Notopala
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| Notopala Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Architaenioglossa |
| Family: | Viviparidae |
| Subfamily: | Bellamyinae |
| Genus: | Notopala Cotton, 1935[2] |
| Type species | |
| Paludina hanleyi Frauenfeld, 1864 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Notopalena Iredale, 1943 | |
Notopala is a genus of moderately large to large, freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod molluscs in the family Viviparidae, the river snails or mystery snails.
The shell is dextral and globose-conic.[3] The shell has up to five whorls.[3] The aperture is subovate.[3] The operculum is corneous and concentric.[3] Colour is usually yellow, olive green, brown, cream or white and sometimes may have darker spiral bands.[4] Head-foot with long tentacles with eyes on short processes at their outer bases; often pigmented with multiple different colours.[4]
Distribution
The genus Notopala is native to Australia. Notopala is found in all states and territories except Tasmania. It occurs throughout Queensland and New South Wales, northern Western Australia and Northern Territory and in the Murray-Darling Basin in Victoria and South Australia.
Habitat and ecology
Generally occurs on fine sediment and/or on and under rocks and logs. Members of Notopala are thought to be grazers of periphyton and occur in slow moving or still waters.[5] Some species are able to aestivate in mud during dry periods.