Bulimulus tenuissimus

Bulimulus tenuissimus
Abapertural view of an adult shell of Bulimulus tenuissimus
Secure
Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Bulimulidae
Genus: Bulimulus
Species:
B. tenuissimus
Binomial name
Bulimulus tenuissimus
(d’Orbigny, 1835)
Synonyms

Helix tenuissima (Fér.) Orb., 1835[2]

Bulimulus tenuissimus is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Bulimulinae.

Distribution

The native distribution of Bulimulus tenuissimus includes:

The non-indigenous distribution includes:

Description

The shell is perforate, ovate-conic, very thin, pellucid, scarcely shining, obsoletely and closely decussated by growth striae and delicate spiral lines.[6] The shell is pale corneous in color, sometimes fulvous.[6] The spire is conoid.[6] The apex is rather acute.[6] The suture is simple.[6] The shell has six whorls that are slightly convex, increasing with moderate rapidity.[6] The last whorl is convex, not descending in front, somewhat attenuated at base.[6] The columella is suboblique, sometimes nearly vertical.[6]

The aperture is oval, colored like the exterior, onehalf the shell's length.[6] The peristome is simple, unexpanded, acute.[6] The right margin is regularly arcuate.[6] The columellar margin is reflexed above, nearly covering the perforation.[6]

The width of the shell is 9 mm. The height of the shell is 17-23 mm.[6][7]

Apertural view of a juvenile shell of Bulimulus tenuissimus.

Ecology

The reproductive biology of this species was studied by Silva et al. (2008):[3] These hermaphroditic snails mate and cross-fertilization normally occurs.[3] When snails are isolated self-fertilization can occur, but with the lower reproductive success.[3]

A juvenile snail reaches adulthood at 160 days on average, with a shell size of 14-16 cm, after which the snail will begin laying eggs.[7] The egg laying activity is highest in spring and summer months when there is higher heat and humidity, but eggs are produced year-around.[7]

Eggs are laid in clutches from one to 252 eggs (in captivity).[3] Snails hatch after about 20 days and over 50% of the egg clutch is expected to hatch.[3][7] Despite the snail's relatively long lifespan of up to 990 days,[3][7] the viability of eggs does not reduce as the snail ages, although egg production is lower.[7]

Bulimulus tenuissimus is a host for a trematode of the genus Postharmostomum (family Brachylaimidae).[3][8]

Strongyluris-like larvae are a parasite of Bulimulus tenuissimus.[9]

Malacophagula neotropica (family Sarcophagidae) is a parasite of Bulimulus tenuissimus.[10][11]

A firefly is a predator of Bulimulus tenuissimus.[12]

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[6]

  1. ↑ NatureServe. "Bulimulus tennuissimus". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  2. ↑ (Fér.) Orb. (1835). Mag. de Zool. p. 11. (name only).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Silva, L. C.; Meireles, L. M. O.; Junqueira, F. V. O.; Bessa, E. C. A. (2008). "Development and reproduction in Bulimulus tenuissimus (Mollusca: Bulimulidae) in laboratory". Revista Brasileira de Zoologia. 25 (2): 220. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752008000200009.
  4. ↑ Robinson D. G. & Slapcinsky J. (2005). "Recent introductions of alien land snails into North America". American Malacological Bulletin. 20: 89–93.
  5. ↑ Breure A. S. H. (11 August 2009). "Another Bulimulus introduced in USA". Bram's Snail Site, accessed 15 August 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pilsbry H. A. (1897-1898). Manual of Conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species. Second series: Pulmonata. Volume 11. American Bulimulidae: Bulimulus, Neopetraeus, Oxychona, and South American Drymaeus. 64-65, plate 10, figure 91-92.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Silva, Lidiane; Meireles, Liliane; D’ávila, Sthefane; Oliveira Junqueira, Flávia; de Almeida Bessa, Elisabeth Cristina (2013). "Life history of Bulimulus tenuissimus (D'Orbigny, 1835) (Gstropoda, Pulmonata, Bulimulidae): effect of isolation in reproductive strategy and in resources allocation over their lifetime" (PDF). Molluscan Research. 33 (2): 75–79 – via Taylor & Francis.
  8. ↑ Thiengo, S. C.; Amato, S. B. (1995). "Phyllocaulis variegatus (Mollusca: Veronicellidae), a new intermediate host for Brachylaima sp. (Digenea: Brachylaimatidae)". Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. 90 (5): 621. doi:10.1590/S0074-02761995000500015.
  9. ↑ Thiengo, S. C. (1995). "Presence of Strongyluris-like larvae (Nematoda) in some terrestrial molluscs in Brazil". Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. 90 (5): 619–620. doi:10.1590/s0074-02761995000500014. PMID 8569476., HTML, PDF Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ Johnson, C. W. (1929). "Diptera Destroying Snails". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 36 (2): 106. doi:10.1155/1929/21785. PDF.
  11. ↑ Bequaert, J. (1925). "The Arthropod Enemies of Mollusks, with Description of a New Dipterous Parasite from Brazil". Journal of Parasitology. 11 (4): 201–212. doi:10.2307/3270829. JSTOR 3270829.
  12. ↑ Symondson, W. O. C. (2004). "Coleoptera (Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Lampyridae, Drilidae and Silphidae) as predators of terrestrial gastropods". In Baker, G. M. (ed.). Natural enemies of terrestrial molluscs. UK and USA: CABI Publishing. p. 69. ISBN 9780851993195.

Further reading

  • Araújo J. L. B., Rezende H. E. B. & Rodrigues P. A. F. (1960). "Sobre “Bulimulus tenuissimus” (Orbigny, 1835) (Gastropoda, Pulmonata)". Revista Brasileira de Biologia 20(1): 33–42.
  • Rezende H. E. B. & Lanzieri P. D. (1964). "Observações anatômicas e histológicas sobre “Bulimulus tenuissimus” (Orbigny, 1835) (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Bulimulidae)". Revista Brasileira de Biologia 24(4): 409–415.
  • (in Portuguese) Silva L. C., Meireles L. O., Junqueira F. O. & Bessa B. A. (2009). "Influência da umidade do substrato sobre crescimento, produção de ovos e sobrevivência de Bulimulus tenuissimus (d’Orbigny, 1835) (Mollusca, Bulimulidae) sob condições de laboratório". Revista Brasileira de Biociências 7(2): 144–149. http://www.ufrgs.br/seerbio/ojs/index.php/rbb/article/view/999