Aulopoma
| Aulopoma | |
|---|---|
| Live specimen of Aulopoma helicinum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Architaenioglossa |
| Family: | Cyclophoridae |
| Subfamily: | Cyclophorinae |
| Genus: | Aulopoma Troschel, 1847 |
| Type species | |
| Aulopoma hofmeisteri Troschel, 1847 | |
| Species | |
|
4 species | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Cyclostoma (Aulopoma) Troschel, 1847 | |
Aulopoma is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Cyclophoridae.[1] They are endemic to Sri Lanka.[2]
Four species are recognized.
General characteristics
(Original description in German) The operculum perfectly resembles the shell of a Planorbis; it consists of many slowly widening whorls that enclose an internal spiral cavity. On the body whorl a circular groove runs inward, which receives the simple peristome (lip) of the shell. Consequently, the edge of the operculum overlaps the margin of the shell aperture like the lid of a jar. The simple peristome does not lean against the previous whorl — a necessary feature to allow the operculum to overlap — which provides a means of distinguishing this genus from other cyclostomids even in the absence of the operculum.
The shell of the single species upon which I establish this interesting genus was collected in Ceylon by my unfortunate friend Dr. Hofmeister, who sadly passed away during his travels. In memory of its discoverer, I name it A. hofmeisteri. It is flat, almost disc-shaped, with a slightly projecting, very pointed spire, deeply impressed sutures, and a wide umbilicus. It is yellowish in color with brown bands and markings. Its diameter is 8 mm. [3]
(Description in German by Kobelt) The shell is low-turbinate to disc-shaped, with the body whorl detached at the front. The peristome (apertural margin) is free, straight, and continuous, fitting into a circular groove on the operculum. The operculum itself is not calcified and is slightly larger than the aperture; it is tightly coiled, planorbiform, and composed of two lamellae. Between these lamellae lies a spiral canal, while the outer edge features a groove designed to receive the peristome.[4]
Species
- Aulopoma grande Pfeiffer, 1855
- Aulopoma helicinum (Chemnitz, 1786)
- Aulopoma itierii Guérin-Méneville, 1847
- Aulopoma sphaeroideum Dohrn, 1857
- Synonyms
- Aulopoma hofmeisteri Troschel, 1847 : synonym of Aulopoma itierii (Guérin-Méneville, 1847) (junior synonym)
- Aulopoma itieri (Guérin-Méneville, 1847): synonym of Aulopoma itierii (Guérin-Méneville, 1847) (incorrect subsequent spelling)
- Aulopoma lowi de Morgan, 1885 : synonym of Platyrhaphe lowi (de Morgan, 1885) (original combination)
References
- ^ "Family: CYCLOPHORIDAE species". World Mollusc Species Database (WMSDB). Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ "Endemic Land snails of Sri Lanka". slendemics. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ Troschel, F.H. (1847). "Ueber die Gattungen der Cyclostomiden". Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie. 4 (3): 43. Retrieved 29 January 2026. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Kobelt, W. (1902). Das Tierreich. Eine Zusammenstellung und Kennzeichnung der rezenten Tierformen. 16. Lieferung. Mollusca. Cyclophoridae. Das Tierreich. XXXIX + 662 pp. Berlin: R. Friedländer. p. 157. Retrieved 29 January 2026. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.