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Gastropods are a class of animals which have no backbone. In most but not all cases gastropods have a shell, which is created by the mantle. Gastropods are commonly known as snails and slugs. They live in the oceans, on land and in freshwater.
This taxonomic class of invertebrate animals with the scientific name Gastropoda is the largest and most successful class within the mollusks, having 60,000–75,000 named living species, and being second only to the insects in terms of diversity and in terms of the number of named species within one class of animals. Living species of gastropods range in size from adult animals that are less than one millimeter (0.039 in) in length, to a few species that are almost a meter (39.4 in) in length.
Scientists who study gastropods (or other mollusks) are known as malacologists. 2,400 years ago, Aristotle, in his History of Animals, wrote about the sea snails from which the dye Tyrian purple is extracted; the genus Murex still bears the name he used. Many gastropods are important food sources, others have human relevance in other ways, ranging from their shells being used as a source of mother of pearl through to their being vectors for several diseases.
Aquamarine or sea green is used on this portal because gastropods first evolved in the oceans, colonized both land and freshwater habitats, and need the presence of water or water vapor in order to be active. The image which is currently the icon for the gastropod portal shows an individual of Helix pomatia, an air-breathing land snail which is well known to gourmets in the Western world because it is one of the European species that is eaten as escargot.
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Amphibulima browni is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Amphibulimidae. This species is endemic to the West Indian island of Dominica. The snail was firstly collected in the late 19th century by biologist A. D. Brown and it was originally described by an American malacologist Henry Augustus Pilsbry in 1899. The type locality is Dominica, the altitude 330 m, "on bananas".
The status of this species was somewhat doubtful for a long period, since the snails were not observed and reported for over 100 years after the original material was collected. However, the collection of a few live specimens during recent surveys in the 2000s finally confirmed that this species is still living in Dominica. Amphibulima browni is likely to meet the IUCN-criteria for listing as Endangered species. (Read more...)
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William John Swainson FLS, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist. He was born in Dover Place, St. Mary Newington, London, the eldest son of John Timothy Swainson, an original fellow of the Linnean Society. He was cousin of the amateur botanist Isaac Swainson.
In 1816 Swainson accompanied the explorer Henry Koster to Brazil. They did not spend a long time on shore because of a revolution, but Swainson returned to England in 1818 in his words "a bee loaded with honey", with a collection of over 20,000 insects, 1,200 species of plants, drawings of 120 species of fish, and about 760 bird skins. (Read more...)
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... that Acmella nana (shell pictured) is the smallest known land snail?
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... that the fragile shell of the glassy nautilus Carinaria cristata (pictured) was at one time considered to be worth more than its weight in gold?
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... that Spurilla neapolitana (pictured) defends itself with stinging cells derived from the sea anemones it eats?
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... that Pupilla pratensis (shell pictured) has long been neglected in the malacological literature?
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... that there are 12 endemic species of freshwater snails in Lake Skadar (map pictured)?
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... that the land snail Balea sarsii (shell pictured) has been overlooked for a long time?
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... that the land snail Vertigo ultimathule (shell pictured) is endemic to the northernmost part of Scandinavia?
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... that flashes of light emitted by the sea snail Hinea brasiliana (shell pictured) may act as a "burglar alarm"?
- ... that Candidula arganica, a snail found in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, lives primarily in meadows?
- ... that Candidula spadae, a snail native to Central Italy, is at risk in part because of tourist activities?
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... that the subterranean freshwater snail Hauffenia sp. from Slovakia (shell pictured) has been an undescribed species since the 1980s?
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... that land snails of the genus Abbottella (Abbottella calliotropis shell pictured) live on the islands of Hispaniola and Cuba?
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... that the snail Tonna galea (pictured) is one of very few species of prosobranch gastropods that are luminescent?
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... that the land snail Notodiscus hookeri (shell pictured) has unique shell structure among all gastropods?
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... that the microscopic cave snail Zospeum tholussum (pictured) is so slow that in a week's time it may only move a few millimeters or centimeters in circles?
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... that the land snail Omalonyx convexus (pictured) can also be found submerged among macrophytes?
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... that the malacologist S. Peter Dance said the shell of Pterynotus loebbeckei, (pictured), was the "most exquisite natural object" he had ever seen?
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... that the only brackish-water pachychilid species, Faunus ater (shell pictured), has a shell that is unique among all the Cerithioidea?
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... that the owl limpet (pictured) maintains a small meadow of algal turf for its own exclusive use?
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- 16 July 2010: A new subfamily is established within the Chondrinidae.
- A list of new Wikipedia articles about gastropods, including those that simply mention the words snail, slug, conch, etc. A bot creates this list, usually every three days.
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The shell of the Venus comb murex Murex pecten has an extremely long siphonal canal. The shell has over one hundred spines, which provide protection from predation, and prevent the snail from sinking in the soft mud. This image shows three views of one shell: an apertural view on the right, abapertural view on the left, and apical view at the bottom.
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WikiProject Gastropods
WikiProject Marine life
WikiProject Bivalves
WikiProject Cephalopods
WikiProject Fisheries and Fishing
Wikipedia:WikiProject Gemology and Jewelry
Wikipedia:WikiProject Food and drink
(Complete list of WikiProjects)
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- Gastropoda, snail, slug, land snail, freshwater snail, sea snail, sea slug
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- Gastropod shell, operculum, radula, love dart, clausilium
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- Digestive system of gastropods, respiratory system of gastropods, circulatory system of gastropods, excretory system of gastropods, sensory organs of gastropods, nervous system of gastropods, reproductive system of gastropods
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- Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), and also, changes in the taxonomy of gastropods since 2005
- Gastropods with significant positive human impact
- Gastropods with significant negative human impact
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