Physella gyrina
Species of gastropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Physella gyrina, common name the "tadpole physa", is a species of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae.
| Physella gyrina | |
|---|---|
| |
| Physella gyrina figure 10 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Superorder: | Hygrophila |
| Family: | Physidae |
| Genus: | Physella |
| Species: | P. gyrina |
| Binomial name | |
| Physella gyrina | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Physa gyrina Say, 1821 | |
Shell description
Snails in the family Physidae have shells that are sinistral, which means that if the shell is held with the spire pointing up, and the aperture is facing the observer, the aperture is on the left-hand side.
The shells of Physella species have a long and large aperture, a pointed spire, and no operculum. The shells are thin and corneous and rather transparent.
When food resources are limited, Physella gyrina allocates more energy to reproduction than to growth, which helps the species survive under harsh environmental conditions.[3]
Genetic studies indicate that Physella gyrina shows population level genetic differences across its range, suggesting that it adapts rapidly to diverse freshwater environments.[4]
Distribution
This species is known to occur in:
- the USA - indigenous
- Great Britain - introduced
- Ireland - introduced
- Spain