Xerarionta kellettii
| Xerarionta kellettii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Xanthonychidae |
| Genus: | Xerarionta |
| Species: | X. kelletii |
| Binomial name | |
| Xerarionta kelletii (Forbes, 1850) | |
Xerarionta kelletii, the Catalina Cactussnail, is a species of air-breathing land snail native to Santa Catalina Island off the coast of southern California. An isolated population is found on the mainland on the Palos Verdes peninsula, but it is unclear if living snails still persist there.
Anatomy
Snails in this species create and use love darts during mating.
The scanning electron microscope images on the left show (above) the lateral view of the love dart, scale bar 500 μm (0.5 mm); and (below) a cross section of the dart, scale bar 50 μm.
References
- ↑ NatureServe. "Xerarionta kellettii". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- Bouchet, P. & Rocroi, J.-P. (2005). "Classification and Nomenclator of Gastropod Families". Malacologia. 47 (1–2): 1–397.