''Pachychilus'',

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

the jute snails, 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 ...

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,

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

Pachychilidae Pachychilidae, common name pachychilids, is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha.Gofas, S. (2014). Pachychilidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Sp ...

. ''Pachychilus'' 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 Pachychilidae.

Distribution

The distribution of species in the genus ''Pachychilus'' includes: *

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

(2 species),

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, and others.

Species

Species within the genus ''Pachychilus'' include: * † '' Pachychilus anagrammatus'' Dall, 1913 * '' Pachychilus apheles'' F. G. Thompson, 1967 * '' Pachychilus apis'' (I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851) * '' Pachychilus atratus'' Pilsbry & Hinkley, 1910 * † '' Pachychilus caboblanquensis'' Weisbord, 1962 * † '' Pachychilus cancelloides'' (Aldrich, 1911) * † '' Pachychilus canoasensis'' Olsson, 1931 * '' Pachychilus chrysalis'' (Brot, 1872) * '' Pachychilus cinereus'' (Morelet, 1849) * ''

Pachychilus conicus ''Pachychilus'', common name the jute snails, is a genus of freshwater snails with an Operculum (gastropod), operculum, aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pachychilidae. ''Pachychilus'' is the type genus of the family Pachy ...

'' (d'Orbigny, 1842) * '' Pachychilus corpulentus'' F. G. Thompson, 1967 * '' Pachychilus corvinus'' (Morelet, 1849) * '' Pachychilus cumingii'' I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851 * '' Pachychilus dalli'' Pilsbry, 1896 * † '' Pachychilus dimorphica'' (Woods, 1922) * '' Pachychilus explicatus'' P. Fischer & Crosse, 1892 * '' Pachychilus fuentesi'' Aguayo, 1936 * † '' Pachychilus fulvus'' Garvie, 2013 † * '' Pachychilus gassiesii'' (Reeve, 1860) * '' Pachychilus glaphyrus'' (Morelet, 1849) * '' Pachychilus godmanni'' (Tristram, 1863) * '' Pachychilus gracilis'' Tristram, 1864 * † '' Pachychilus gracillimus'' (Pilsbry & Olsson, 1935) * '' Pachychilus graphium'' (Morelet, 1849) * '' Pachychilus hellerii'' (Brot, 1872) * '' Pachychilus hinkleyi'' (W. B. Marshall, 1920) * '' Pachychilus humerosus'' Pilsbry & Hinkley, 1910 * '' Pachychilus immanis'' (Morelet, 1851) * '' Pachychilus indiorum'' (Morelet, 1849

* '' Pachychilus intermedius'' (von dem Busch, 1844) * '' Pachychilus jansoni'' H. Adams, 1871 * '' Pachychilus lacustris'' (Morelet, 1849) * '' Pachychilus laevissimus'' (G.B. Sowerby I, 1824) * '' Pachychilus largillierti'' (Philippi, 1843) * '' Pachychilus larvatus'' (Brot, 1877) * '' Pachychilus liebmanni'' (Philippi, 1848) * '' Pachychilus moctezumensis'' Pilsbry & Hinkley, 1910 * '' Pachychilus monachus'' Pilsbry & Hinkley, 1910 * '' Pachychilus nigratus'' (Poey, 1858) - endemic to Villa Clara, CubaVázquez A. A. & Perera S. (2010). "Endemic Freshwater molluscs of Cuba and their conservation status". ''

Tropical Conservation Science Mongabay (mongabay.com) is an American conservation news web portal that reports on environmental science, energy, and green design, and features extensive information on tropical rainforests, including pictures and deforestation statistics f ...

'' 3(2): 190-199
HTMPDF
* '' Pachychilus obeliscus'' (Reeve, 1861) * '' Pachychilus oerstedii'' Mörch, 1861 * '' Pachychilus olssoni'' Pilsbry, 1950 * '' Pachychilus panucula'' (Morelet, 1851) * '' Pachychilus pasionensis'' Pilsbry, 1956 * '' Pachychilus pilsbryi'' E. von Martens, 1899 * '' Pachychilus planensis'' (I. Lea, 1858) * '' Pachychilus pleurotoma'' Pilsbry & Hinkley, 1910 * '' Pachychilus pluristriatus'' (Say, 1831) * '' Pachychilus polygonatus'' (I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851) * '' Pachychilus potomarchus'' Pilsbry, 1893 * '' Pachychilus pottsianus'' Hinkley, 1920 * '' Pachychilus pyramidalis'' (Morelet, 1849) * '' Pachychilus radix'' (Brot, 1872) * '' Pachychilus rasconensis'' Thiele, 1928 * '' Pachychilus rivorosai'' Pilsbry, 1893 * '' Pachychilus rubidus'' (I. Lea, 1857) * '' Pachychilus rusticulus'' (von dem Busch, 1858) * '' Pachychilus salvini'' (Tristram, 1863) * '' Pachychilus sargi'' (Crosse & P. Fischer, 1875) * † '' Pachychilus satillensis'' (Aldrich, 1911) * '' Pachychilus saussurei'' (Brot, 1860) * '' Pachychilus schiedeanus'' (Philippi, 1843) * '' Pachychilus schumoi'' Pilsbry, 1931 * '' Pachychilus subexaratus'' Crosse & P. Fischer, 1891 * '' Pachychilus subnodosus'' (Philippi, 1847) * '' Pachychilus suturalis'' Pilsbry & Hinkley, 1910 * † '' Pachychilus tarataranoides'' (O. Haas, 1942) * † '' Pachychilus terebriformis'' (J. Morris, 1859) * '' Pachychilus tristis'' Pilsbry & Hinkley, 1910 * '' Pachychilus turati'' (A. Villa & G. B. Villa, 1854) * '' Pachychilus vallesensis'' Hinkley, 1907 subgenus '' Pachychiloides'' Wenz, 1939 * † '' Pachychilus lawtoni'' Perrilliat, Vega, Espinosa & Naranjo-Garcia, 2008Perrilliat M. D. C., Vega F. J., Espinosa B. & Naranjo-Garcia E. (2008). "Late Cretaceous and Paleogene Freshwater Gastropods from Northeastern Mexico". ''

Journal of Paleontology The ''Journal of Paleontology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the field of paleontology. It is managed and published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Paleontological Society. Indexing The ''Journal of Paleontology ...

'' 82(2): 255-266. . - fossil from Northeastern Mexico ;Species brought into synonymy: * ''Pachychilus aquatilis'' (Reeve, 1859): synonym of '' Doryssa aquatilis'' (Reeve, 1859) * ''Pachychilus drakei'' Arnold & Hannibal in Hannibal, 1912 †: synonym of '' Goniobasis drakei'' (Arnold & Hannibal in Hannibal, 1912) † (new combination) * ''Pachychilus glaphyra'' (Morelet, 1849): synonym of ''Pachychilus glaphyrus'' (Morelet, 1849) (incorrect gender of species epithet) * ''Pachychilus indifferens'' Crosse & P. Fischer, 1891: synonym of ''Pachychilus corvinus indifferens'' Crosse & P. Fischer, 1891 (unaccepted rank) * ''Pachychilus lawsoni'' Hannibal, 1912 †: synonym of ''

Lymnaea lawsoni ''Lymnaea'' is a genus of small to large-sized air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Lymnaeinae of the family Lymnaeidae, the pond snails.Bouchet, P.; Rosenberg, G. (2013). Lymnaea Lamarck, 17 ...

'' (Hannibal, 1912) † (new combination) * ''Pachychilus parvum'' I. Lea, 1857: synonym of '' Rehderiella parva'' (I. Lea, 1857) (original combination) * ''Pachychilus pila'' Pilsbry & Hinkley, 1910: synonym of '' Amnipila pila'' (Pilsbry & Hinkley, 1910) (original combination) * ''Pachychilus renovatus'' (Brot, 1862): synonym of ''Pachychilus cumingii'' I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851 (replacement name for Pachychilus cumingii I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851 as a secondary homonym) * ''Pachychilus reticancellata'' ic†: synonym of ''Pachychilus recticancellata'' (Kobayashi & Suzuki, 1939) † (incorrect subsequent spelling) * ''Pachychilus suavis'' Dall, 1913 †: synonym of '' Goniobasis suavis'' (Dall, 1913) † * ''Pachychilus tristrami'' Crosse & P. Fischer, 1892: synonym of ''Pachychilus gracilis'' Tristram, 1864 (invalid: unnecessary replacement name for ''Pachychilus gracilis'') * ''Pachychilus violaceus'' (Preston, 1911) - endemic to the area from

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

Baracoa Baracoa, whose full original name is: ''Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa'' ("Our Lady of the Assumption of Baracoa"), is a municipality and city in Guantánamo Province near the eastern tip of Cuba. It was visited by Admiral Christopher ...

, Cuba: synonym of ''Pachychilus nigratus'' (Poey, 1858) (junior synonym) * ''Pachychilus vulneratus'' P. Fischer & Crosse, 1892: synonym of ''Pachychilus chrysalis'' (Brot, 1872) (junior synonym)

Human use

One of the

Maya peoples Maya () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived w ...

, the

Lacandon people The Lacandon are one of the Maya peoples who live in the jungles of the Mexican state of Chiapas, near the southern border with Guatemala. Their homeland, the Lacandon Jungle, lies along the Mexican side of the Usumacinta River and its tributar ...

, now Mexico's native peoples from state

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

, use Pachychilus indiorum, known locally as "t’unu", as a type of protein supplement to their diet when animal protein is unavailable.Nations J. D. (1979). ''Snail Shells and Maize Preparation: A Lacandon Maya Analogy''.

American Antiquity ''American Antiquity'' is a professional journal published by Cambridge University Press for the Society for American Archaeology, an organization of professional archaeologists of the Americas. The journal is considered to be the flagship jour ...

44.3: 568-571. In addition, the shells from this "chuti" snail have great nutritional value, as they provide

calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

and slaked

lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

when burnt. They are often preferred as a lime source over local limestone or other freshwater snail species for their purity as an alkali. The slaked lime is added to

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

during the

process A process is a series or set of activities that interact to produce a result; it may occur once-only or be recurrent or periodic. Things called a process include: Business and management * Business process, activities that produce a specific s ...

of making maize dough for tortillas, pozole, and other foods. Slaked lime allows the release of

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

s such as

tryptophan Tryptophan (symbol Trp or W) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Tryptophan contains an α-amino group, an α-carboxylic acid group, and a side chain indole, making it a polar molecule with a non-polar aromat ...

and

lysine Lysine (symbol Lys or K) is an α-amino acid that is a precursor to many proteins. Lysine contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated form when the lysine is dissolved in water at physiological pH), an α-carboxylic acid group ( ...

and the vitamin

niacin Nicotinic acid, or niacin, is an organic compound and a vitamer of vitamin B3, an essential human nutrient. It is produced by plants and animals from the amino acid tryptophan. Nicotinic acid is also a prescription medication. Amounts f ...

, which would otherwise be unavailable from the maize (unable to be metabolized) if the lime were not added.

References

External links

Lea, I.; Lea, H. C. (1851). Description of a new genus of the family Melaniana, and of many new species of the genus Melania, chiefly collected by Hugh Cuming, Esq., during his zoological voyage in the East, and now first described. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 18: 179-197

Pilsbry, H. A. (1893). Notes on a collection of shells from the State of Tabasco, Mexico. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 44: 338-341, pl. 14

Fischer, P. & Crosse, H. (1870-1902). Études sur les mollusques terrestres et fluviatiles du Mexique et du Guatemala. Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amerique Centrale. Recherches zoologiques, Partie 7 Volume 1: 702 pp., pls 1-31; volume 2: 731 pp., pls 32-72. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale. Published in 17 livraisons
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7122102

Pachychilus ''Pachychilus'', common name the jute snails, is a genus of freshwater snails with an Operculum (gastropod), operculum, aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pachychilidae. ''Pachychilus'' is the type genus of the family Pachy ...

Taxa named by Isaac Lea Gastropod genera