Megalobulimus popelairianus

Megalobulimus popelairianus
Drawing of a shell of Megalobulimus popelairianus.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Panpulmonata clade Eupulmonata clade Stylommatophora informal group Sigmurethra
Superfamily:	Acavoidea
Family:	Strophocheilidae
Subfamily:	Megalobuliminae
Genus:	Megalobulimus
Species:	M. popelairianus
Binomial name
Megalobulimus popelairianus (Nyst, 1845)
Synonyms
Strophocheilus popelairianus

Megalobulimus popelairianus^[1], synonym Strophocheilus popelairianus, is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Strophocheilidae.

Distribution

Megalobulimus popelairianus occurs in Ecuador, in Bolivia (doubtful)^[2] and in Brazil.^[1]

Shell description

The shell is very large, solid, rimate, ovate-conic. The spire is subregularly tapering and the penultimate whorl is somewhat bulging. The last whorl is depressed on the back. The color of the shell is dark reddish-brown or rich chestnut with narrow darker streaks and a lighter margin below the suture. The earlier whorls are dull reddish. The apex is white. The surface is covered with a strong cuticle, shining. Nepionic shell is distinctly marked, with 4 whorls, sculptured with strong narrow radial riblets, which on fourth whorl become obsolete toward suture below. Succeeding whorls 2, having growth-wrinkles and a dense but rather irregular spiral granulation which fades out upon last whorl, which is more coarsely sculptured by lengthwise wrinkles and has generally more or less- coarse spiral malleation. Sutures are deep, the last decidedly more oblique.^[2]

The aperture is about half the shell's length, trapezoidal, white with a livid tint within. Outer lip is well reflexed, white (or light-brown edged), convexly curved. Columella is white, reflexed, and in the immediate vicinity of its insertion spreading upon the whorl and continued in a strong white callus across the parietal wall. Near the upper termination of parietal callus there are usually one or two low callous nodules.^[2]

The width of the adult shell varies from 85 to 98 mm, the height from 136-155 mm.^[2]

Eggs

Megalobulimus popelairianus has the largest eggs of all land gastropods. The size of the egg is 51 × 35 mm^[3] (see also Stanlen 1917).

References

This article incorporates public domain text from reference ^[2].

1. ^ ^{a b} Norma Campos Salgado & Arnaldo C. dos Santos Coelho. 2003. Moluscos terrestres do Brasil (Gastrópodes operculados ou não, exclusive Veronicellidae, Milacidae e Limacidae). Rev. Biol. Trop. 51 (Suppl. 3): 149-189, page 158. (in Portuguese with English abstract)
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Henry Augustus Pilsbry 1895-1896. in George Washington Tryon & Pilsbry H. A. 1895-1896. American Bulimi and Bulimuli. Strophocheilus, Plekocheilus, Auris, Bulimulus Volume 10. Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. page 13.
3. ^ Heller J.: Life History Strategies. in Barker G. M. (ed.): The biology of terrestrial molluscs. CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, 2001, ISBN 0-85199-318-4. 1-146, cited pages: 424-427.

Further reading

Stanlen R. 1917. On the calcareous eggs of terrestrial Mollusca. Journal of Conchology 15: 154-164.

External links