''Tantulum elegans'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of freshwater slug, an aquatic shell-less

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 ...

within the clade

Acochlidiacea Acochlidiacea, common name acochlidians, are a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic clade of very unusual sea snails and sea and freshwater slugs, aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusks within the large clade Heterobranchia. Acochlidia is a variant ...

. This species has no shell. The maximum recorded length is 2 mm.Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". '' PLoS ONE'' 5(1): e8776. . ''Tantulum elegans'' is the only species in the genus ''Tantulum'', and that is in turn the only genus in the family Tantulidae.Strong E. E., Gargominy O., Ponder W. F. & Bouchet P. (2008). "Global Diversity of Gastropods (Gastropoda; Mollusca) in Freshwater". '' Hydrobiologia'' 595: 149-166. .

Taxonomy

In 2005, Tantulidae was classified as the only family within the superfamily Hedylopsoidea in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi. According to Schrödl & Neusser (2010)Schrödl M. & Neusser T. P. (2010). "Towards a phylogeny and evolution of Acochlidia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia)". ''

Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society The ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering zoology published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Linnean Society. The editor-in-chief is Maarten Christenhusz (Linnean Society) ...

'' 158: 124-154. . Tantulidae is in the clade

Hedylopsacea Acochlidiacea, common name acochlidians, are a taxonomic clade of very unusual sea snails and sea and freshwater slugs, aquatic gastropod mollusks within the large clade Heterobranchia. Acochlidia is a variant spelling. Description These a ...

Distribution

This species occurs in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

island of Saint Vincent. It was collected at an altitude of 411.5 m.

Ecology

''Tantulum elegans'' are sequential

hermaphrodite A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...

s.Neusser T. P. & Schrödl M. (2007). "''Tantulum elegans'' reloaded: a computer-based 3D-visualization of the anatomy of a Caribbean freshwater acochlidian gastropod". ''Invertebrate Biology'' 126(1): 18-39. .

References

External links

* http://www.malacolog.org/search.php?mode=details&waspid=5103 {{Taxonbar, from=Q7683895 Tantulidae Gastropods described in 1979