''Latia'' 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 very small, air-breathing

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 or

limpet Limpets are a group of aquatic snails with a conical gastropod shell, shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. This general category of conical shell is known as "patelliform" (dish-shaped). Existing within the class Gastropoda, ...

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 ...

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates is an informal group (previously an order, and before that, a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group inclu ...

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 ...

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

s in the superfamily

Chilinoidea Chilinoidea is a superfamily of air-breathing freshwater snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant spec ...

. ''Latia'' is the only genus in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Latiidae. Species in this genus are the only freshwater

bioluminescent Bioluminescence is the emission of light during a chemiluminescence reaction by living organisms. Bioluminescence occurs in multifarious organisms ranging from marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms inc ...

molluscs in the world.BERNARD J. BOWDEN (1950)
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON A LUMINESCENT FRESHWATER LIMPET FROM NEW ZEALAND
. ''Biol Bull'' 99: 373-380.

Taxonomy

The family Latiidae has been classified within the superfamily

, itself belonging to the

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

Hygrophila within the informal group

Basommatophora Basommatophora was a term that was previously used as a taxonomic informal group, a group of snails within the informal group Pulmonata, the air-breathing slugs and snails. According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), w ...

in the informal group

Pulmonata Pulmonata or pulmonates is an informal group (previously an order, and before that, a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includes ...

(according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). There are no subfamilies in the family Latiidae (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). ''Latia'' is the only genus in the family Latiidae, in other words Latiidae is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

family and ''Latia'' is the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus (''genus typica'') is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearin ...

of the family Latiidae. This genus was previously placed instead in a larger family of freshwater limpets, the

Ancylidae Ancylini is a tribe of small, freshwater, air-breathing limpets, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails and their allies. This tribe used to be treated as a family; the current taxonomic placement w ...

Distribution

This genus is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Habitat

This genus lives in clean running streams and rivers.

Shell description

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 ancyliform, with the

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics) A-Bomb Abomination Absorbing Man Abraxas Abyss Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in Ameri ...

marginal, and situated at the left posterior side, incurved, small.

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 very large, oval. The margin of the aperture is thin and sharp; posteriorly with a narrow, thin, concave lamina, its right edge bent down and free, forming a thin and sharp-edged vertical lamella.

Anatomy

This genus is remarkable by the absence of a jaw. Animal has eyes at the outer bases of the tentacles. The foot is elongated oval. The pulmonary cavity, its opening on the right side. Visceral commissure is long. There is no jaw. Central tooth of

radula The radula (; : radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by mollusks for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters ...

is bicuspidate, laterals are unicuspidate and marginals are tricuspidate.

Life habits

These freshwater limpets are capable of secreting a

substance when disturbed. Theories vary as to the purpose of the bioluminescence, but indicate it is a defence mechanism. One theory is that when disturbed by a predator, ''Latia'' release the bioluminescent slime, and the predator chases the light rather than the snail. Another theory is that the slime will attach to the predator causing confusion and alarm, or indeed, making the predator vulnerable and visible to other nocturnal predators. As the ''Latia'' release the slime when feeling threatened, it is conceivable ''Latia'' could be used as a monitor for illegal pollution dumping or other water quality issues.

Species

Species in the genus ''Latia'' include: * '' Latia climoi'' Starobogatov, 1986 * '' Latia lateralis'' (Gould, 1852) * † '' Latia manuherikia'' Marshall, 2011 - from the Early–Middle

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

Marshall B. A. (2011). "A new species of ''Latia'' Gray, 1850 (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Hygrophila: Chilinoidea: Latiidae) from Miocene Palaeo-lake Manuherikia, southern New Zealand, and biogeographic implications". ''

Molluscan Research ''Molluscan Research'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the field of malacology with a preference for studies focusing on Australia and surrounding regions. The journal was established in 1957 as the ''Journal of the Malacol ...

'' 31(1): 47-52
abstract
* ''

Latia neritoides ''Latia neritoides'' is a species of small freshwater snail or limpet, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Latiidae. The type specimen is in the British Museum. The specific epithet "neritoides" means "like a nerite". The shell of thi ...

'' Gray, 1850 - type species (type by monotypy)

Notes

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference Suter H. (1913)
''Manual of the New Zealand Mollusca''
Wellington. pages 615-616. * Marshall, B.A. (2011). ''A new species of Latia Gray, 1850 (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Hygrophila: Chilinoidea: Latiidae) from Miocene palaeo-lake Manuherikia, southern New Zealand, and biogeographic implications''. Molluscan Research 31 (1): 47–52.

External links

Radio interview with scientist Stella McQueen discussing ''Latia''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q150661 Bioluminescent molluscs Taxa named by John Edward Gray