Bulimulus tenuissimus

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

Bulimulus tenuissimus
Abapertural view of an adult shell of Bulimulus tenuissimus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Panpulmonata clade Eupulmonata clade Stylommatophora informal group Sigmurethra
Superfamily:	Orthalicoidea
Family:	Orthalicidae
Subfamily:	Bulimulinae
Genus:	Bulimulus
Species:	B. tenuissimus
Binomial name
Bulimulus tenuissimus (d’Orbigny, 1835)
Synonyms
Helix tenuissima (Fér.) Orb., 1835[1]

Distribution

The native distribution of Bulimulus tenuissimus includes:

• Brazil - widespread in Brazil[2]

The non-indigenous distribution includes:

• North Carolina, USA[3][4]

Description

The shell is perforate, ovate-conic, very thin, pellucid, scarcely shining, obsoletely and closely decussated by growth striae and delicate spiral lines.[5] The shell is pale corneous in color, sometimes fulvous.[5] The spire is conoid.[5] The apex is rather acute.[5] The suture is simple.[5] The shell has six whorls that are slightly convex, increasing with moderate rapidity.[5] The last whorl is convex, not descending in front, somewhat attenuated at base.[5] The columella is suboblique, sometimes nearly vertical.[5]

The aperture is oval, colored like the exterior, onehalf the shell's length.[5] The peristome is simple, unexpanded, acute.[5] The right margin is regularly arcuate.[5] The columellar margin is reflexed above, nearly covering the perforation.[5]

The width of the shell is 9 mm. The height of the shell is 17 mm.[5]

Apertural view of a juvenile shell of Bulimulus tenuissimus.

Ecology

The reproductive biology of this species was studied by Silva et al. (2008):[2] These hermaphroditic snails are mating and cross-fertilization normally occurs.[2] When snails are isolated then self-fertilization can occur, but with the lower reproductive success.[2] Eggs are laid in clutches from one to 252 eggs (in captivity).[2] Snails are hatched after about 20 days.[2]

Bulimulus tenuissimus has long lifespan.[2]

Bulimulus tenuissimus can be fed for example with calcium and commercial bird food,[2] lettuce or rations of various food components.[6]

Bulimulus tenuissimus is a host for a trematode of the genus Postharmostomum (family Brachylaimidae).[2][7]

Strongyluris-like larvae are a parasite of Bulimulus tenuissimus.[8]

Malacophagula neotropica (family Sarcophagidae) is a parasite of Bulimulus tenuissimus.[9][10]

A firefly is a predator of Bulimulus tenuissimus.[11]

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[5]

1. (Fér.) Orb. (1835). Mag. de Zool. p. 11. (name only).
2. 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.
3. Robinson D. G. & Slapcinsky J. (2005). "Recent introductions of alien land snails into North America". American Malacological Bulletin. 20: 89–93.
4. Breure A. S. H. (11 August 2009). "Another Bulimulus introduced in USA". Bram's Snail Site, accessed 15 August 2010.
5. 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.
6. Meireles, L. M. O.; Silva, L. C.; Junqueira, F. V. O.; Bessa, E. C. A. (2008). "The influence of diet and isolation on growth and survival in the land snail Bulimulus tenuissimus (Mollusca: Bulimulidae) in laboratory". Revista Brasileira de Zoologia. 25 (2): 224. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752008000200010. PDF.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Johnson, C. W. (1929). "Diptera Destroying Snails". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 36 (2): 106. doi:10.1155/1929/21785. PDF.
10. 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.
11. 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