''Afropomus balanoidea'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks that live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs t ...

, an

aquatic Aquatic means relating to water; living in or near water or taking place in water; does not include groundwater, as "aquatic" implies an environment where plants and animals live. Aquatic(s) may also refer to: * Aquatic animal, either vertebrate ...

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

in the family

Ampullariidae Ampullariidae, whose members are commonly known as apple snails, is a family of large freshwater snails that includes the mystery snail species. They are aquatic gastropod mollusks with a gill and an operculum. These snails simultaneously h ...

, the apple snails and their allies. ''Afropomus balanoideus'' is the only species in the genus ''Afropomus''.Brown D. S. (1994). ''Freshwater Snails of Africa and their Medical Importance''.

Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in the United Kingdom that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, CRC Press, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research and Dovepress. It i ...

. . ''Afropomus'' is the type genus of the subfamily Afropominae. Based on the anatomy, mainly that of the

reproductive system The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are al ...

, ''Afropomus'' appears to be a primitive genus within the Ampullariidae. This basal position of ''Afropomus'' within Ampullariidae has also been confirmed by

molecular phylogeny Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

.Jørgensen A., Kristensen T. K. & Madsen H. (2008). "A molecular phylogeny of apple snails (Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda, Ampullariidae) with an emphasis on African species". ''

Zoologica Scripta ''Zoologica Scripta'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal on systematic zoology, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It was established in 197 ...

'' 37(3): 245-252. .

Subspecies

Subspecies of ''Afropomus balanoideus'' include: * ''Afropomus balanoideus balanoideus'' (Gould, 1850) * ''Afropomus balanoideus nimbae'' Binder, 1963 This subspecies from the Ivory Coast and Senegal has a higher

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

Distribution

The distribution of ''Afropomus balanoideus'' includes: * Côte d'Ivoire * Liberia * Nigeria * Sierra Leone The type locality is Cape Mount in Liberia. Its presence in Ghana is uncertain.

Description

The shape of the

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

is ovate. The width of the shell is 20 mm. The height of the shell is 22–23 mm. Morelet A. (1851). "En outre des coquilles ...". ''

Journal de Conchyliologie A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...

'' 2
page 266
269
plate 7
figure 8.

Ecology

''Afropomus balanoideus'' lives in clean water in ditches, creeks and small rivers. It requires a high concentration of oxygen.

References

* Cowie, R. & Héros, V., 2012. - Annotated catalogue of the types of Ampullariidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, with lectotype designations.. Zoosystema 34(4): 793-824

External links

The apple snail website.
MNHN, Paris: ''Afropomus balanoideus nimbae'' - image of the lectotype
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3237643 Ampullariidae Gastropods described in 1850