Laevapex is a genus of small, freshwater, air-breathing limpets, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails and their allies.[2]
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| Genus: | Laevapex |
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| Ancylus fuscus C. B. Adams, 1841
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Geographic distribution
editThe genus has a New World distribution. It is widespread throughout the eastern United States, occurring in lakes and slow-flowing rivers.[3]
Anatomy
editThese animals have a pallial lung, as do all pulmonate snails, but they also have a false gill or "pseudobranch" which can serve perfectly well as a gill when they are unable to reach the surface for air.[3]
Members of this genus are characterised by their smooth apex.[3]
Species
editSpecies within the genus Laevapex include:[1][2][4]
- Laevapex diaphanus Haldeman, 1841
- Laevapex fuscus C. B. Adams, 1841
- Laevapex peninsulae Pilsbry, 1903
- Laevapex vazi Santos, 1989
Walther (2008) considers North American Laevapex monotypic, collectively synonymising L. diaphanus, L. peninsulae and unidentified Laevapex sp. with L. fuscus, the type species.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Laevapex Walker, 1903". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ a b Roskov Y.; Kunze T.; Orrell T.; Abucay L.; Paglinawan L.; Culham A.; Bailly N.; Kirk P.; Bourgoin T.; Baillargeon G.; Decock W.; De Wever A.; Didžiulis V. (eds.). "Laevapex". Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 2014 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d Walther, A. C. (2008). "E Pluribus Unum: A Phylogenetic and Phylogeographic Reassessment of Laevapex (Pulmonata: Ancylidae), a North American Genus of Freshwater Limpets". A systematic study of North American freshwater limpets (Gastropoda: Hygrophila: Ancylidae) (PDF) (Ph.D. thesis). The University of Michigan.
- ^ dos Santos; S. B. (2003). "Estado atual do conhecimento dos ancilídeos na América do Sul (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Basommatophora)" [Current state of knowledge of ancylids in South America (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Basommatophora)] (PDF). Revista de Biología Tropical (in Portuguese). 51 (3): 191–223. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
External links
edit"Laevapex: Pictures". The Animal Diversity Web - University of Michigan.
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