Euchondrus

Euchondrus is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Enidae.

Euchondrus
Euchondrus septemdentatus (Roth, 1839)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Superorder: Eupulmonata
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Enidae
Genus: Euchondrus
Boettger, 1883[1]
Species

See text

Distribution

The snails in this genus are of levantine distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel and Jordan.

Shell description

The gastropod shell of Euchondrus is 6.5–13 mm in height in Euchondrus parreyssi, that has very variable size in Euchondrus.[2] The shell is elongate with 5-7 whorls[2] and a high spire. The aperture is toothed.

Ecology

This snail species lives in open habitats, under limestone rocks in the desert.

Three species of Euchondrus in the Negev desert are noted for eating lichens growing under the surface limestone rocks and slabs (endolithic lichens).[3] They disrupt and eat the limestone.[3] Their grazing resulting in the weathering of the stones, and the subsequent formation of soil.[3] They have a significant effect on the region: the total population of snails is estimated to process between 0.7 and 1.1 metric ton per hectare per year of limestone in the Negev desert.[3]

Species

Species within the genus Euchondrus include:

  • Euchondrus albulus (Mousson, 1861)
  • Euchondrus borealis (Mousson, 1874)[4]
  • Euchondrus chondriformis (Mousson, 1861) - type species[4]
  • Euchondrus desertorum Rochanab, 1981
  • Euchondrus ledereri (L. Pfeiffer, 1868)[4]
  • Euchondrus limbodentatus (Mousson, 1854)[4]
  • Euchondrus nucifragus (L. Pfeiffer, 1848)[4]
  • Euchondrus parreyssi (L. Pfeiffer, 1846)[4]
  • Euchondrus ramonensis
  • Euchondrus saulcyi (Bourguignat, 1852)
  • Euchondrus septemdentatus (Roth, 1839)

References
  1. Böttger O. (1883). "[Malakozoologische Mittheilungen.] II. Binnenconchylien aus Syrien". Bericht über die Thätigkeit des Offenbacher Vereins für Naturkunde 22/23: 162-176, Taf. 1.
  2. "Species summary for Euchondrus parreyssi". AnimalBase, last modified 24 February 2009, accessed 7 September 2010.
  3. Odling-Smee F. J., Laland K. N. & Feldman M. W. (2003). "Niche Construction: The Neglected Process in Evolution (MPB-37)". Princeton University Press. 468 pp. HTM Archived 2006-06-17 at the Wayback Machine, PDF. Chapter 1. page 7-8.
  4. "Species in genus Euchondrus" [n=6]. AnimalBase, accessed 6 September 2010.
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