Gyraulus parvus
Gyraulus parvus is a species of freshwater snail in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. It is known by the common name ash gyro.[4][5] It is native to much of North America and the Caribbean, where it occurs in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. It is also an introduced species in Eurasia, including Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Israel.[1]
Gyraulus parvus | |
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Scientific classification | |
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Subfamily: | Planorbinae |
Tribe: | Planorbini |
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Species: | G. parvus |
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Gyraulus parvus | |
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Planorbis parvus[3] |
This common snail occurs in many types of freshwater habitat, such as ponds and lakes.[1] It consumes diatoms and other periphyton that it scrapes off of surfaces. It sometimes rests attached to water plants.[4]
This snail has a thin, transparent, whitish-gray shell measuring 2.5 to 5 millimeters wide. It has 4 to 5 whorls. The upper side is concave and the lower side is flat.[6]
This snail is an intermediate host for schistosomes that cause swimmer's itch.[7]
References
- Cordeiro, J. & Perez, K. 2012. Gyraulus parvus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. Downloaded on 10 September 2014.
- Say T. (1817). Conchology. pp. A-3 - C-6 [= 1-20], pl. [1-4], in: Nicholson W.: American edition of the British Encyclopedia, or, dictionary of arts and sciences comprising an accurate and popular view of the present improved state of human knowledge. First Edition. IV. pp. (?). Philadelphia. (Mitchell & Ames).
- Gould, A. A. (1870). Report on the Invertebrata of Massachusetts. page 497.
- Gyraulus parvus. Archived 2016-12-31 at the Wayback Machine Invertebrate Abstracts. Arizona Game and Fish Department.
- NatureServe. 2014. Gyraulus parvus. NatureServe Explorer.
- Gyraulus parvus. AnimalBase.
- Laman, T. G., et al. (1984). The role of Gyraulus parvus as an intermediate host for avian schistosomes. Proc Helminthol Soc Wash 51(2) 267-69.