Ampullaria
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''Pila'' is a
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of large
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 ...
s with an operculum,
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
n and
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
n apple snails, aquatic
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 ...
s 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.


Description

(Described in Latin as ''Pachystoma'') Head and sensory organs: The head is proboscis-shaped, free, large, and transversely wrinkled. Its cheeks expand into two tentacle-like lobes. The
aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...
is anterior, with folded lips. The mandibles are cartilaginous and appear swollen with strong muscles. The tongue is covered by elongated skin, and features numerous transverse ossicles in the middle, with anteriorly winged sides. The eyes are pedunculated (stalked), located at the external base of the tentacles. Two true tentacles are present, which are very long, bristly, and somewhat contractile. Foot and operculum: The foot is flattened and broad, with a subtriangular sole that is anteriorly margined and truncated. The operculum is horny, located on the dorsal side of the foot; it displays subtly concentric folds and a lateral-median nucleus. Mantle and respiration: The mantle is large and free; under the neck, it transforms into an elongated, flattened, retractor white muscle. The respiratory opening is large, situated under the mantle above the left siphon. The gills are comb-shaped, right-sided, and located under the mantle. An elongated fringe runs parallel to the rectum and oviduct. The respiratory organ (or respiratory antrum) is very large, dorsal, and sac-like, perforated above the very long siphon. The neck is equipped on both sides with broad, flattened wings, which are almost convoluted into two siphons. The left siphon, situated before the respiratory opening, inhales air, while the right, located under the anus, exhales and expels feces. Anus and reproductive organ: The anus is contractile, with an elongated rectum. The penis is exserted, very large, and fleshy, situated under the mantle margin on the right side near the anus (in males). Its apex is attenuated, and its base is appendiculated and gland-bearing; the appendix is perforated. Shell characteristics: The shell is right-handed, covered, delicate, longitudinally plicate, globose, and very ventricose (swollen). The
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 ...
is depressed or short; the
body whorl The body whorl is part of the morphology (biology), morphology of the gastropod shell, shell in those gastropod mollusks that possess a coiled shell. The term is also sometimes used in a similar way to describe the shell of a cephalopod mollusk ...
is very large, and the base is broadly umbilicated. The
peristome Peristome (from the Greek language, Greek ''peri'', meaning 'around' or 'about', and ''stoma'', 'mouth') is an anatomical feature that surrounds an opening to an organ or structure. Some plants, fungi, and shelled gastropods have peristomes. In mo ...
is simple, always thin, and rarely somewhat reflexed. The aperture is entire, oblong, very large, and expanded. Movement and habits: Its movement is sluggish. When it needs to breathe, it seeks the surface and convolutes the left wing of the neck into a rigid tube. While it inhales, it flexes its tentacles and slowly retracts its head, receiving air at the tip of the siphon. It is tenacious of life.


Distribution

Distribution of the genus ''Pila'' include Africa,
Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
, southern Asia and Indo-Pacific islands. It is amphibious in nature and can undergo summer sleep or aestivation under drought condition. It is generally found in lakes, pools, and sometimes even in the river streams where aquatic vegetation like ''
Vallisneria ''Vallisneria'' (named in honor of Antonio Vallisneri) is a genus of freshwater aquatic plant, commonly called eelgrass, tape grass or vallis. The genus is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe ...
'', ''
Pistia ''Pistia'' is a genus of aquatic plants in the arum family, Araceae. It is the sole genus in the tribe ''Pistieae'' which reflects its systematic isolation within the family. The single species it comprises, ''Pistia stratiotes'', is often call ...
'' are found in large amount for food.


External features

When viewed from
ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
side facing the
columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (, Arabic: ) was a prominent Roman writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture and ancient Roman cuisin ...
towards the observer, the columella rotates
clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions or senses of rotation. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands relative to the observer: from the top to the right, then down and then to ...
or
dextral Sinistral and dextral, in some scientific fields, are the two types of chirality ("handedness") or relative direction. The terms are derived from the Latin words for "left" (''sinister'') and "right" (''dexter''). Other disciplines use different ...
.


Species

Species within the genus ''Pila'' include: * '' Pila africana'' (v. Martens, 1886)"''Pila''"
The apple snail website, Accessed 16 May 2011.
* '' Pila ampullacea'' (Linnaeus, 1758) - type species * '' Pila aperta'' (Philippi, 1849) * † '' Pila assermoensis'' (Jodot, 1953) * '' Pila bruguieri'' (Deshayes, 1830) * † '' Pila busserti'' Harzhauser & Neubauer in Harzhauser et al., 2017 * '' Pila cecillei'' (Philipi, 1848) * † '' Pila celebensis'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) * † '' Pila colchesteri'' Cox, 1933 * '' Pila decocta'' (Mabille, 1887) * † '' Pila falloti'' (Jodot, 1953) * † '' Pila faujasii'' (Serres, 1829) * † '' Pila fukamiensis'' Iwasaki, 1980 * † '' Pila gauthieri'' (Jodot, 1953) * '' Pila globosa'' (Swainson, 1822) * '' Pila gracilis'' (I. Lea, 1856) * † '' Pila lapparenti'' (J.-C. Fischer, 1963) * '' Pila mizoramensis'' Sil, Basak, Karanth & Aravind, 2021 * † '' Pila mutungi'' Van Damme & Pickford, 1995 * † '' Pila neuberti'' Harzhauser & Neubauer in Harzhauser et al., 2016 * '' Pila nevilliana'' (Annandale & Prashad, 1921) * † '' Pila nipponica'' T. Kobayashi & K. Suzuki, 1937 * '' Pila occidentalis'' (Mousson, 1887) * '' Pila olea'' (Reeve, 1856) * '' Pila ovata'' (Olivier, 1804)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 ...
. .
* '' Pila pesmei'' (Morelet, 1889) * '' Pila pygmaea'' (Récluz, 1851) * '' Pila robsoni'' Prashad, 1925 * '' Pila saxea'' (Reeve, 1856) * '' Pila scutata'' (Mousson, 1848) * '' Pila speciosa'' (Philippi, 1849) * † '' Pila tikarkasensis'' (J.-C. Fischer, 1963) * '' Pila turbinis'' (I. Lea, 1856) * '' Pila virens'' (Lamarck, 1822) * '' Pila virescens'' (Deshayes, 1824) * '' Pila wernei'' (Philipi, 1851) ;Synonyms: * ''Pila aldersoni'' Pain, 1946: synonym of '' Pomacea aldersoni'' (Pain, 1946) (original combination) * ''Pila angelica'' (Annandale, 1920): synonym of '' Pila celebensis'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) * ''Pila brohardi'' (Granger, 1892): synonym of '' Pila virescens'' (Deshayes, 1824) * ''Pila conica'' (Wood, 1828): synonym of '' Pila scutata'' (Mousson, 1848) * ''Pila gradata'' (E. A. Smith, 1881): synonym of '' Pila ovata'' (Olivier, 1804) * ''Pila hollingsworthi'' T. Pain, 1946: synonym of '' Pomacea hollingsworthi'' (Pain, 1946) (original combination) * ''Pila polita'' (Deshayes, 1830): synonym of '' Pila virescens'' (Deshayes, 1824) * † ''Pila selvensis'' (Vidal, 1917) †: synonym of † '' Selvovum selvense'' (Vidal, 1917) ;Taxa inquirenda: * ''Pila congoensis'' Pilsbry & Bequaert, 1927 * ''Pila huberi'' Thach, 2020 (debated synonym) * ''Pila microglypta'' Pilsbry & Bequaert, 1927 * † ''Pila pisum'' (Coquand, 1860) * ''Pila theobaldi'' (Hanley, 1876)


Ecology

''Pila'' species are a host of a trematode '' Multicotyle purvisi''.


Human use

The shells of ''Pila'' are used in traditional
ethnomedicine Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g., indigenous peoples. The ...
for weakness by Saharia people in
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
, India. '' Pila ampullacea'' and '' Pila pesmei'' are some of the rice field snail species traditionally eaten in
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
that have been displaced by the invasive golden apple snail, '' Pomacea canaliculata''.''Heavy Predation on Freshwater Bryozoans by the Golden Apple Snail, Pomacea canaliculata Lamarck, 1822 (Ampullariidae)''; The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University 6(1): 31-36, May 2006


References


External links


Swainson, W. (1840). A treatise on malacology or shells and shell-fish. London, Longman. viii + 419 pp.

Repelin, J. (1902). Description des faunes et des gisements du Cénomanien saumâtre ou d'eau douce du Midi de la France. Annales du Musée d'histoire naturelle de Marseille. Section de Géologie. 7: 1-133

Lamarck, J.B.M. (1799). Prodrome d'une nouvelle classification des coquilles, comprenant une rédaction appropriée des caractères géneriques, et l'établissement d'un grand nombre de genres nouveaux. Mémoires de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris. 1: 63-91

Montfort P. (Denys de). (1808-1810). Conchyliologie systématique et classification méthodique des coquilles. Paris: Schoell. Vol. 1: pp. lxxxvii + 409 [1808]. Vol. 2: pp. 676 + 16 ,1810

Cowie, R. H. & Thiengo, S. C. (2003). The apple snails of the Americas (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Ampullariidae: Asolene, Felipponea, Marisa, Pomacea, Pomella): A nomenclatural and type catalog. Malacologia. 45(1): 41-100.

Cowie R.H. (2015). The recent apple snails of Africa and Asia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Ampullariidae: Afropomus, Forbesopomus, Lanistes, Pila, Saulea): a nomenclatural and type catalogue. The apple snails of the Americas: addenda and corrigenda. Zootaxa. 3940(1): 1-92

enson, W. H. (1829). Description of the animal of Ampullaria, a genus of freshwater Testacea, with a notice of two species inhabiting the freshwaters of the Gangetic Provinces. Gleanings in Science. 1(2): 52-54.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pila (gastropod) Taxa named by Peter Friedrich Röding