Spiny river snail
Species of mollusc
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The spiny river snail, scientific name Io fluvialis, is a freshwater snail species, an aquatic mollusk in the Pleuroceridae family. This is the only species in the genus Io.[5] This species is endemic to the USA.
| Spiny river snail | |
|---|---|
| |
| A live individual of Io fluvialis | |
 | |
| A live individual of Io fluvialis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | incertae sedis |
| Superfamily: | Cerithioidea |
| Family: | Pleuroceridae |
| Genus: | Io Lea, 1831[3] |
| Species: | I. fluvialis |
| Binomial name | |
| Io fluvialis (Say, 1825) | |
| Synonyms[4] | |
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List
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Ecology
Distribution
This species is endemic to the Tennessee River and its larger tributaries, but it has been largely extirpated due to pollution and the construction of dams.[citation needed]
Habitat
These snails live in rapidly flowing, well-oxygenated waters of shoals and riffles of rivers, but not in slack water below shoals. The species preferred water depth of up to 1.5 m.[citation needed]
Behavior
These snails feed on the algal coating on rocks. Females lay between 20 and 100 eggs, which begin to hatch after 15 days.[citation needed]
Description
The shell morphology is very variable, with some individuals totally lacking spines. For this reason, it was formerly thought that many species existed within this genus.[citation needed]
Human relevance
The shells are found abundantly in shell middens along the rivers within their range, indicating they were exploited as a food source by Native American cultures. Additionally, this snail has served as the emblem for the American Malacological Society since 1960.[6]
