Xerarionta kellettii

Xerarionta kelletii, common name the Catalina cactus snail, is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helminthoglyptidae.

Xerarionta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
informal group Sigmurethra
Superfamily:
Helicoidea
Family:
Helminthoglyptidae
Genus:
Xerarionta
Species:
X. kelletii
Binomial name
Xerarionta kelletii
(Forbes, 1850)

Anatomy

Snails in this species create and use love darts during mating.

The scanning electron microscope images on the left show (above) the lateral view of the love dart, scale bar 500 μm (0.5 mm); and (below) a cross section of the dart, scale bar 50 μm.

References
  • Bouchet, P. & Rocroi, J.-P. (2005). "Classification and Nomenclator of Gastropod Families". Malacologia. 47 (1–2): 1–397.
  • A little info at
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