Polymita
| Polymita | |
|---|---|
| |
| A group of shells of Polymita picta | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Helminthoglyptidae |
| Genus: | Polymita Beck, 1837[1] |
Polymita is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails in the family Cepolidae.[2]
These snails are endemic to Cuba. Their shells are priced by collectors, and in recent years, there have been efforts to protect local populations from overcollection.[3]
Anatomy
[edit]Polymita creates and uses love darts as part of its mating behavior.
Species
[edit]There are six recognized species within the genus Polymita:[2]
- Polymita muscarum (Lea, 1834)[4]
- Polymita picta (Born, 1778)[5] – type species
- Polymita sulphurosa (Morelet, 1849)[6]
- †Polymita texana B. Roth, 1984
- Polymita venusta (Gmelin, 1786)[7]
- Polymita versicolor (Born, 1778)[5]
One species has an uncertain status:[2]
- Polymita brocheri (Gutiérrez in Pfeiffer, 1864)[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Beck H. H. (1837). Index Moll. Mus. Ch. Fred. (1): 44.
- ^ a b c Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O, eds. (2025). "Polymita H. Beck, 1837". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ Gill, Victoria. "Mission begins to save snails threatened by own beauty". BBC. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ Lea, I. (1834). Observations on the naïades; and descriptions of new species of that, and other families. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. (NS) 5: 23–119, pls 1-19 [August or September 1834].
- ^ a b Born, Ignaz; Vienna (Austria). (1778). Index rerum naturalium Musei Caesarei Vindobonensis. Verzeichniss der Natürlichen Seltenheiten des K.K. Naturalien Kabinets zu Wien. Erster Theil, Schalthiere. Pars 1, Testacea. Vindobonae: ex officina Krausiana. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.11581.
- ^ Morelet, A. (1849). Testacea novissima insulae Cubanae et Americae Centralis, Pars I. Paris: Baillière. 31 pp.
- ^ Gmelin, J. F. (1791). Vermes. In: Gmelin J.F. (Ed.) Caroli a Linnaei Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Ed. 13. Tome 1(6). G.E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig]. pp. 3021–3910. Systema Naturae. Linneaeus (ed.). Ed. 13., 1: pars. 6.
- ^ Pfeiffer, L. (1864). Zur Molluskenfauna von Cuba. Malakozoologische Blätter. 11(3): 102–109, 123–131 [July 1864]; 11(4): 157–161 [December 1864].
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Polymita.
- González Guillén A. (2014). "Polymita, the most beautiful land snail of the world". Carlos M. Estevez & Associates, Miami, 359 pp., ISBN 978-1-63068-516-4.
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