Peringia Ulvae

''Peringia ulvae'', commonly known as the Laver spire shell or mudsnail, is a European species of very small aquatic snail with gills and an operculum, a gastropod mollusk in the family Hydrobiidae.Gofas, S. (2010). ''Hydrobia ulvae'' (Pennant, 1777). In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=140126 on 2010-11-27.

This is arguably a marine snail, but it is often also listed as a non-marine species because it tolerates brackish water and lives in salt marshes and similar habitats.

''Peringia ulvae'' is the type species of the genus ''Peringia''.

Distribution

This species occurs on the coasts of the Baltic Sea, the White Sea the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea, (the Mediterranean records may be in error) including:

* Great Britain
* Ireland
* The Netherlands

The type locality is "on the shores of Flintshire", Wales, United Kingdom. The distribution type is Oceanic Wide Temperate

Description

This species was originally described by Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant in 1777. Pennant's original text (the type description) reads as follows:

"T." is an abbreviated word ''testa'' from Latin language, that means "shell".

The shell is often heavily corroded, usually whitish with brown peristome present on the last whorl. The shell has 5-7 very weakly convex whorls, that are regularly increasing but not always regularly rounded. The lip is attached to the last whorl.

The width of the shell is 2.5–3 mm. The height of the shell is 4-5.5 mm.

Habitat

''Peringia ulvae'' is a widespread and abundant member of the benthic fauna of estuarine habitats and coastal brackish and salt waters. It is very common in brackish water and saltwater, in estuaries and salt marshes. It is most common in the upper half of the intertidal zone. It tolerates salinity 1.0-3.3 %.

''Peringia ulvae'' seems to prefer more exposed localities with less vegetation than the mudsnails ''Ecrobia ventrosa'' and '' Hydrobia neglecta''.

''Peringia ulvae'' feeds on detritus and it also consumes seaweeds directly.

It is pederictional dioecious with sexes being easily identified through dissection. On the west coast of Wales this species has peaks of spawning activity in spring and autumn and produces planktotrophic larvae (veliger)Fish J. D. & Fish S. (1977). "The veliger larva of ''Hydrobia ulvae'' with observations on the veliger of ''Littorina littorea'' (Mollusca: Prosobranchia)". ''Journal of Zoology'' 182(4): 495-503. . that remain in the plankton for up to four weeks before settlement. This period of development affords the potential for dispersal to new habitats and mixing with geographically separate populations. The species provides an interesting case for molecular analysis as the pelagic dispersal phase raises fascinating questions on gene flow, differentiation, recruitment, and inbreeding, but there remains the potential for self-recruitment of estuarine populations.

One of its natural predators is the Arctic barrel-bubble ('' Retusa obtusa'').
In Ireland ''Peringia ulvae'' is an important source of food for overwintering waders.

References

This article incorporates public domain text from references"Species summary for ''Peringia ulvae''"
AnimalBase, last modified 30 March 2009, accessed 16 September 2011. and CC-BY-2.0 text from the referenceBrownlow R. J., Dawson D. A., Horsburgh G. J., Bell J. J. & Fish J. D. (2008). "A method for genotype validation and primer assessment in heterozygote-deficient species, as demonstrated in the prosobranch mollusc ''Hydrobia ulvae''". '' BMC Genetics'' 9: 55. .

Further reading

* Backeljau T. (1986). ''Lijst van de recente mariene mollusken van België ist of the recent marine molluscs of Belgium'' Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen: Brussels, Belgium. 106 pp.
* Fish J. D., Fish S. & Foley H. (2000). "The biology of mud snails with particular reference to ''Hydrobia ulvae''". In: British Saltmarshes. Sherwood B. R., Gardiner B. G. & Harris T. (eds.) London, Linnean Society: 165-179.
* Gofas S., Le Renard J., Bouchet P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). ''European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification''. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213.
* Haase M. (1993). "The genetic differentiation in three species of the genus ''Hydrobia'' and systematic implications (Caenogastropoda, Hydrobiidae)". ''Malacologia'' 35: 389-398.
* Muller Y. (2004). ''Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. oastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory'' Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp.
* Горбушин А. М. О видовом составе моллюсков рода Hydrobia (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia) в Белом море //Зоол. журн. – 1993. – Т. 71. – №. 9. – С. 47-56.

External links

''Peringia ulvae''
at Animalbase taxonomy,short description, distribution, biology,status

''Peringia ulvae''
Species account and photograph at Mollusc Ireland.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q220088

Hydrobiidae
Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean
Molluscs described in 1777
Taxa named by Thomas Pennant