Gyraulus laevis

Gyraulus laevis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Panpulmonata clade Hygrophila
Superfamily:	Planorboidea
Family:	Planorbidae
Subfamily:	Planorbinae
Tribe:	Planorbini
Genus:	Gyraulus
Species:	G. laevis
Binomial name
Gyraulus laevis (Alder, 1838)[1]

Gyraulus laevis is a small species of freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails.

Distribution

Found mainly in the northern parts of Europe East to Siberia and north-east Asia. Distribution type: Eurasian Boreo-temperate.The distribution of this species is Holarctic:

• Germany - critically endangered (vom Aussterben bedroht)^[2]
• British Isles, Great Britain and Ireland
• For more countries see Fauna Europaea.

Habitat

This small snail lives on water plants in freshwater.It favours sunny clean and silent shallow water zones with moderately rich vegetation. It is often found in undisturbed waters which are eutrophic but with a rich oxygen contents,Gyraulus laevis is also as a pioneer species (in lake margins that are in the process of becoming land)

Shell description

For terms see gastropod shell.The 1-2.5 x 3.0-4.5 mm shell is nearly planispiral in its coiling.The shell has 3-4 strongly convex whorls with a deep suture, at the lower side the whorls are in one regular plain and never keeled. The upper side is concave. The colour is horn brown and the surface is shiny, irregularly striated and with no spiral sculpture.

References

1. Alder J. (1838). "Supplement to a catalogue of the land and fresh-water testaceous Mollusca, found in the vicinity of Newcastle". Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland and Durham 1(3): 337-342. Newcastle.
2. Glöer P. & Meier-Brook C. (2003) Süsswassermollusken. DJN, pp. 134, page 107, ISBN 3-923376-02-2

External links

• Gyraulus laevis at Animalbase taxonomy,short description, distribution, biology,status (threats), images