cohimellar lamina. Paratif})e.
CASGTCNo. .5794.3. Shell height 28.J, mm.
and southwestern United States, about three
quarters of the over thirty known species are con-
fined to the southern half of the Baja California
peninsula and nearby islands. Tliis report con-
tains descriptions of two new species from this
region, one recorded from several localities in the
Sierra de la Giganta, the principal mountain
range of the central part of the peninsula, the
other known only from Isla Cerralvo, the
southernmost island in the Gulf of California.
Rabdotus gigantensis Christensen
and Miller, n. sp.
Descriptwn. Shell (fig. 1-3) solid, 16.9-21.3 mm
in height (mean height of twenty adult shells
from type lot 19.2 mm), 7.8-10.2 mm in diameter
(mean 8.8 mm), ratio of height to diameter 1.85-
2.36 (mean 2.17), ratio of shell height to aperture
length 2.18-2.62 (mean 2.44), whorls .5-7/8 to
6-7/8 (mean 6.42); spire convex in outline; em-
bryonic whorls 2 to 2-1/4 in number, rounded,
132 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol.91 (4)
I
with strong regiilar axial riblets the interstices of
which are crossed by fine spiral threads; post-
nuclear whorls convex, sutures moderately im-
pressed; surface of shell weakly shining, sculp-
ture of early postnuclear whorls of numerous
weak growth wrinkles which may bear minute
hyphen-like granules arranged in spiral rows,
this sculpture becoming obsolete in later whorls;
color of shell light brown except peristome and
narrow subsutural band sometimes whitish; last
whorl slightly inflated, flattened at periphery,
often ascending slightly at aperture; columellar
margin of peristome reflected, basal and palatal
margins weakly reflected, not revolute; termina-
tions of peristome joined by a thin to moderately
thick parietal callus; columella with a well-
developed sinuous lamina located deep within the
aperture; basal region of shell deeply rimate.
Soft parts unknown.
Ti/pe Locality. Baja California Sur, Mexico, at
San Javier, in a large lava rockslide immediately
south of the mission, elevation 350-450 m.
Holotype. California Academy of Sciences
Geology Type Collection No. 57937. Height 19.7
mm, diameter 9.3 mm, length of aperture 8.2 mm,
whorls 6-5/8. Collected by W. B. Miller, 25 Oc-
tober 1972.
Paratypes. 46 specimens collected by W. B.
Miller, 24 October 1971; 53 specimens collected by
C. C. Christensen, P. N. D'Eliscu, W. B. Miller, R.
L. Reeder, and D. B. Richman, 25 October 1972.
Paratypes in the collections of the California
Academy of Sciences and Delaware Museum of
Natural History (No. 112458) and in the private
collections of R. L. Reeder and the authors.
Additional Paratype Material. Specimens have
been examined from the following additional
localities in Baja California Sur; inland of San
Jose de Magdalena on the road to Guadalupe,
43.3 km west of the Transpeninsular Highway, C.
Church, 11 December 1970; 11.3 km north of San
Jose Comondu, C. Church, November 1969; San
Jose Comondu, R. J. Drake, July 1953, and V.
Roth. 15 February 1966; 1.0 km east of San
Javier, C. Church, 11 December 1970; 15.7 km
west of San Javier on the road to Santo Domingo,
C. Church. 12 December 1970; 72.4 km south of
Loreto and 49.9 km northeast of Villa Insur-
gentes on Transpeninsular Highway, in lava
rockslides on south side of arroyo, elevation 275
m, W. B. Miller. 23 October 1971; road between
El Obispo and Rancho Tinajitas. I. L. Wiggins, 20
November 1959.
Remarks. Rahdotus gigantensis is distinguished
by its small size, weakly reflected peristome, col-
umellar lamina, and coloration. R. leins (Dall) is
similar in overall dimensions and form but lacks
a columellar lamina; its shell is usually marked
with dark axial streaks. R. dentifer (Mabille) and
R. chamberlini (Hanna) are small snails each
with a columellar lamina but with the peristome
strongly reflected or revolute.
Rahdotus giganterms is most often found in
large talus slides of volcanic rock and is known
to occur over nearly the entire length of the
Sierra de la Giganta. Although dead shells of this
species are common in some localities, no living
specimens have yet been collected.
The species is named for the mountains in
which it lives.
Rahdotus laevapex Christensen and Miller, n. sp.
Description. Shell (fig. 4-6) solid, 24.8-28.6 mm
in height (mean height of eight adult shells from
type lot 27.7 mm), diameter 11.8-13.4 mm (mean
12.6 mm), ratio of height to diameter 2.10-2.29
(mean 2.19), ratio of shell height to aperture
length 2.08-2.25 (mean 2.18), whorls 5-7/8 to 6-
3/8 (mean 6.12); spire weakly convex in outline;
embryonic whorls not readily distinguishable
from postnuclear shell; first two whorls rounded,
smooth or with subobsolete axial wrinkles; later
whorls convex, sutures weakly impressed, surface
of shell shining or dull, sculpture of weak growth
wrinkles; color of shell light brown except peris-
tome and narrow subsutural band sometimes
whitish, shell sometimes with light axial streaks;
last whorl inflated, rounded at periphery, not
ascending or descending at aperture; columellar
margin of peristome reflected, basal and palatal
margins reflected and revolute; terminations of
peristome joined by a thin white or clear parietal
callus; columella with a strong spiral lamina
which is prominently visible within the aperture;
basal region of shell deeply rimate.
Pulmonary veins and pallial roof between veins
and hindgut light brown; mantle not marked
with dark spots.
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 133
FIG. 7. Rabdotus laevapex Christensen and Miller, new
species. Genitalia of halotype. Abbreviations: ec epiphallic
caeaivi; ep epiphallns: pe upper portion nf penit; ps penial
sheath and lower portion o/ppnis; sd spermathecal diwt: sp
spemiatheca: va vagina: vd vas deferens. Scale line 10 mm.
Genitalia (fig. 7) typical of the genus in general
structure, epiphallus usually greater in length
than penis or epiphallic caecum, comprising over
40% (average of 6 specimens) of the combined
length of these three structures; penis and
epiphallic caecum approximately equal in length,
vagina much shorter than penis; dimensions of
genitalia of holotype (figured): penis 9 mm in
length, epiphallus 16 mm, epiphallic caecum 9
mm, vagina 3 mm, spermathecal duct 26 mm.
T]fpe Locality. Baja California Sur, Mexico, on
west side of Isla Cerralvo, approximately 0.5 km
inland of the beach at El Limona anchorage, in a
small rockslide on the south slope of a narrow ar-
royo, elevation 50-100 m. Living snails were
found sealed to small rocks.
Holotype. California Academy of Sciences
Geology Type Collection No. 57942. Height 27.8
mm, diameter 12.2 mm, length of aperture 12.8
mm, whorls 6. Collected by C. C. Christensen, 8
August 1974.
Paratyjns. 7 adult and 5 immature specimens
collected with the holotype. Paratypes in the col-
lections of the California Academy of Sciences
and Delaware Museum of Natural History (No.
112457) and in the private collections of the
authors.
Remarks. The sculpture of the embryonic
whorls is the outstanding character of Rabdotus
laevapex and distinguishes it from all other
members of the genus. In other Rabdotuj^ these
whorls bear regular axial riblets; in R. laevapex
these are smooth or bear only weak wrinkles
which do not resemble the riblets of other species.
This condition is not the result of wear, as it is
found in the shells of live-collected immature
specimens of 2-1/2 whorls. The name assigned to
this species refers to its smooth apex.
Although the shells of Rabdotus lamellifer
(Pilsbry), R. rimatus (Pfeiffer), and R. spirifer
(Gabb) resemble that of R. laevapex in size and
general form, these species differ from the new
species anatomically; in each of them the penis is
greater in length than either the epiphallus or
epiphallic caecum, and the length of the vagina is
more nearly equal to that of the penis than is the
case with R. laevapex.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We wish to thank the individuals named above
who collected specimens used in this study and
Mr. Barry Roth of the California Academy of
Sciences for the loan of material, as well as Dr.
D. A. Thomson of the University of Arizona and
Sr. Felipe Maldonado, captain of the yacht La
Sirena, who provided transportation to Isla Cer-
ralvo. We also wish to thank Judith A. Chris-
tensen for assistance with the preparation of the
figures which accompany this report.
134 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (1)
STUDIES ON FOULING INVERTEBRATES IN THE INDIAN RIVER. FLORIDA
2: EFFECT OF MODULUS MODULUS (PROSOBRANCHIA: MODULIDAE)
David Mook
Johnson Stience Laboratory
Harbor Branch Foundation, Inc.
Ft. Pierce, Florida 33450
ABSTRACT
The buildup of fouling invertebrates on tiles placed among seagrass blades is
considerably less than on tiles placed in adjacent areas devoid of scagi-ass. Snail
counts and the results of caging experiments suggest that the grazing action of
Modulus modulus may retard the buildup of folding organisms on surfaces
within the gr-ass bed,"!.
Observations on fouling patterns on the Indian
River lagoon of eastern Florida indicate that the
accumulation of fouling invertebrates on tiles
placed among seagrass blades is considerably less
than on tiles placed in adjacent areas devoid of
seagrass. The processes responsible for this are
not know^n but the following mechanisms were
suspected: (1) large predators may graze more ac-
tively among the grass blades (a large predator is
operationally defined here as one which cannot
go through a 12 mm mesh); (2) rubbing of grass
blades on the tiles due to wave action may
mechanically remove newly settled organisms:
and (3) survival of newly settled fouling
organisms may be affected by small animals such
as Modulus modulus Linne, 17-58, a snail that
often is found locally on grass blades.
The research presented in this paper was
designed to experimentally test whether any of
these mechanisms are responsible for the retarda-
tion of fouling in the grass beds.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study area was located in a seagrass bed
north of Link Port on the west bank of the In-
dian River lagoon near Fort Pierce, Florida
(31.r27' N; 20.9°80' W) (Young et d.. 1976). The
site consisted of subtidal dense stands of
Halodule urrightii Ascherson, 1868, interspersed
with large sandy patches devoid of grass. Small
.stands of Tfi<dassi(i testudinum Konig, 1805, were
occasionally present.
Page charges paid.
The experimental fouling substrata were 15 cm
by 15 cm Italian quarry tiles bolted to 50 cm
lengths of 2.4 cm (4 inch) PVC (polyvinyl-
chloride) pipe pushed into the sediment. The bot-
tom edge of each tile was about 1 cm above the
sediment surface. Treatments are listed in Table
1. Each treatment consisted of five replicate tiles.
Treatment results were compared using Stu-
dent's-t test. To determine the effect of large
predators, some tiles were set in cages con-
structed of 12 mm mesh ('4 inch hardware cloth),
measuring 2 m on a side. In order to test abra-
sion effects of grass on fouling accumulation,
some tiles were set in 2 m by 2 m caged and un-
caged areas from which grass blades were cut at
the level of the sediment surface.
Specimens of Modulus modulus were counted
four times (Table 1) in October and November
1976 from the smooth side of each tile. Three
counts were made during the day and one count
was made at night. The amount of fouling was
determined by scraping all accumulated grow1;h
TALBE 1. Comparison of average dry weights of aenimidfi-
lion of fouling organisms and average numbers of Modulus
modulus on tiles subjected to various treatments.
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 135
FIG. 1. Rack med tu hold Italian quarry tiles. The screen
has been removed to show more clearly the rack's structure.
Ruler is 33 cm in length.
from the smooth side of each tile, drying the
scrapings at 80° C for 72 hours and weighing
them.
The effect of Modulus modulus on fouling was
tested by placing five tiles in each of two fouling
racks (Figure 1). Both these racks were covered
with nylon window screening (1 mm mesh). One
hundred specimens of M. tnodulus were placed in
one rack and the other was kept free of this
species for a control. The racks were suspended at
a depth of 0.5 m from a float at the Harbor
Branch Foundation laboratory for about six
weeks (7 March 1977-22 April 1977). Screens
were scrubbed with a brush every two days to
prevent fouling organisms from clogging the
screens. Coverage by fouling organisms was
measured by recording all fouling organisms that
occurred at each of 80 random points (Greig-
Smith, 1964) on the smooth side of the tile. Points
that contained no fouling were also enumerated
in order to quantify uncolonized space on the
plates.
RESULTS
The dominant fouling animals in the grassbeds
consisted of Balanus eburjieus Gould, 1841,
Balanus amphitrite Darwin, 1854 and Spirorhis
sp. These are common fouling sf)ecies in the In-
dian River (Mock, 1976). Accumulation of fouling
organisms was significantly (p<.()l) higher
(t = 6.2610) on tiles set within the sand area than
on tiles set in the grass area (Table 1). In the
sjind patch, the tiles within the cage had signi-
ficantly (p<.01) more fouling (t = 4.85) than tiles
outside the cage, whereas no significant dif-
ferences were found between caged and uncaged
tiles within the grass bed in either clipped
(t = 1.6485) or undipped (t = 0.4878) areas. These
differences suggest that large predators are prob-
ably important grazers of fouling organisms out-
side the grass but their role may be limited
within the confines of the grass bed itself, at
least when the fouling communities are relatively
young. The identity of the predators was not
determined; however, the sheepshead, Ar-
chom.rgits probatdcephalus Walbaum 1792, an
abundant fish in the Indian River (Gilmore,
1977), is known to prey on some fouling
organisms (Mook, 1977).
No significant difference in fouling accumula-
tion was recorded between tiles in clipped and
undipped areas (t = 1.849) (Table 1), indicating
that the mechanical abrasion of grass blades rub-
TALBE 2. Comparison of average number of points out of
80 occupied by various fouling animals on tiles placed in
racks nith and without Modulus modulus. "Mi organisms" in-
dicates average number of points without any finding animals
present. Average number of species is also compared. Each
rack ctmtainedfive tiles.
* Significant to 0.05 level
" T = tunicate. P = polychaete, E = ectoprocta, A =
amphipod. B = barnacle.
136 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (4)
bing across tile surface has no discemable effect
on settlement of fouling organisms.
There were significantly (p<.01) greater
numbers of M. modulus on tiles within the grass
bed than on those outside the grass bed
(t = 4.5905) (Table 1). A negative correlation exists
between the number of snails found on the tiles
and the amount of fouling (r = 0.71). Tliese obser-
vations suggest that grazing by M. modulus may
retard the accumulation of fouling. When speci-
mens of M. modulus were placed in screened foul-
ing racks, the amount of fouling buildup by most
species was reduced (Table 2).
Dissections of a few Modulus stomachs
revealed a small crystalline style and diatom
tests, an indication the Modulus modulus prob-
ably is a herbivore, feeding on the epiphytic
algae and detritus which accumulates on surfaces
within the grass beds (Houbrick, f)ersonal com-
munication). The grazing action of Modulus
modulus probably also dislodges newly settled
larvae of fouling organisms, thus retarding the
development of fouling. These mechanisms may
also aid in keeping the surfaces of seagrass blades
clear of fouling.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to Dr. David K. Young, Mr. John
DePalma, Dr. Marsh Youngbluth, Dr. Kevin
Eckelbarger and Dr. Richard Houbrick for their
helpful comments while I was preparing the
manuscript, and Ms. Patricia Linley for her help
in proofreading the final copies.
LITERATURE CITED
Gilmore, R. Grant. 1977. Fishes of the Indian River lagoon
and adjacent waters, Florida. Bull Ma. State Mus. 22(.33):
pp. 101-148.
Greig-Smith, P. 1964. Quantitative plant ecology. Butter-
worths. London. 256 pages.
Mook. David. 1976. Studies on fouling invertebrates in the In-
dian River 1. Seasonality of settlement. Bull. Mar. Sn. 26:
610-615.
Mook, David. 1977. Larval and osteological development of the
sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus (Pisces: Sparidae).
Copeia 1977: 126-ia3.
Young, David, Martin Buzas and Martha Young. 1976. Species
densities of macrobenthos associated with seagrass: A field
experimental study of predation. J. Mar. Res. 34: 577-592.
Harbor Branch Foundation, Inc., Contribution No. 77.
SEASONAL CHANGES IN REPRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY AND
BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE FINGERNAIL
CLAM, SPHAERIUM TRANSVERSUM
Thomas H. Dietz and Edward M. Stern
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
ABSTRACT
Vie life span o/Sphaerium transversum in Louisiana i.s about one year. Mature
adults are reproduetively ynost active during winter (30-^0 young/adult) and least
active during the summer (0-12) young /adult). During the height of reproductive
activity 60-70% of the adult dry tissue mass k developing juveniles retained in the
branchial chamber. There is a seasonal cycle of tissue protein and carbohydrate
content, which correlates directly mth reproductive activity.
The fingernail clams of the family Sphaeriidae
have been studied extensively in terms of life
histories, reproduction and growth (Foster, 1932;
Van Cleave et al., 1947; TTiomas, 1959; Heard,
Vol. 91 (4)
a Component index = mg dry/lOOi-mg entire animal wet weight
b Mean - standard error of mean
1964, 1965). Many sphaeriids have been noted to
have a life span of one year (Foster, 1932; Heard,
1965). However, there have been no attempts to
determine the biochemical changes associated
with the growth, maturation and reproductive ac-
tivities of fingernail clams. The small size of
many of these species is probably an important
factor in the relative absence of physiological in-
formation. Sphaerium transversiim (Say),
however, attains a size of 16 mm in length and
up to 500 mg in total wet weight. The local abun-
dance of this species and its rapid grow1;h and
maturation make it a good experimental animal
and offer some insight into the seasonal changes
of its reproductive activity and biochemical com-
position.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sphaerium transversum were collected from
Bayou Manchac at its intersection with U. S.
Highway 61 south of Baton Rouge from April
1974 to April 1975. The animals were collected by
dip net and the largest members selected and
transported to the laboratory out of water in
order to prevent release of juveniles from the
branchial chamber. Data were obtained from the
animals within several hours after collection.
Each animal was blotted dry and its entire
weight recorded. Ten animals were opened and
developing juveniles having shells were separated,
counted and then dried at 85° C to obtain dry
juvenile weights. Ten additional animals were
opened and the soft tissue transferred to a test
tube. Soft tissue and shells were dried overnight
at 85° C. The dry tissue was digested with 0.5 ml
20% KOH at 100 ° C for 30 min. The digest was
diluted with distilled water and total car-
bohydrate was determined colorimetrically by a
phenol-sulfuric acid method (Montgomery, 1957).
The alcoholic precipitation of glycogen was
I
138 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol.91 (4)
eliminated since the direct analysis agreed (±
4%) with the recovered precipitate. Total tissue
protein was determined by the method of Lowry
et al. (19.51). Component indices were determined
by dividing the dry weight of the component by
the entire wet weight of the animal and mul-
tiplying by 100 (Stickle, 1975). All data are e.x-
pressed as the mean ± one standard error of the
mean with the number given in parentheses.
Voucher specimens are deposited in the Delaware
Museum of Natural History (No. 102016).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The life span of S transversum in Bayou Man-
chac is about one year. The adults die off during
the spring and summer leaving a population of
new young by late summer (Table 1). In
September 1974 the larger animals averaged
50-60 mg total weight and a maximum length of
8.4 ± 0.2 (N = 10) mm. All of these animals were
reproductively active. The smallest size range of
adults that contained embryos with shells was
5.5-6.5 mm in length. Almost all adult S.
transversum have developing embryos of from
0.1-0.2 mm in length which are enclosed in a
membranous sac or brood pouch in the branchial
chamber (Thomas, 1959). The number of embrj'os
within a brood pouch is variable, ranging from 20
to .30. These early-stage embryos were not among
those counted unless a fully developed shell was
evident. Adult S transversum are apparently re-
producing continuously. As the adults grow dur-
ing the fall and winter the number of developing
young, retained in the branchial chamber, in-
creases to a maximum of about 60. Each mature
adult was observed to have three arbitrary
categories of young within the branchial
chamber. 1) Young juveniles with shells which
were contained in a brood pouch. These small
juveniles were less than 0.5 mm in length with an
average dry weight (at the limit of measurement)
of 0.05 ± b.Ol (N = 8) mg. 2) Juveniles of larger
size (0.5-1.5 mm) which were free in the bran-
chial chamber. 3) Tliose juveniles just prior to
release (2-3.5 mm) that obtained a maximum
total dry weight of 1 mg. Although the largest
T.ABLE 2. Sea.snnal variation in size and component index in Sphnerium tranxvennim.
a Mean - standard error of mean, sample size was 10 animals.
v.ii.in (1)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 139
juveniles probably had fully developed gonads,
they did not have embryos (Gilmore, 1917).
The juvenile component index (CI) is an
estimate of the magnitude of reproductive activi-
ty in the adults (Table 1). During the height of
reproductive activity the juvenile CI is about 3
mg dry weight/100 mg total animal weight. More
revealing, however, is a comparison between ju-
venile CI and adult tissue CI. Of the adult dry
tissue, during the winter months, 60-70% is due
to the combined weights of the developing juve-
niles (see Tables 1 and 2). In April 1975 the
juveniles accounted for 87% of the total adult dry
tissue. This suggests that the majority of the
adult activities are devoted to reproduction,
ultimately leading to the death of the adult
(Heard. 1965).
500
400
300
200h
100
0
100
80
60
40
20
OL
20
15
10 -
5
0
6
4
2 -
0
TOTAL
SHELL
TISSUE
PROTEIN
CARBOHrORATE
M
A S 0 N
MONTH
M
FIG. 1. Seasonal changes in weight of Sphaerium transver-
sum. Each vertical line represents one standard error of the
mean.
Physical factors also may be contributing to
the adult die-off during the summer months. The
average dissolved oxygen measured by Winkler
titration during July - September 1974 was low
(0.6 ppm O2). In addition the surface water
temperature during the summer averaged 28° C.
Table 2 shows the seasonal changes in entire
weights and component indices of the reproduc-
tively active animals. The decline in weight in
the summer of 1974 is probably due to the in-
creasing death rate of the adult population.
Although we cannot rule out adult emigration to
deeper water or burrowing, it is unlikely (Horst
and Costa, 1975; Gale, 1976). Free-living young
sphaeriids display a rapid weight gain during the
first months after release (Mackie et al., 1976).
This period of growth is evident in S. transver-
sum during the fall months (Fig. 1). The average
shell length in February 1975 was 13.5 ± 0.5
(N = 10) mm with a maximum length of 16.4 mm.
Tissue weight increased most rapidly during Oc-
tober. Part of the increase was due to protein and
carbohydrate synthesis. Most of the increase was
due to unmeasured variables: lipid deposition,
associated with gonad development, and/or an in-
organic component.
Although the animals vary in weight during
the year, the shell and water component indices
are relatively uniform. There is a significant (P <
0.05) decrease in shell CI in August; however, the
meaning is obscure. It is possible that there is
allometric shell deposition in S. transversum as
noted in other bivalves (Joy and McCoy, 1975).
Total protein and carbohydrate CI show a pos-
itive correlation with reproductive activity dur-
ing the fall and winter. Carbohydrate and protein
CI also show a decline towards the end of the
reproductive season. The decrease in protein and
carbohydrate content may reflect the deteriorated
condition of the adults which can be more readily
observed only when large numbers of juveniles
have been released. Protein and carbohydrate
were not expressed as a function of dry tissue
weight in Table 2 because a significant and
seasonally varible amount of "adult tissue" was
actually developing juvenile tissue and shell. The
juveniles could not be separated from the adult
tissue without loss of adult tissue. The quantity
of tissue carbohydrate (6-23% of dry tissue) is
UUTlie Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (4)
similar to those reported for other molluscs
(Calvin, 1931; Webber, 1970; DeZwann and Zan-
dee. 1972; Badman and Chin, 1973; Dietz, 1974).
Protein content in the dry tissue ranged from 16
to 37"o. The protein to carbohydrate ratio of
about 2 also is similar to other bivalves (Ansell et
al.. 19M; Ansell and Trevallion, 1967; Dietz, un-
published observation).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We wish to thank Mrs. Gerry Bullock for typ-
ing the manuscript.
LITERATURE CITED
Ansell. A. D., F. A. Loosmore and K. F. Lander. 1964. Studies
on the hard-shell clam. Venus mercenana, in British
waters. II. Seasonal cycle in condition and biochemical com-
position../. Applied Ecot. 1: 83-9.5.
Ansell, A. D. and A. Trevallion. 1967. Studies on Tellina
tenuis Da Costa. I Seasonal growth and biochemical cycle. J.
Erp. Mar. Rid F/-i>i I: i^i^-'ZW
Badman, D. G. and S. L. Chin. 1973. Metabolic responses of
the fresh-water bivalve, Pleurobema cnccineum (Conrad), to
anaerobic conditions. Comp. Biuchem. Physiol. 44B: 27-32.
Calvin. D. B. 1931. Glycogen content of fresh-water mussels.
Proc. SrK. Erp Biol. Med. 29: 96-97.
Dietz, T. H. 1974. Body fluid composition and aerial oxygen
consumption in the freshwater mussel, Liqumia s^ibrostrata
(Say): Effects of dehydration and anoxic stress. Biol. Bull_
147: .560-572.
Foster. T. D. 1932. Observations on the life history of a finger-
nail shell of the genus •Sp/i.fK'nMm. J. Morphol. 53: 473-497.
Gale, W. F. 1976. Vertical distribution and burrowing
behavior of the fingernail clam, Sphaerium transversum.
Malacologia 15: 401-409.
Gilmore, R. .1. 1917. Notes on reproduction and growth in cer-
tain viviparous mussels of the family sphaeriidae. The
.Vnwn/iw 31: 16-30.
Heard, W. H. 1964. Litter size in the Sphaeriidae. The
Sautibu^n-.M-A^.
Heard, W. H. 1965. Comparative life histories of North
.American pill clams (Sphaeriidae: Pisidium). Malacologia 2:
3X1-411,
Horst, T. .]. and Costa, R. R. 1975. Seasonal migration and
density patterns of the fresh water snail. Amnicola limosa.
77icAnM(i7)is 89: 56-59.
.I(iy. .]. E. and L, E. McCoy. 1975. Comparisons of shell dimen-
sions and vi.scera mass weights in Corbinda manilenMs
(Philippi. 1844). The Nautilus 89: 51-.54.
l/)wry, 0. H., N. J. Rosebrough, A. L. Farr, and R. .J. Randall.
1951. Protein measurement with the folin phenol reagent. J.
Biol. Chem. 193: 265-275.
Mackie. G. L, S. U. Qadri and A. H. Clarke. 1976. In-
traspecific variations in growth, birth periods, and longevi-
ty of Musndium securis (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae) near Ot-
tawa. Canada. Malacologia 15: 433-446.
Montgomery. R. 1957. Determination of glycogen. Arch.
Biochem. Biophys. 67: 378-386.
Stickle, W. B. 1975. The reproductive physiologj- of the inter-
tidal prosobranch Thais lamellosa (Gmelin). II. Seasonal
changes in biochemical composition. Biol. Bidl. 148: 448-460.
Thomas. G. .J. 1959. Self-fertilization and production of young
in a sphaeriid clam. The Nautilus 72: 131-140.
Van Cleave, H. J., A. G. Wright and C. W. Nixon. 1947.
Preliminary observations on reproduction in the molluscan
^envis Muscidium. The Nautilus 6\: 6-11.
Webber, H. H. 1970. Changes in metabolite composition dur-
ing the reproductive cycle of the abalone Haliotis
cracheroidii (Gastropoda: Prosobranchiata). Physiol. Zool.
43:213-231.
De Zwaan, A. and D. I. Zandee. 1972. Body distribution and
seasonal changes in the glycogen content of the common sea
mussel Mytilits edulis. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 43A: 53-58.
INTRODUCED LAND SNAILS OF TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS
Raymond W. Neck
Pesquezo Museum of Natural History
6803 Esther
Austin, Te.\as7S752
Currently a survey of the land snails of Travis
County, Texas, has turned up ten non-native land
snails. Only one of these, Rumina decollata, has
been previously reported in this county. Report of
the other nine species has only been in a simple
preliminary checklist (Neck, 1976b). Previous
records exist for all these species in other parts of
Texas (see Dundee, 1974).
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 141
Helicidae
Helve aspersa Miiller. Native of western and
southern Europe. This species has been found in
several home gardens in the Austin residential
areas. This species is known as the European
Brown Snail or European Spotted Snail. Occur-
rence is spotty; populations are characteristically
of low density and restricted to urban areas. H.
aspersa is widespread in California but invasion
of natural areas is quite restricted due to the an-
nual summer drought (Potts, 1975). Frequently
hot, dry summer months in central Texas are a
severe obstacle to the establishment of thriving
fwpulations of this species in other than artifical
garden habitats.
Otala lactea (Miiller). Native of southern Spain
and northern Africa. Individuals of this species
are known from home gardens as well as self-
sustaining feral colony which contained both
banded and unhanded snails. Banded snails have
very dark brown, distinctive bands. Individuals of
this feral colony were commonly seen estivating
on the trunks of mesquite, in the same manner as
Rabdotm altematus Say (as illustrated by
Pilsbry, 1946:2(1): p. 5, fig. 2). Individual snails in
gardens are relatively common but probably
represent short-lived occurrences. Self-sustaining
colonies may exist in small (one-fourth acre) plots
in urban areas. This species is known as the Milk
Snail or Spanish Snail (Dundee, 1970).
Otala vermiculata (Miiller). Native of the
Mediterranean area. In Travis County this spe-
cies is knovm only from a single urban residen-
tial locality. Feral colonies undoubtedly could
survive as one such colony is knovra in Bastrop,
Bastrop County, Texas, approximately thirty
miles south-southeast of Austin. All shells seen
have been banded; bands vary in their distinct-
ness from light background color.
Limacidae
Lehmannia poirieri (Mabille). Native of
western and southern Europe. Extremely dense
populations of this slug occur in ubran garden
areas which receive supplemental watering. With
one exception, it is unknown in rural areas. This
population occurs on a seepage slope in the flood-
plain of Onion Creek. Urban natural areas ap-
pear able to support only smaller population
levels.
Limaa- flavxis Linnaeus. Native of temperate
Europe. This slug is much less commonly encoun-
tered than the preceding species. Although Pils-
bry (1948: 529) described this species as a "slug of
cultivated places," most Austin localities of L.
flavus are semi-natural islands in urban areas. In
fact, L. flavus is more likely to be found in semi-
natural urban islands than L. poirieri although
this latter species is much more common on an
overall scale.
Milax gagates (Drapamaud). Native of western
Europe including Britain and Ireland. This slug
is rarely encountered and has been found only
along the banks of watercourses and urban gar-
den situations. Only a single collection (and that
one an urban garden) is knovm since before the
short but severe drought of 1970-71. Feral pop-
ulations of this species should be considered
perilous although areas of previous collection do
not receive supplemental water. Even in the
moist Pacific Northwest of North America, e.g.
British Columbia, M. gagates is generally
associated with greenhouses (see references in
Rollo and Wellington, 1975).
Polygyridae
Polygyra septemvolva volvoxis Pfeiffer. Native
to southeastern and coastal Texas and other
coastal plains areas outside the state. In Travis
County, this species has not been found under
natural conditions; two localities are known— a
greenhouse and a residential backyard which con-
tained potted plants from this greenhouse. The
nearest natural occurrence reported is Burleson
County (Pilsbry 1940: 1(2):591. The Travis County
population originated from Cameron County. This
species is most common in warm, humid coastal
areas. No successful reproduction was observed in
the residential locale. Travis County may be too
cold and/or dry for this species to survive under
natural conditions.
Achatinidae
Rumina decollata Linnaeus. Native of southern
Europe and northern Africa. TTiis is by far the
142 'Ilie Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (4)
most abundant non-native snail in Travis County
as well as much of the southern United States
(Dundee, 1970). This species is probably the most
familiar snail for most of the general public, be-
cause it is the most abundant urban snail in
Austin. R. decollata, however, is also able to col-
onize rural areas via downstream transport. It is
the only non-native snail species commonly found
in rural areas.
The first literature report of this species in
Travis County was by Strecker (1935:23). Suhm
(1957) reported that this species had burrowed in-
to sediment at the Smith Rockshelter, a famous
archeological site in southeastern Travis County.
Branson (1959) later reported it from Zilker
Park, an Austin municipal park. It has also been
reported from Austin Caverns (cave now used as
a storm sewer) and the Barton Springs archeo-
logical site (in Zilker Park) by Reddell (1965).
Approximate time of introduction of R. decol-
lata in this area can be determined. The publi-
cation by Strecker (1935) appeared posthumously
following Strecker's death in January 1933;
therefore, initial Travis County collections were
made no later than 1932. The time of initial in-
troduction into Travis County is unknown, but it
is probably no earlier than the late 1880's as
Singley (1893) did not record this species from
the state. Introduction probably came later, as
Pilsbry (1905) reviewed the world range of this
snail but did not list any collections from Texas.
The first Texas report of this species was by
Camp (in Ferriss 1914) from Brovmsville. No
other Texas localities were mentioned although
Ferriss compared the Brownsville specimens to
those in his collection from Louisiana and South
Carolina. At this point, arrival in Travis County
would most likely have been between 1915 and
1932.
Archeological investigations of historic sites of
the last and early twentieth centuries are poten-
tially important sources to pinpoint when R.
decollata became established in various areas.
However, there is an inherent problem. Even if
the layer from which the deep)est shells are found
could be dated accurately, the burrowing habit of
this snail would complicate the situation. In
Travis County alone, this species has been found
in several archeological excavations of pre-
European sites (see references in first paragraph).
Estimates of time of arrival of this snail would
most likely be on the early side.
Oppas pyrgula Schmacker & Boettger. Native
of Japan and China. This small snail has been
found living in two residential localities. Some
individual dead shells have been found in urban
natural areas which are downstream from resi-
dential areas. These shells indicate further urban
colonies. No feral colonies have been established
by such downstream dispersal of living snails,
however. Colonies observed occur in areas pro-
tected from cold winter winds and dry, hot sum-
mer weather conditions.
Cedlioides Ojcicula (Muller). Native of central
and western Europe. This minute species is
known from the banks of a creek running
through a residential area. Only a single living
specimen was found, but this blind species is
generally subterranean in habit (Pilsbry, 1909)
which would reduce collecting chances. This
species has been reported feeding on grass roots
to a depth of 40 cm while preferring "soils rich in
lime" (Likharev and Rammal'meier, 1952). Report
of this snail in Travis County at this locality has
been previously mentioned (Neck 1976a). No sub-
sequent collections have been made, even at the
original collection site.
CONCLUSIONS
Introduced snails may occur in rural, urban
natural or residential areas. A species occurring
in a residential area may be totally dependent
upon human activites for maintenance of a viable
population. Occurrence in urban natural islands
indicates an ability of the species to survive
under natural conditions. Occurrence in rural
natural areas would indicate an ability to col-
onize new habitats on their own.
Significantly, the most successful non-native
snail of Travis County, Texas, R. decollata, is
from the Mediterranean area. Central Texas does
not have a Mediterranean-type climate, but the
summers are often very dry. R. decollata is well-
adapted to survive arid periods. The ability to
produce offspring parthenogenetically (Selander,
et al., 1974) is also very important in its ability
to rapidly populate newly colonized areas.
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 143
Non-native snails are introduced by a variety
of means, either accidentally on ornamental
plants or deliberately as fish bait. Almost all of
the introduction to Travis County were probably
accidental. The feral colony of Otala lactea could
have been a deliberate introduction.
LITERATURE CITED
Branson. B. A. 19.59. Riinmm decollata in Oklahoma. The
Naulihis 73: 37.
Dundee. D. S. 1970. Introduced Gulf Coast molluscs. Tidane
Studies Z00I.& Bat. 16: 101-115.
Dundee. D. S. 1974. Catalog of introduced molluscs of eastern
North America (North of Mexico). Sterkiana 55: 1-37.
Ferris, J. H. 1914. Rumina decollata in Texas. The Nautilus
28:11.
Likharev, I. M. and E. S. Rammel'meier. 1952. Terrestrial
mollusks of the fauna of the U.S.S.R. Trans Y. Lengy and Z.
Kraut hamer. 1962. Isreal Prog. Sci Tran., Jenisaiem.
Neck, R. W. 197()a. Cecilundes acicula (Miiller): Living colon
ies established in Texas. Sterbmia 61: 19-20.
Neck, R. W. 1976b. Preliminary checklist of land snails of
Travis County. In A bird finding and naturalist's guide for
the Austin. Texas, area. E. A. Kutac and S. C. Caran. pp.
124-129. Oasis Press, Austin. Texas.
Pilsbry, H. A. 1905. Rumina decollata L. Manual of Con-
chologyn: 212.
Pilsbry, H. A. 1909. Caecilimles. Glessula and Partulidae.
MaunalofCom-hol<igy20: 1-336.
Pilsbry, H. A. 1939-1948. Land moUusca of North America
(North of Mexico). Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil.. Monog. 3. 2 vol.
Potts, D. C. 1975. Persistence and extinction of local popula-
tions of the garden snail Helijc aspersa in unfavorable en-
vironments. Oecologia 21: 313-334.
Reddell. J. R. 1965. A checklist of the cave fauna of Texas. L
The invertbrata (exclusive of Insecta). Texas Jour. Sci. 17:
143-187.
Rollo, C. D. and W. G. Wellington. 197.5. Terrestrail slugs in
the vicinity of Vancouver. British Columbia. The Nautihis
89: 107-115.
Selander, R. W., D. W. Kaufman and R. S. Ralin. 1974. Self-
fertilization in the terrestrial snail Rumina decollata.
Veliger 16: 165-170.
Singley, J. A. 1893. Texas mollusca. Fourth Ann. Rept. Geol.
Siirv. Texas : 299-343.
Strecker. J. K. 1935. Land and fresh-water snails of Texas.
Trans. Texas Acad. Sci. 17: 4-44.
Suhm, D. A. 1957. Ejicavations at the Smith Rochshelter.
Travis County, Texas. Texas Jour. Sci. 9: 26-58.
THREE NEW PULMONATE GASTROPODS FROM THE LATE
TERTIARY OF NEW MEXICO
A. Byron Leonard
Department of Systematics and Ecology
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
In the course of geological and paleontological
studies of late Cenozoic deposits in northeastern
New Mexico, with a colleague. Dr. John C. Frye,
and under the auspices of the New Mexico Bu-
reau of Mines and Mineral Resources, a mollus-
can fauna comprising some 27 species was
discovered in the Kimball seed zone (Ogallala
Formation, late Pliocene) sediments. Molluscan
fossils in the Ogallala Formation are rare, and
well-preserved shells even more so. The shells oc-
cur in caliche-cemented, fine sand, however, and
shells suffered some damaged in the recovery pro-
cess. Among the shells discovered in the deposit
are three kinds judged to undescribed taxa. Their
descriptions follow.
Tiffie Locality: Late Pliocene deposits exposed
in a small draw, tributary to Sand Draw, about
100 yards east of N. M. State Highway No. 18,
and about 8 miles south of the junction of N. M.
18 and U. S. Highway 65 in Clayton, Union Coun-
ty, New Mexico, and situated in the SW '4 SE '4
sec. 2, Twp. 24 N, R 35 E, Union County, N. M.,
Lat. 36° 20' 14" N., Long. 103°, 09' 31" W. in an
exposure known as the Clayton South Section.
The types are deposited in the New Mexico
Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Socomo,
N.M.
144 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (4)
FIGS. 1-3. Hi)liit ifiicx. Fig. 1, Lymnaea cla>tonensis, /(. sp.. x
5. Fig. 2. Gastrooipta debilis, n. sp.. i 10. Fig. S, Gastrocopta
arena, «. sp.. x 10. Magnifications approximate.
Lymnaea claytonensis, n. s-p.
Fig. 1
Dinqnoiii.'i: A slender l>Tnnaeid shell, having 5
to 6 rounded whorls, shouldered above, and hav-
ing a laterally compressed, elliptical aperture, oc-
cupying about one-half the total length of the
shell.
Description of holoti/pe: Shell of slender lym-
naeid form; whorls a little more than 5 in num-
ber, rounded and somewhat shouldered; suture
well-impressed, slanting obliquely forward; aper-
ture elliptical, outer peristome simple and thin,
parietal wall adnate upon body whorl, and twist-
ed upon the umbilicus reducing that opening to a
narrow chink; nuclear V2 whorls having granu-
lar surface, remaining whorls with distinct,
slightly oblique, vertical ridges, crossed by fine
spiral lines, producing a satinlike surface tex-
ture; total length, 7.0 mm, diameter, 2.80 mm, a-
perture length, 3.64 mm, aperture width, 2.10 mm.
The specific name, claytonensis. derives from
the name of the section, in turn derived from the
nearby town of Clayton, Union County. New
Me.xico, Holotype in NM 52-75-1; paratypes in
NM 52-75-12.
Comparisons: Some paratypes are larger than
the type (but damaged), reaching an estimated
length of nearly 11 mm. The ultimate whorl on
these older shells is often characterized by revolv-
ing ridges, about 5 in number; or the last whorl
may be irregularly malleated. None of these
features is judged to have taxonomic significance.
Lymnaea claytonensis, although differing from
them in its more slender shape, and compressed,
elliptical aperture, seems to relate best to the
Lymnaea kumilis-truncatula-cubensis complex,
because of the general proportions and size of the
shell, and the fine spiral sculpture. Its closeness
to the circumcaribbean cubensis may indicate a
southern element in the lymnaeid fauna at this
site.
Gastrocopta debilis, n. sp.
Fig. 2
Diagnosis: Shell small, bearing the characters
of the genus, about 2.5 mm in length; whorls five,
rounded; aperture irregularly rounded, peristome
reflected, lip thin, having well-developed crest
behind, separated from the lip by a well-devel-
oped trough; denticles 4, the two palatals weakly
developed to almost absent.
Description of holotype: Shell minute, subcylin-
dric, tapering slightly toward blunt apex; whorls
five, rounded, bearing surface sculpture of fine,
irregularly disposed diagonal striations, except
for finely granular apical I'z whorls; suture im-
pressed; aperture about as high as wide, peris-
tome reflected, thin, but bearing a callus within;
margins of peristome approaching, but connected
by no more than a thin wash across parietal
wall; a strong crest parallels outer peristome
separated from it by a trough; no impressions
behind palatal folds; denticles 4: angulo-parietal
simple in all views, inclined slightly toward the
right; columella lamella simple horizontal, nei-
ther entering nor ascending; two palatal folds,
lx)th weakly developed, the lower more elongate
and more deeply entering than the upper; basal
fold absent.
The name debilis refers to the weakly
developed palatal folds. Holotype deposited in
NM 52-76-1; paratypes in NM 52-76-5.
Compansons: There is a minimum of variation
among the numerous paratypes. but what occurs
is related to the strength of the two palatal folds.
Among a hundred shells, four of them have
palatal folds more than weakly developed, and in
another four of them, the two palatal folds are
essentially absent. G. debilis superficially
resembles G. pellucida parvidens of Sterki but
differs from that species in the simple angulo-
parietal fold, and the prominent crest behind the
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 145
peristome. G. debilis differs from G. cortu-aria in
that the latter lacks the crest behind the
peristome, the angulo-parietal is not simple, and
the two palatals in corticaria are strongly
developed.
Gastrocopta arean. ii. xp.
Fig. 3
Diagnosis: A small ovoid gastrocoptid, little
more than 2.0 mm in length, having five rounded
whorls, flared aperture with crest behind the
peristome, and four denticles: angulo-parietal,
columellar and 2 palatals.
Description of holotyve: Shell elongate, ovoid,
imperforate; 5 convex whorls, smooth nuclear
whorl forming bluntly conic apex the granular
surface texture extending to last half of ultimate
whorl but beyond first IV2 nuclear whorls, over-
lain by fine diagonal striations, aperture having
flared, simple peristome, with crest behind, the
right margin extending toward, but not reaching
opposite margin, to which it is connected only by
thin callus; denticles 4: angular limb of angulo-
parietal extending from parietal limb and joining
with margin of peristome, parietal limb elevated,
elongate, extending deeply within aperture; col-
umellar lamella nearly vertical; basal lamella ab-
sent; upper palatal lamella conic and rising from
a thick callus, the tip closely approaching pa-
rietal lamella; lower palatal nodular, very deeply
inserted in aperture and smaller than upper pa-
latal lamella; the palatal lamellae producing an
elongate impression behind the peristome. Total
length, 2.38 mm; diameter, 1.2 mm, aperture
length, 0.77 mm, aperture width, 0.84 mm. Gas-
trocopta arena is known only from the holotype
(NM 52-76-21) and three paratypes (NM 52-76-5)
the shells of the paratypes are variously
damaged.
Tlie name arena refers to the fine sandy
matrix from which this and other taxa of mol-
lusca were recovered.
Comparisons: Similar in form and in the
general configuration of the denticles to G. ar-
mifera, from which it differs by its small size,
about half that of annifera, by the simple, un-
twisted columella lamella, and by the deeply im-
mersed, nodular lower palatal lamella. The sur-
face texture is also unique, as the granular al-
most waxy surface sculpture extends to the last
half of the ultimate whorl, where diagonal stria-
tions suddenly begin. G. arena bears no
resemblance to any of the small gastrocoptids
known to me.
The three taxa of gastropods described above
are known only from the type locality, given
earlier.
The total molluscan fauna recovered from the
Clayton South locality includes 25 taxa, listed as
follows in generic alphabetical order:
AQUATIC
Fcirissiaparallela (Haldemian)
Ferrissia shimeki (Pilsbry)
Ferrissia tarda. (Say)
Gyraulus cxrcumstriatus
(Tyron)
G. parviLS F. C. Baker
Lynmaea bulimoides Lea
L. claytonensis. n. sp.
L. ddli F. C. Baker
L. parva F. C. Baker
Physa anatirui Lea
Pisidium casertanum (Poll)
Terrestrial
Evjconuiusfidms (Muller)
Gastrocopta arena n. sp.
G. cristata (Pilsbry
& Vanatta)
G. debilis. n.sp.
G. pUsbryana (Sterki)
Hawaiia mimiscida (Binney)
Pupilla blandi Morse
Pupoides albilabris
(C. B. Adams)
P. hordaceus (Gabb)
P. inomatus Vanatta
P. modicus (Gould)
Suiccinea grosvenori Lea
Sucdneagelida F. C. Baker
Valloniaperspectiva Sterki
Vertigo milum (Gould)
146 The Nautilus
October 27. 1977
Vol. 91 (J)
RADIODISCUS HUBRICHTI BRANSON, 1975. A SYNONYM OF STRIATVRA
(S.) PUGf7rp:NSlS {DALL, 1895) (PULMONATA: ZONITIDAE)
Alan Solem
Department of Z<)ol()g>'
Field Museum of Natural History
Chicago. Illinois 60605
ABSTRACT
A pamtifpp of Radiodiscus hubrichti Brnnsori. 1975. compares exactly inth
material of Striatura (S.) pugetensis (Dall, 1895). The tiro taxa are considered
to be Hynonyms. Scanning electron microscope photographs of shell sculpture in
the two distinct species. S. (S.) pugetensis and S. (S.) milium (Morse. 1S59J.
show that they have basically identical sculpture.
The minute (1-3 mm) shells of such genera as
Striatura, Punctum. Radiodvictis. and Planogyra
are easily confused. They have a common pattern
of decoiling and spire protrusion, all have radial
ribbing interspaced with microribs, and in each
group the apical and post-apical sculpture are
markedly different. Even the best illustrations
published previously (Pilsbry, 1946, 1948) suggest
that there are more similarities than differences.
Use of the scanning electron microscope permits
showing that the shell sculpture in these genera,
although very similar in gross appearance, is
formed quite differently. TTiis paper reports on
the basic sculpture of Striatura, s. s., while a
subsequent contribution (Solem, in this issue of
The Nautilus) will illustrate the same features as
found in Striatura (Pseudohyalina). Punctum,
Radiodiscus and Planogi/ra. Comparative remarks
are included in the second paper.
SHELL SCULPTURE
Although much of the surface in the paratype
of Radindiscus hubrichti (FMNH 175456) is
coated with debris (figs. 4, 5). sufficient clean
areas remain so that details of the
microsculpture could be studied (figs. 6, 7). The
apical sculpture for the first l-3/8ths whorl con-
sists of crowded spiral ridges (fig. 5). There is an
intrusion of weak radials on the remaining
slightly more than one-eight apical whorl. A con-
striction at the suture marks the end of this
region. The post-nuclear sculpture consists of pro-
minent radial ribs and weak .'spiral elements. Tliis
continues to the lip edge. Viewed at intermediate
magnification (fig. 6), the radials are seen to be
narrow thread-like elevations on top of weakly
raised ridges. At high magnification (fig. 7), the
inter-rib area shows "pits and swirls". There are
distinctive mirco-folds on the pit edges as well as
the surface of the radial ribs (upper left).
The apical sculpture of Striatura milium (fig.
1) is the same as that found in S. pugetensis. Ti\e
post-nuclear sculpture (figs. 2, 3) of S. milium ap-
pears different at first glance, since the raised
radial threads of 5. pugetensis (fig. 6) are absent.
When viewed at comparable high magnification
(fig. 3), the "pits and swirls" found in inter-rib
areas of 5. piigetensis (fig. 7) are seen to be inten-
sified in S. milium and represent the only post-
nuclear sculptural element.
At the highest magnification (figs. 3, 7), both
species show a very peculiar pattern of micro-
folding. This folding is very similar to stress
marks seen in dried paint or plastic films. It is
interpreted as the result of periostracal shrinkage
drying. This "folding" also is characteristic of
many zonitoid (Solem. unpublished) and pupillid
taxa (see also Gittenberger. 1975. pi. I, fig. 4 and
Solem. in this issue of The Nautilus.
SYNONYMY AND DISTRIBUTION
Striatura (S) pugeten.vs (Dall, 1895) has a
sporadic distribution from Vancouver Island
south to Guadeloupe Island. Baja California, and
the Palomar Mountains near San Diego (Pilsbry,
1946: 492). It is quite common near Seattle and
Voi.;»i(i)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 147
FIGS. 1-3. Striatura (S.) milium (Morse, mn)- FMNH mnHH.
Near Minden. Halliburton Co.. Ontario. Canada. P. M.
Oughton! FIG. 1. Nuclear sculpture. 560X. FIG. 2. S<-ulpture
on body whorl near aperture. 56.5X. FIG. 3. Detail of two
"ribs" m body whorl. 1.670X. FIGS. 4-7. Striatura (S.)
pugetensis (Ml. 1895). FMNH mU56. Paratype "f
Radiodiscus hubrichti Branson, wr.:. Ml. Storm King. Olym-
pic Penhmda. Washington. FIG. 4. Sid^ mew of shell. S6X.
FIG 5. Top view of shell. S6X. FIG. 6. Sculpture on body
whorl showing the raised "ribs" on top of the same pattern
.^een m Fig. 2. 370X. FIG. 7. Detail oftuv radial ribs shownng
shrinkage pattern and inter-rib pits and swirls. 1.510X.
148 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (4)
on the Olympic Peninsula, from which Radw-
discus hubrichti was described. TTie dimensions
cited by Branson (1975), his description, and his
figures, all agree with the information concerning
S pugetevsis given by Pilsbry (1946). Direct com-
parison of a paratype of I\ii<li(iili.snii< hubrichti
(FMNH 175456) with the more than 25 sets of S.
pugetensis in the collection of Field Museum of
Natural History leaves no doubt that the two
taxa are identical.
The following localities for S. pugetensis have
not been published previously. They somewhat
extend the distributional limits cited by Pilsbry
(1946: 492), and are grouped by state for conven-
ient reference.
Wcufhington: Kittitas Co., 10 miles west of
Easton (FMNH 63076. H. S. Dybas! June 20, 1957;
Jefferson Co., Olympic Hot Springs (FMNH
63074, H. S. Dybas! June 19, 1957).
Idaho: Kootenai Co., Medimont (FMNH 63075,
FMNH 63078, H. S. Dybas! June 23, 1957).
Montana: Flathead Co., T32N, R18W, SB
Glacier Park (FMNH 110716, Marie Mooar! July
7, 1960).
Oregon: Curry Co., ravine of Pistol River
(FMNH 117741, H. S. Dybas! May 23, 1957); Hood
River Co., Cascade Locks (FMNH 54322, H. W.
Harry! November 1945).
California: San Francisco, Marina Hospital
(FMNH 97655, W. H. Dall! ex Fred Button);
Alameda Co.. Hayward (FMNH 97708. ex Fred
Button); Sacramento Co.. northeast of Folsom
(FMNH 97956, A. Solem & A. Smith! April 9,
1960); San Diego Co.. San Diego (FMNH 63077. ex
Walter F. Webb).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The scanning electron microscope photographs
were made during a factory demonstration by
JEOLCO (figs. 1-3) and with a Cambridge
Stereoscan provided Field Museum of Natural
History through National Science Foundation
Grant BMS72-02149 AOl, A. Solem, Principal In-
vestigator. I am grateful to both organizations for
their support. Mr. Fred Huysmans, SEM Techni-
cian at Field Museum, is responsible for the high
quality of the photographic prints, which were
mounted by Dorothy Karall. Dr. Branley A.
Branson kindly deposited a paratype of his new
species with the Field Museum of Natural
History.
LITERATURE CITED
Branson, B. A. 1975. Radioriixnix hiibrifhti (Pulmonata; En-
dodontidae) new species from the Olympic Peninsula,
Washington. The Nautilus 89: 47-48.
Gittenberger, E. 197.5 Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Pupillacea
VI. Die Gattung Agardhielta in Jugoslawien. Zml. Meded...
Uiden 48(24): 279-289, pi. 1, 6 text figs.
Pilsbry, H. A. 1946. Land Mollusca of North America (North
of Mexico). Acad. Nat. Sri.. Philadelphia, Monog. 3, 2(1):
i-vi,l-.520, figs. 1-281.
Pilsbry, H. A. 1948. Land Mollusca of North America (North
of Mexico). Acad. Nat. Sci.. Philadelphia, Monog. 3, 2(2): i-
xlvii, 521-1 11,3. figs. 282-585.
Solem. A. 1977. Shell microsculpture in Striatura, Punctum,
Radiodiscus. and Planogyra, The Nautilus 91(4) in this
issue.
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Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 149
SHELL MICROSCULPTURE mSTRIATURA. PUNCTUM, RADIODISCUS,
AND PLANOGYRA (PULMONATA)
Alan Solem
Department of Zoology
Field Museum of Natural History
Chicago, Illinois 60605
ABSTRACT
Previous anatomical studies have placed Striatura (Zonitidae), Punctum
fPunctidae). Radiodiscus (Charopidae), and Planogyra (Valloniidae) in unrelated
families. Their minute size, similar shell shapes, and the sharj) differentiation
between spiral sculpture on the nuclear whorls and the post-nuclear scidpture
of major and minor radial elements, have led to confusion between these
genera. Scanning electron microscope photographs of shell microsculpture show
that the apparent sadptural similarities are ctmvergent. The same gross residt
is achieved in guite different ways.
In many parts of the world, land snails that
are 1 to 2 mm in diameter have a complex micro-
sculpture on the shell. When this sculpture is
viewed under high optical magnifications, 50 to
lOOX, a distinction can be made between "major
radial ribs" that number 15 to 250 on the last
whorl of the shell, and "micro-ribbing" that lies
between the "major ribs". Traditionally such
species were described as, or subsequently
associated with, "endodontid" land snails but
anatomical investigations of the past six decades
have split many taxa off into a wide variety of
families. The many differences in pallial struc-
ture, genitalia, radulae, free muscle and nervous
systems revealed by the anatomical studies
strongly suggest that the similarities in shell
form and sculpture are the result of convergent
evolution.
Unfortunately, adequate studies of the sculp-
tural elements and their method of formation
have not been possible until very recently be-
cause of inherent limitations in magnifications,
resolution, and depth of field with optical equip-
ment. TTie scanning electron microscope (here-
after SEM) overcomes these problems and per-
mits investigations of sculpture components and
method of formation. As a byproduct of investiga-
tions on the Pacific Basin endodontoid land
snails, data on shell sculpture in several Nearctic
taxa have been accumulated. They illustrate basic
differences in mode of sculpture formation and
suggest possible major differences between higher
groupings in terms of shell structure.
The genera illustrated here, and the anatomical
studies that enabled definitely assigning them to
family units, are Striatura (Pseudohyalina)
(Zonitidae, H. B. Ba}{er, 1928a), Punctum (Punc-
tidae, H. B. Baker, 1927), Radiodiscus
(Charopidae, H. B. Baker, 1927), and Planogyra
(Valloniidae, H. B. Baker, 1928b. 1935). Illustra-
tions of two species belonging to Striatura s. s.
were presented in the preceding paf)er, Solem
(1977) and are referred to below. The Valloniidae
belongs to the Order Orthurethra and the other
three families to the Order Sigmuretha. Both the
Punctidae and the Charopidae currently (Solem,
In Press) are placed in the Superfamily Ariona-
cea of the Suborder Aulacopoda, while the Zon-
itidae belongs to the Superfamily Limacacea of
the same Suborder. None of these families appear
to be related in a direct descendant-ancestor
manner.
The families also differ greatly in their basic
distribution patterns. The Charopidae (Solem, un-
published) is a "Gondwanaland" taxon with high
diversity in South Africa, Australia, New Zea-
land, New Caledonia, some parts of Polynesia,
Juan Fernandez and southern South America. A
few taxa reach Indonesia, New Guinea, Central
America, and the Western United States. The
150 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol.91 (4)
Punctidae are primarily Australia and New Zea-
land in distribution, with scattered occurrences
in Afrira, Sduth America. Tahiti. Hawaii, and the
Holarctic region. The Zonitidae is most diverse in
the Holarctic, but has extensive Central Amer-
ican, Polynesian, and some South American taxa.
The Valloniidae is strictly a Holarctic family
with a fossil record extending back to the Pale-
ocene of Europe. North America is thus on the
fringe of the charopid radiation, but central to
the zonitid and valloniid distribution patterns.
The punctids have their center of diversity
elsewhere, but North America is the main secon-
dary center of diversity.
SHELL SCULPTURE AND FORMATION
Although Baker (1928a: 33) pointed out that
the three dissected species he grouped as
Striatura could perhaps be placed better as
monotypic genera, subsequent workers such as
Pilsbry (1946) preferred to use a more broadly
defined genus. Certainly the shell sculpture in S.
pugetensis (Ball, 1895) (see Solem, 1977: figs. 1-3),
S. milium (Morse, 1859) (see Solem, 1977: figs.
4-7), and S. (Pseridohyalirmj erigiia (Stimpson,
1850) (figs. 1-3) is consistent with a monophyletic
derivation. The species differ obviously in their
major ribbing. 5. exigua has widely spaced, nar-
row, high major ribs (figs. 2, 3) that terminate
short of the suture (fig. 1). S. pugetensis (Solem,
1977: figs. 5, 6) has much lower, more crowded,
narrow ribs. Tliese ribs clearly are periostracal in
origin, since (loc. cit.. left center of fig. 6) broken
rib edges show no underlying calcareous support.
S. milium (Solem, 1977: figs. 2, 3) gives the ap-
pearance of having radial ribs under optical ex-
amination, but the SEM shows that a series of
short diagonal ridges are lined up in a radially
transverse row and hence there are no continuous
radial ribs. ■S'. erifiiid (figs. 2, 3) has a clear micro-
spiral sculptural element that could be derived
from the diagonal ridges of S millium (Solem,
1977: fig. 2).
The apical sculpture of S miliiim (Solem, 1977:
fig. 1) consists of broad, flat ridges separated by
narrower grooves, with faint traces of a radial
element. In both S. pugetensis (Solem, 1977: fig.
5) and 5. exigua (fig. 1) the apex has very narrow
spiral ridges, with their interstices wider than
the ribs.
TVie most characteristic feature of Striatum is
the very peculiar micro-folding pattern (Solem,
1977: figs. 3, 7). This is particularly clear on the
major rib surface in S. exigtut (fig. 3). Similar
stress marks in dried films of paint or plastic are
familiar to physical chemists. I interpret this
folding pattern as the result of shrinkage drying
by an outer periostracal layer.
Piinctum (figs. 4-6, 11, 12) superficially looks
very similar to Striatura in sculpture, having
spiral apicals (Giusti, 1973: pi. 5, fig. 1) and nar-
row, crowded radial ribs when viewed at optical
range magnification (fig. 4). At higher magnifica-
tion (figs. 5, 6), the presence of two or three
micro-riblets between each pair of major ribs is
obvious. By inspecting an area where the ribs are
broken (fig. 6), the very thin, lamellar nature of
the ribs, the occasional sudden termination of a
micro-riblet, and the fact that the major ribs sur-
mount a low radial swelling on the shell surface
can be detected. When the sculpture is viewed
from a very low angle (figs. 11, 12), the presence
of spiral swellings, with the radial sculpture
essentially unaffected by these elements, is evi-
dent. In addition, there is a vague pattern of cor-
rugations on the surface of the spiral ridges.
Previous reports on the shell sculpture of
Radiodiscus (summarized by Pilsbry, 1948:
654-655) characterize the apex as "minutely
engraved spirally" and the "rest of the shell
densely radially costate". While the apex does
start out (fig. 7) with continuous spiral cords,
very shortly these become interrupted by narrow
radial lines. At very high magnification (fig. 8),
the apical sculpture can be seen to consist of
short, slightly sinuated segments that line up
spirally. The post-nuclear sculpture (figs. 9. 10) is
complex, and compares in all essentials with that
found in such Pacific charopids as the New Zea-
land Ptychodon microundidata (Suter, 1890) (see
Solem, 1970: pi. ,59) and a still undescribed
Tongan species (Solem, 1974: 199, figs. 8a, b). TTie
major radial ribs in all these taxa are perios-
tracal extensions above a calcareous swelling
(Solem, 1974: 199. fig. 8b). There are a few to
many micro-riblets, again formed by the perios-
tracum, between the major ribs (fig. 9; Solem,
Vol. 91(1)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 151
1970: pi. 59, figs. 8, 9; Solem, 1974: 199, figs. 8a,
b). In addition, there is a complex spiral micro-
sculpture (fig. 10). Larger spiral elements (also
visible in fig. 9) connect two microradials, tend-
ing to buttress the apical side of the microradial.
This is particularly evident in Ptychodon micro-
undidata (Solem, 1970: pi. 59, fig. 10), but is much
less developed in Radiodvscus (figs. 9, 10). Be-
>v
1^
FIGS. 1-3. Striatura (Pseudohyalina) exigua (Stimpsim.
1850). Ohin. FMNH 110-20. FIG. 1. Apical (left.) and poi^t-
miclear fright) sculpture. 1S5X. FIG. Z Sculpture on body
whorl shouing one major radial rib. 620X. FIG. 3. Mail of
penoMmad snrfarr on major nb. l.HmX. FIGS. 4-6. Punctum
minutissimum (Lea. mi). Cedar bog on Woodburn Road. J,
miles southwest of Urbana. Champaign Co.. Ohm. October 20.
1969. E. Keferl! FMNH 151102. FIG. 4. Entire shell (hp
broke II) (iSX FIG. .5. Sculpture on bod,j whorl. 1.5t>0X. Broken
ends of major radial (left) and two microradiak (center and
right). 5.mX.
152 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol.itl (1)
%
FIGS. 7-10. Radiodiscus (R.) millecostatus Pihhry & Ferriss.
1906. Wickerxham (iulch, Huachuca Mts.. Cochise Co..
Arizona. James Ferriss! FMNH U6619. FIG. 7. Apical
sculpture. 195X. FIG. 8. Detail of late apical sculpture. 1.900X.
FIG. 9. Tu'o major ribs on body whorl. 630X. FIG. 10. Detail of
a major rib and mirrorihlets on body irhorl. ilKXlX. FIGS.
11-12. Punctum minutissimum (Lea, mi). FMNH 1H1W2.
FIG. 11. Sculpture on body whorl. 2.()i»)X. FIG. 12. TktaU of
microsculptwre on body whorl. 6.700X.
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 153
FIGS. 13-15. Planogj-ra asteriscus (Morse. 1857). FVaserdalf,
Cochrane Dist.. Ontario. Canada. S. D. Downing! June 1938.
FMNH 1,6T8S. FIG. 13. Apical view of siibadidt specimen. 36X.
FIG. 14. Major rib and microsadpture on body tvhorl. 355X.
FIG. 15. Apical sculpture and early post'uuclear scidpture.
.W.5.V. FIGS. 16-18. Planog>Ta clappi (Pilsbry. 1898).
Quamicham. Vancouver Id.. British Columbia. FMNH U0588
ex W. J. Eyerdam. FIG. 16. Apical I'iew ofsubadult specimen.
37.3X FIG. 17. Scidpture on body whorl. 373X. FIG. 18. Broken
edge of body whorl shouintj major rib and detaih of
mierosculpture. 792X.
154 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol.91 (4)
tween these "major" spiral elements are vague
sprial corrugations (fig. 10; Solem, 1970, pi. 59,
figs. 10, 11) that resemble those found on the
spiral ridges in Punctum (fig. 12).
Planoyyra asterifscus (Morse, 1857) (figs. 13-15)
from the boreal areas of Extern North America
and P. clappi (Pilsbry, 1898) (figs. 16-18) from
Oregon to British Columbia differ from each
other in major rib spacing (compare figs. 13 and
16) and umbilical width. They both have very
high, lamellar periostracal ribs that stand erect
when the live animal is in the moist litter, but
warp and twist (fig. 11) in the dry museum cab-
inets (H. B. Baker, 1928a: 122). Seen at a broken
edge (fig. 18), the periiKstracal nature andthinness
of the ribs is obvious. Similarly, the microradial
riblets are formed by the f)eriostracum (fig. 17)
and are fewer in number in P. chtpiii (fig. 17)
than in P. asteriscus (fig. 14). Both species have
a weak microspiral sculpture that shows most
clearly in figs. 14 and 18 because of the oblique
angle of view. The microspirals blend into the
raised radial ribs, but do not buttress them as in
many CTiaropids. The apical sculpture in Plan-
ogyra usually is eroded, but in unworn examples
(fig. 15) it can be seen to form a series of cor-
rugated wrinkles and pits with a vague diagonal-
ly radial pattern. At the highest magnification
(fig. 18) there are evident irregularities on the
periostracal surface. These appear homologous to
the structures on the spiral microribs of Rndio-
discus (fig. 10) and Punctum (fig. 12), and quite
different from the stress drying marks in .S7n-
atum (fig. 3; Solem, 1977: figs. 3, 7).
COMPARATIVE REMARKS
Under optical examination, the spiral apical
sculpture and post-nuclear sculpture with both
major radials and usually microradials found in
the four genera appear quite similar, but at the
higher magnifications of the SEM, major dif-
ferences appear. In both Striatura and Planogyra,
the shell sculpture appears to be totally
periostracal in nature. The raised major ribs are
simple lamellar protrusions from the surface.
They are scarcely wider at their base than at
their midsection (figs. 2, 18). In Punctum and
Radindwcu.% the microradial riblets are purely
periostracal, but the major radial ribs are
underlaid and partly formed by a swelling in the
calcium layer. Punctum (fig. 6) differs in that the
periostracal ribs are simple lamellae, while in the
Charopidae (Solem, 1974: 199. fig. 8b) the basal
portions of the periostracal ribs are distinctly
wider than the middle sections, with tapering
continuingto the topof the ribs.
Microspiral sculpture is present, but differs
greatly. In Striatum (fig. 2; Solem, 1977: figs. 2,
3, 6, 7) the spiral elements initially are short
diagonals, becoming coalesced into wavy spiral
cords only in S. eodgua (fig. 2). In both Planogyra
(fig. 18) and Punctum (figs. 11. 12) ' the
microspirals are basically independent of the
radial ribs and riblets, but in Radiodiscus (figs. 9,
10) they serve to buttress the apical edge of each
riblet. In Punctum and Radiodiscus, weak spiral
corrugations are associated with the sprial ridges.
All four genera have spiral sculpture on the
nuclear whorls. In Radiodisciis (figs. 7, 8) this
consists of short interrupted threads arranged
serially in spiral rows, although other charopids
(Solem, 1970: pi. 58, fig. 1) normally have promi-
nent, narrow spiral cords, such as are seen in
both Punctum (Giusti, 1973; pi. 5, fig. 1) and
Striatura (fig. 1). Planogi/ra (fig. 15), in contrast,
has a less well defined, almost punctate
sculpture.
The most striking difference is the peculiar
micro-folding pattern found in Striatura (fig. 3;
Solem, 1977: figs. 3, 7). This effect is lacking fi-om
the other taxa, although having analogous struc-
tures in some other Orthurethra (see Solem,
1977).
The sculpture of these four taxa, although
"macroscopically" veiy similar and functionally
probably serving an identical purpose, is com-
posed of quite different elements. On the basis of
this and other data available now, primarily a
review of Pacific Basin endodontoid taxa, it
seems possible that certain of these differences
are consistent for at least family units. TTie total
periostracal nature of the shell sculpture in
Stivatura and Planogyra contrasts with the com-
bination of calcareous and periostracal sculpture
in Punctum and Radiodiacus. At the other ex-
treme the Endodontidae, as restricted by Solem,
has a uniformly thin periostracum, with even
Vol. 91 (4)
October 27, 1977
The Nautilus 155
the microsculpture on the apical whorls formed
mainly by the calcareous layers. Except where
the sculpture is secondarily reduced in the
Charopidae, the combination of periostracal and
calcareous elements is consistent, as is the use of
microspiral ridges to buttress the riblets. In the
valloniids, species of Vallonia with regularly
spaced ribs do have calcareous extensions into the
ribs, and some of the punctids from Australia
and New Zealand lack the calcareous swellings
underneath the main ribs.
The tapered and buttressed ribs in the
Cliaropidae are quite unlike the simple lamellar
ribs of the other taxa, while the stress folds and
"pit and swirl" microsculpture of the zonitid
Striatura separate it from the other three. A
study of the physical chemistry of the peri-
ostracum in Striatura as compared to the other
taxa might yield highly significant information.
In conclusion the grossly similar shell
sculpture of these four taxa show several signifi-
cant differences in mode of formation and com-
position. Ebdended studies on the ribbed pu-
pillids, small polygyrids, streptaxids, and helicids
might yield equally interesting results.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Figures 1 through 12 were taken during a fac-
tory demonstration of a JEOLCO SEM, and fi-
gures 13 through 18 were taken on a Cambridge
S4-10 provided Field Museum of Natural History
by NSF grant BMS72-02149. I am grateful to Mr.
Fred Huysmans for the excellent photographic
prints, to Dorothy Karall for mounting them into
prints, and to Sharon Bacoyanis for help with
manuscript preparation.
LITERATURE CITED
Baker, H. B. 1927. Minute Mexican Land Snails. P>-iic. Acad.
Nat. Sci.. Phiiadelphia 1927: 223-246. pis. 15-20.
Baker. H. B. 1928a. Planogi/ra asti'risciix (Morse). The
NwitUu.-i. 41(4): 122-123.
Baker. H. B. 1928b. Minute American Zonitidae. Pruc. Acad.
Nat. Sci.. Philadelphia. 1928: 1-44, pis. 1-8.
Baker. H. B. 19.3.5. Review of the Anatomy of the Pupillidae
and Related Groups. In Manual of Conchology, (2) 28:
191-209.
Giusti, F. 1973. Notulae Malacologicae XVIII. I Molluschi ter-
restri e salmastri delle Isole Eolie. Lavori Delia Sac.
Italmna Biogeog.. n. s.. 3: 113-306, pis. 1-16, 2 tables, 39 text
figs.
Pilsbry, H. A. 1946. Land Mollusca of North America (North
of Mexico). Acad. Nat. Sci.. Philadelphia. Monog. 3, 2(1):
i-vi, 1-.520, figs. 1-281.
Pilsbry. H. A. 1948. Land Mollusca of North America (North
of Mexico). Acad. Nat. Sci.. Philadelphia, Monog. 3, 2(2): i-x-
Ivii, 521-1113, figs. 282-585.
Solem. A. 1970. Malacological Applications of Scanning Elec-
tron Microscopy. I. Introduction and Shell Surface Features.
ne Veliger 12: 394-400, pis. 58-60, 1 table.
Solem. A. 1974. The Shell Makers: Introducing Mollusks. New
York: John Wiley, pp. xii. 289.
Solem, A. 1977. Radiodiscus hubrichti Branson, 1975, a
synonym of Striatura (S.) pugetensis (Dall, 1895) Mollusca:
Pulmonata: Zonitidae). Vie Naiitilm 91(4) in this issue.
Solem, A. hi Press. Systematics of non-marine gastropods.
other than Basommatophora. /« Pulmonata, vol. 2,
Systematics, Evolution and Ecology. Academic Press.
FOR SALE
Several complete original sets of
Johnsonia, vol. 1 to vol. 5, no. 50 $130 each;
postpaid (unbound).
Several incomplete sets (pt. 5 absent) of
Dall's Tertiary Fauna of Florida, 1890-1895
(Gastropods and some bivalves). Send for
price list.
Write: Dept. G., The Nautilus. Box 4208
Greenville, Delaware 19807.
156 The Nautilus
October 27, 1977
Vol. 91 (4)
We deeply regret to announce the tempo-
rary suspension of the Department of Mollusks
at the Delaware Museum of Natural History
effective November 15, 1977. Public exhibits at
the museum will remain open. However, the
Curator and Assistant Director of the
Museum, R. Tucker Abbott, and the Assistant
Curator of Mollusks, Russell H. Jensen, as a
consequence, will be leaving their positions.
Professional malacologists are invited by the
Director to continue to use the facilities of the
museum. Those wishing malacological informa-
tion may address Dr. Abbott at P.O. Box 4208,
Greenville, Delaware, 19807 and Mr. Jensen at
R.D. 1, Box 55, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania,
19317.
These events will not adversely affect the
publication of The Nautilnfi. Indo-Pacific
Mdlhi.'^cn, The Standard Catalog of Shells or
publications of American Malacologists, Inc.
DEATHS
We regret to announce the sudden death of
George E. Radwin, Curator of Mollusks at the
San Diego Museum of Natural History. George
was born August 20, 1940, at Far Rockaway,
N.Y., and died of a heart attack at the age of 37,
on September 30, 1977, in San Diego. Most of his
research was on the ta.xonomy of the Muricidae
and Columbellidae. He was senior author of the
recent book, Murex Shells of the World. He
received his Ph.D. in 1968 from The George
Washington University, and went to San Diego
in 1970. He is survived by his wife, Rodda, to
whom all malacologists send their sincere con-
dolences.
Henning M. Lemche, former head of the
Department of Mollusks, of the Zoological
Museum, University of Copenhagen, Denmark,
died August 4, 1977, after a brief illness. Dr.
Ivemche was an outstanding malacologist, well-
known for his works on nudibranchs and
NcopilllKl.
Isabelle E. Welch of Fails Church, Virginia,
an ardent shell collector and partner in The Shell
Cabinet, died on August 15, 1977. She was a
former employee of the U.S. Navy, a member of
the A.M.U. and several shell clubs. Miss Welch
produced several taped travelogs of her shelling
experiences in the Bahamas and the Galapagos.
NEWS
Stanford University Collections Ti'ansferred
to the California Academy of Sciences
The moUuscan shell collection, the type
specimen collection, and a major part of the in-
vertebrate fossil collection of the Department of
Geology, Stanford University, have been trans-
ferred on indefinite loan to the Department of
Geology, California Academy of Sciences. All
enquiries regarding these Stanford collections
should be directed to the Academy. The com-
bined Academy and Stanford collections are
now available for study. The shell and fossil
collections are housed separately, and both col-
lections have work space and other facilities for
visitors.
The combined Academy — Stanford shell col-
lection, containing an estimated one million
specimens, is of world-wide scope, but is
especially rich in marine species from the
Eastern Pacific and land snails from Western
North America. The fossils transferred from
Stanford to the Academy include the Cenozoic
stratigraphic collection and the systematic col-
lection of fossil cephalopods and echinoids. The
combined Academy — Stanford fossil collection
contains about one million specimens (mostly
mollusks), principally from Cenozoic and Late
Mesozoic rocks of the Pacific Coast of North
America (Alaska to Mexico), The combined Aca-
demy — Stanford type collection, housed in a
separate room, contains several thousand spe-
cimens including primary and secondary' types
of living mollusks, and fossil invertebrates
(mostly mollusks), vertebrates and plants.
Peter U. Rodda
C(illfonii(t Academy of Sciences
San Francisco. Califoniia 9J,11S
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Manuscripts: Authors are requested to follow
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ences, 1401 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va.
22209. Manuscripts should be typewritten and
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in arable, should be on separate pages, with the
title at the top. Legends to photographs should
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and symbols within a drawing should be neatly
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per word for this extra service. All authors
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Reprints and covers are available at cost to
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formation about ordering reprints will be given.
They are obtained from the Ek;onomy Printing
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21601.
MOLLUSK VOUCHER SPECIMENS
It is becoming increasingly important for
future research purposes that an identified sam-
pling of species mentioned in publications be
deposited in a permanent, accessible museum
specializing in moUusks. This is particularly
true of mollusks used in physiological, medical,
parasitological, ecological, and experimental
projects.
Several museums of natural history have ex-
tensive modern facilities and equipment for the
housing and curating of voucher specimens.
Material should be accompanied by the identifica-
tion, locality data and its bibliographic reference.
There is no charge for this permanent curating
service, and catalog numbers, if desired, will be
sent to authors prior to publication.
I
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