Marstonia Scalariformis
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''Marstonia'' 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
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 a
gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...
and an operculum,
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 ...
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 family
Hydrobiidae Hydrobiidae, commonly known as mud snails, is a large cosmopolitan family of very small freshwater and brackish water snails with an operculum, in the order Littorinimorpha.MolluscaBase eds. (2024). MolluscaBase. Hydrobiidae W. Stimpson, 1865. ...
.


Distribution

Species in the genus ''Marstonia'' are distributed in springs, streams and lakes in eastern North America. Most of these species have extremely narrow geographic ranges and consequently have become a focus of conservation activities; two are federally listed as endangered and others are variously listed by state wildlife agencies.


Description

The freshwater gastropod genus ''Marstonia'' is composed of 15 small (shell height < 5.0 mm), ovate- to elongate-shelled species. ''Marstonia'' differs from the other eight North American nymphophiline genera in that the (female) oviduct and bursal duct join well in front of (instead of behind) the posterior wall of the
pallial cavity The mantle (also known by the Latin word pallium meaning mantle, robe or cloak, adjective pallial) is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of ...
. It has also been resolved as a well supported sub-clade within its subfamily based on
mtDNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in ...
sequences.


Species

Eastern North American species of '' Pyrgulopsis'' are considered to be in separate genus ''Marstonia'' according to Thompson & Hershler (2002). * '' Marstonia agarhecta'' (F. G. Thompson, 1969) - synonym: ''Pyrgulopsis agarhecta'' F. G. Thompson, 1969 - Ocmulgee marstonia * '' Marstonia arga'' - F. G. Thompson, 1977 - synonym: '' Pyrgulopsis arga'' (F. G. Thompson, 1977) - ghost marstonia * '' Marstonia castor'' F. G. Thompson, 1977 - synonym: ''Pyrgulopsis castor'' (F. G. Thompson, 1977) - beaverpond marstonia * '' Marstonia halcyon'' F. G. Thompson, 1977 - synonym: '' Pyrgulopsis halcyon'' (F. G. Thompson, 1977) - halcyon marstonia * '' Marstonia hershleri'' (F. G. Thompson, 1995) - synonym: '' Pyrgulopsis hershleri'' F. G. Thompson, 1995 - Coosa pyrg * '' Marstonia letsoni'' (Walker, 1901) - synonym: '' Pyrgulopsis letsoni'' (Walker, 1901) - gravel pyrg * '' Marstonia lustrica'' (Pilsbry, 1890) - synonym: '' Pyrgulopsis lustrica'' (Pilsbry, 1890) - boreal marstonia * '' Marstonia ogmorhaphe'' (F. G. Thompson, 1977) - synonym: ''Pyrgulopsis ogmoraphe'' (F. G. Thompson, 1977) - royal springsnail * '' Marstonia olivacea'' (Pilsbry, 1895) - synonym: ''Pyrgulopsis olivacea'' (Pilsbry, 1895) - olive marstonia, it may be extinct * '' Marstonia ozarkensis'' (Hinkley, 1915) - synonym: ''Pyrgulopsis ozarkensis'' Hinkley, 1915 - Ozark pyrg, it may be extinct * '' Marstonia pachyta'' F. G. Thompson, 1977 - synonym: ''Pyrgulopsis pachyta'' (F. G. Thompson, 1977) - armored marstonia * '' Marstonia scalariformis'' (Wolf, 1869) - synonym: ''Pyrgulopsis scalariformis'' (Wolf, 1869) - moss pyrg Other species of ''Marstonia'' include: * '' Marstonia angulobasis'' F. G. Thompson, 2005 - angled marstonia * '' Marstonia comalensis'' (Pilsbry & Ferriss, 1906) - Comal siltsnail * '' Marstonia gaddisorum'' F. G. Thompson, 2004 - Gaddis marstonia * '' Marstonia inflata'' H.-J. Wang, 1977 Although ''Marstonia'' has been reviewed four times since 1978 (Thompson 1978, Hershler 1994, Thompson & Hershler 2002, Hershler & Liu 2011), three of its congeners have been little studied beyond their original descriptions and their anatomy is unknown. Two of these — '' Marstonia olivacea'', '' Marstonia ozarkensis'' — may be extinct and thus will likely remain
incertae sedis or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...
.


References

This article incorporates CC-BY-3.0 text from the reference Hershler R. & Liu H.-P. (2011). "Redescription of ''Marstonia comalensis'' (Pilsbry & Ferriss, 1906), a poorly known and possibly threatened freshwater gastropod from the Edwards Plateau region (Texas)". ''
ZooKeys ''ZooKeys'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal covering zoological taxonomy, phylogeny, and biogeography. It was established in 2008 and the founding editor-in-chief was Terry Erwin (Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian ...
'' 77: 1-16. .


Further reading

* Thompson F. G. & Hershler R. (2002). "Two genera of North American freshwater snails: ''Marstonia'' Baker, 1926, resurrected to generic status, and '' Floridobia'', new genus (Prosobranchia: Hydrobiidae: Nymphophilinae)." ''The Veliger'' 45(3): 269–271. {{Authority control Hydrobiidae Gastropod genera