Megalobulimus is a genus of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Megalobuliminae within the family Strophocheilidae (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).[2]

Megalobulimus
Megalobulimus parafragilior
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Superfamily: Rhytidoidea
Family: Strophocheilidae
Genus: Megalobulimus
K. Miller, 1878[1]
Type species
Bulimus garciamoreni K. Miller, 1878
Synonyms
  • Borus Albers, 1850
  • Bulimus (Megalobulimus) K. Miller, 1878 (original rank)
  • Megalobulimus (Megalobulimus) K. Miller, 1878
  • Phaiopharus Morretes, 1955
  • Psiloicus Morretes, 1955
  • Strophocheilus (Borus) Albers, 1850
  • Strophocheilus (Megalobulimus) K. Miller, 1878
Megalobulimus maximus, also Strophocheilus maximus (Sowerby) in National Museum of Ireland - Natural History

Megalobulimus is the type genus of the subfamily Megalobuliminae.

Species

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Species within the genus Megalobulimus include (all species from Brazil are listed):[3]

Species brought into synonymy
  • Megalobulimus bereniceae (Lange-de-Morretes, 1952): synonym of Megalobulimus intertextus (Pilsbry, 1895) (superseded combination)
  • Megalobulimus inambarisense [sic]: synonym of Megalobulimus inambarisensis Borda & Ramírez, 2016 (wrong gender agreement of specific epithet)
  • Megalobulimus torii Lange-de-Morretes, 1937: synonym of Megalobulimus yporanganus (Ihering & Pilsbry, 1901)
  • Megalobulimus valenciennesi (L. Pfeiffer, 1842): synonym of Megalobulimus valenciennesii (L. Pfeiffer, 1842) (incorrect spelling)

Human use

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Shells of terrestrial snails, mainly of the genus Megalobulimus, are found in fluvial shellmound (called sambaqui in Brazil) on the Capelinha archaeological site from Paleo-Indian culture of early Holocene.[6]

The shell of Megalobulimus sp. (local name: "churito") is used in the traditional ethnomedicine of Northwest Argentina when babies are hyperactive and cannot sleep well, then it is advised to put a shell under a pillow.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Miller K. (1878). Malak. Bl. 25: 172.
  2. ^ MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Megalobulimus K. Miller, 1878. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=882407 on 6 July 2021
  3. ^ (in Portuguese) Norma Campos Salgado & Arnaldo C. dos Santos Coelho. (2003). "Moluscos terrestres do Brasil (Gastrópodes operculados ou não, exclusive Veronicellidae, Milacidae e Limacidae)". Revista de Biología Tropical 51(Suppl. 3): 149–189. PDF Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. (with English abstract)
  4. ^ Simone, L. R. L. (2012). "Taxonomical study on a sample of pulmonates from Santa Maria da Vitória, Bahia, Brazil, with description of a new genus and four new species (Mollusca: Orthalicidae and Megalobulimidae)". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 52 (36): 431–439. doi:10.1590/S0031-10492012021600001.
  5. ^ Fontenelle, J. H.; Cavallari, D.C.; Simone, L.R.L. "A new species of Megalobulimus (Gastropoda, Strophocheilidae) from Brazilian shell mounds" (PDF). Strombus. 21 (1–2): 30–37. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015.
  6. ^ Eggers S., Parks M., Grupe G. & Reinhard K. J. (2011). "Paleoamerican Diet, Migration and Morphology in Brazil: Archaeological Complexity of the Earliest Americans". PLoS ONE 6(9): e23962. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023962.
  7. ^ Hilgert N. I. & Gil G. E. (2007). "Reproductive medicine in northwest Argentina: traditional and institutional systems". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 3: 19. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-3-19.

Further reading

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  • Kawano T. & Moreira Leme J. L. (1994). "Chromosomes of three species of Megalobulimus (Gastropoda: Mesurethra: Megalobulimidae) from Brazil". Malacological review 27(1–2): 47–52. [1]
  • Borda V., Ramírez R. & Romero P. (2010). "Glándula pediosa de moluscos terrestres y sus implicancias evolutivas, con énfasis en Megalobulimus / Pediose gland in land snails and its evolutionary implications, with emphasis on Megalobulimus." Revista Peruana de Biología 17(1): . 43–52. PDF.
  • Rodrigo Salvador, José Fontenelle, Barbara Mizumo Tomotani: Taxonomic reassessment of Megalobulimus toriii (Gastropoda, Strophocheilidae); Journal of Conchology issue 3 vol. 43 p 313-320, 2019.
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