Malacology

El consum de gasteròpodes terrestres durant les ocupacions epipaleolítiques a la Balma del Gai: dades tafonòmiques, paleoeconòmiques i paleonutricionals

by Pilar Garcia-Argüelles Andreu

Co-authored with: Estrada, A; Lloveras, Ll, Nadal, J.; Costa, J.
published in: Modilianum 41, Moià, 2009

Els elements de decoració sobre malacologia dels nivells geomètrics del Filador (Margalef de Montsant)

by Pilar Garcia-Argüelles Andreu

co-authored with, J. Nadal i A. Estrada
Published in "GALA 2,  Sant Feliu de Codines, 1993

The land snail midden from Balma del Gai (Barcelona, Spain) and the evolution of terrestrial gastropod consumption during the late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic in eastern Iberia

by Pilar Garcia-Argüelles Andreu

Localisation préférentielle de Cecilioides acicula (O. F. Müller, 1774) dans deux tombes hellénistiques de Plinthine (Egypte) / Concentrations of Cecilioides acicula (O. F. Müller, 1774) found in two Hellenistic graves at Plinthine (Egypt)

by Patrice Georges

Co-authored with "Philippe CHARLIER (AP-HP ; Garches)", published in "MalaCo", 6, 2010 : 298-302.

Article publié sur www.journal-malaco.fr (ISSN 1778-3941)

Résumé :

Lors de la fouille de la nécropole hellénistique de Plinthine(Egypte), deux sépultures de... more Résumé :

Lors de la fouille de la nécropole hellénistique de Plinthine(Egypte), deux sépultures de surface, fouillées en 2008, ont livré des concentrations de Cecilioides acicula (O. F. Müller, 1774). Leurs localisations pourraient nous renseigner sur le traitement du corps et la nature des offrandes.

Abstract :

During the 2008 archaeological investigations of the necropolis at Plinthine (Egypt), two shallow graves containing concentrations of Cecilioides acicula (O. F. Müller, 1774) were excavated. Their presence could give us indications about
the body’s treatment before burial and the offerings.

Comparative anatomy of three species of Epiphragmophora Doering, 1874 (Pulmonata: Xanthonychidae) from Argentina

by Maria Gabriela Cuezzo

A new species of the land gastropod genus Solaropsis Beck, 1837 from Bolivia

by Maria Gabriela Cuezzo

Co-authored with I. Fernández

Spermatogenesis and sperm structure in the Neotropical pulmonate snail Scutalus tupacii (d'Orbigny)

by Maria Gabriela Cuezzo

Ultrastructure of spermatozoa in Orthalicidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Stylommatophora) and its systematic implications

by Maria Gabriela Cuezzo

Systematic revision and cladistic analysis of Epiphragmophora Doering from Argentina and Southern Bolivia (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Xanthonychidae)

by Maria Gabriela Cuezzo

Phylogenetic analysis of the Camaenidae (Mollusca: Stylommatophora) with special emphasis on the American taxa

by Maria Gabriela Cuezzo

Land snail diversity in subtropical rainforest mountains (Yungas) of Tucumán, northwestern Argentina

by Maria Gabriela Cuezzo

On a new species of Isomeria Beck and redescription of species of Labyrinthus Beck from South America (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Camaenidae)

by Maria Gabriela Cuezzo

Oxynoe antillarum (MOLLUSCA, OXYNOIDAE) NO ESTADO DO CEARÁ, NORDESTE DO BRASIL.

by Carlos Meirelles

Spawn and larval development of Pleuroploca aurantiaca (Lamarck, 1816)(Gastropoda: Fasciolariidae) from Northeast Brazil| Puesta y desarrollo larvario de …

by Carlos Meirelles

Enregistrement des variations climatiques au cours des interglaciaires d'après l'étude des isotopes stables de la calcite de tufs pléistocène du nord de la France : exemple des séquences de Caours (SIM 5e; Somme) et La-Celle-sur-Seine (MIS 11 ; Seine-et-Marne)

by Julie Dabkowski

Co-authored with N. Limondin-Lozouet, P. Antoine, A. Marca-Bell and J. Andrews.
Published in Quaternaire, 22 (4), 2011

RECORD OF CLIMATIC CHANGES DURING INTERGLACIALS FROM STABLE ISOTOPES IN NORTHERN FRANCE PLEISTOCENE TUFA CALCITE:... more RECORD OF CLIMATIC CHANGES DURING INTERGLACIALS FROM STABLE ISOTOPES IN NORTHERN FRANCE PLEISTOCENE TUFA CALCITE: EXAMPLES OF CAOURS (MIS 5e; SOMME) AND LA CELLE (MIS 11; SEINE ET MARNE).
Tufas are mainly composed of calcite (CaCO3) which makes them suitable for geochemical investigation, especially oxygen and carbon stable isotopes (δ18O and δ13C). These isotopic parameters have already been shown to record temperature and humidity variations in the Holocene tufas, proving their suitability as climatic proxies. This study focuses on two French Pleistocene sites, Caours and La Celle. Results are compared to palaeoenvironmental, especially malacological, data. This comparison shows that δ18O and δ13C in tufas are important proxies of palaeoclimatic variation during Pleistocene interglacials, just as they are during the Holocene.


La composition minéralogique des tufs calcaires, essentiellement constitués de CaCO3, permet l’utilisation d’indicateurs climatiques géochimiques et en particulier l’étude des isotopes stables de l’oxygène et du carbone (δ18O et δ13C). Ces derniers sont déjà bien connus dans les tufs holocènes comme marqueurs des variations de température et d’humidité. L’analyse des isotopes stables a été réalisée ici sur les séquences de tuf pléistocènes de Caours (SIM 5e, Somme) et de La Celle (SIM 11, Seine et Marne). Les résultats de cette étude géochimique ont été comparés aux données paléoenvironnementales, notamment malacologiques. Ces premières analyses montrent que, comme dans le cas des tufs holocènes, les variations des isotopes stables du carbone et de l’oxygène dans les tufs pléistocènes constituent des indicateurs fiables des variations climatiques au cours des interglaciaires pléistocènes.

A survey of swimmer’s itch-causing cercariae and their intermediate snail host species in Devil’s Lake Wisconsin

by David Lewis

CEH Scheele, RC Lathrop, DW Marshall, EL Decker, DB Lewis, and SD Snyder
Report. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI, USA (1999)

Cercarial dermatitis or swimmer's itch has been a problem at Devil's Lake (Sauk County,Wisconsin) for decades. We... more Cercarial dermatitis or swimmer's itch has been a problem at Devil's Lake (Sauk County,Wisconsin) for decades. We investigated swimmer's itch in Devil's Lake during, the summer of 1999. The project focused on identifying the species of schistosome cercariae and their snail intermediate hosts causing the swimmer's itch problem in the lake. We determined the aquatic habitats associated with intermediate host snail species and their densities to elucidate ecologically safe management options to reduce the incidence of swimmer's itch to the users of Devil's Lake. Swimmer's itch was not a significant problem at Devil’s Lake this summer. Visitors reported 5 swimmer's itch cases to park officials, while 50-100 cases a summer have been reported in past years. No cercariae causing swimmer's itch were found in our samples. However, 3 of the 17 snail species found in the lake were documented in the scientific literature to be intermediate hosts of swimmer's itch parasites. All three host species - Physa skinneri, Gyraulus parvus and Fossaria obrussa (Say) group (exigua strain) - were most dense along the entire north and south shorelines of the lake. At least one of the three species was found at all 10 sampling sites around the perimeter of the lake. We suggest that broad ecological control measures that reduce snail densities are needed to control the swimmer's itch problem in the lake. These include reducing lake phosphorus concentrations through various management options, which in turn would lead to a reduction in periphyton growth, the major food source of snails. Periphyton growth is currently high in the lake. Alternatively, sustained fish manipulations that lead to greater predation rates on snails also may be effective. Both control measures are directed at decreasing the probability of snail infection by the short-lived miracidia released from parasite-infected waterfowl, which seasonally frequent the lake in large numbers. Finally, we recommend that public surveys of the swimmer's itch problem on not only Devil's Lake but lakes throughout Wisconsin be conducted each year to help direct future state-wide research efforts.

Intraspecific gastropod shell strength variation among north temperate lakes

by David Lewis

David Bruce Lewis and John J. Magnuson
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (1999) 56:1687-1695

Defensive morphological traits may vary intraspecifically. Freshwater snail shells are conspicuous defensive... more Defensive morphological traits may vary intraspecifically. Freshwater snail shells are conspicuous defensive structures. In north-central Wisconsin, we investigate whether among-lake differences in shell strength relate to water chemistry or predator abundance and whether shell strength is inducible owing to predation risk from crayfish. Amnicola limosa shells were stronger in lakes with abundant crayfish predators. An experiment and a general understanding of prosobranch evolution suggest that this may result from selection rather than induction. The experiment indicated a weakening of shells of slow-growing A. limosa in the presence of crayfish. This may have resulted from resource depression caused by a strong behavioral response that reduced feeding time. Physa skinneri shell strength was correlated with lake calcium concentrations, and a weak trend with calcium was apparent for Helisoma anceps. Decreased P. skinneri shell strength in low-calcium lakes may result from retention of scarce calcium by the body at the expense of allocation to the shell. Populations of H. anceps differed in rates of shell strength increase with body size, suggesting that rates of shell strength accumulation with ontogeny vary among populations. Shell strength increased more rapidly in lakes with abundant predators than in lakes with few predators.

Landscape spatial patterns in freshwater snail assemblages across Northern Highland catchments

by David Lewis

David Bruce Lewis and John J. Magnuson
Freshwater Biology (2000) 43:409-420

1. Limnologists and landscape ecologists have illustrated how the spatial position of a lake in a landscape influences... more 1. Limnologists and landscape ecologists have illustrated how the spatial position of a lake in a landscape influences many of its properties, from the physical to the social. Taking a community ecology perspective, we investigated whether freshwater gastropod assemblages respond to lake landscape position.
2. We determined: (a) whether there is any spatial pattern among lakes in either the species richness or composition of gastropod assemblages; (b) the form of any spatial pattern; and (c) if any explanatory variables (e.g. dispersal corridors and limiting local conditions) show a similar pattern.
3. In three different hydrological catchments, snail species richness increased from isolated highland lakes to stream-connected lowland lakes, probably reflecting increased colonization potential and less limiting local factors for lowland drainage lakes. Catchments appear to differ from one another with regard to relative species abundance, both in terms of macrophyte-associated snail fauna and snails from all habitats aggregated. One or more historical events, such as chance dispersal, may have produced this pattern. Taken together, these results suggest that within-catchment constraints produce repeated gradients in species richness, regardless of what species composition persists in the catchment.

Trade-offs between growth and survival: responses of freshwater snails to predacious crayfish

by David Lewis

David Bruce Lewis
Ecology (2001) 82:758–765

Foraging organisms must often balance the conflicting demands of feeding and avoiding predators. I investigated... more Foraging organisms must often balance the conflicting demands of feeding and avoiding predators. I investigated whether the freshwater snail Amnicola limosa trades off obtaining food for reducing the risk of mortality from predatory crayfish (Orconectes). Field surveys and experiments were conducted to determine, first, whether snails altered habitat use when presented with predation risk, and second, whether this behavior had consequences for growth. Surveys of 20 northern Wisconsin lakes revealed that snail occupancy of food-poor macrophytes was positively related (and occupancy of food-rich bottom sediments was negatively related) to crayfish abundance. Similarly, in a lake where crayfish (O. rusticus) are abundant, but differentially active among seasons, seasonal sampling indicated that snails occupied sand during the spring period of low crayfish activity but were absent from this habitat during summer. These distributional patterns derive from a combination of active habitat shifts and differential mortality among habitats, as indicated by laboratory experiments and field estimates of snail dispersal rates. Furthermore, aggregation of snails on macrophytes reduces snail growth. The average length of adult snails collected from bottom sediments was greater than the length of snails on macrophytes. Similarly, in the laboratory, snails that migrated up vertical surfaces in response to chemical alarm signals from feeding crayfish exhibited a growth depression. This trade-off of maximum growth rates for increased survival from crayfish by A. limosa likely poses constraints on snail fitness, which, in turn, can affect interactions with other predator species.

Shell damage in salt marsh periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata [Say, 1822]) and resistance to future attacks by blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus [Rathbun, 1896])

by David Lewis

Ben K. Greenfield, David B. Lewis, and Jefferson T. Hinke
American Malacological Bulletin (2002) 17:141-146

Unsuccessful predation by the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus [Rathbun, 1896]) on salt marsh periwinkle snails... more Unsuccessful predation by the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus [Rathbun, 1896]) on salt marsh periwinkle snails (Littoraria irrorata [Say, 1822]) could result in shell damage and the subsequent development of a visible shell scar. We experimentally determined whether scarred L. irrorata are more or less resistant to blue crab predation than unscarred individuals. We simultaneously presented equal numbers of similar-sized scarred and unscarred snails to individual blue crabs and recorded the number of each type of snail consumed. We also compared shell attributes of scarred and unscarred snails from two marsh sites on Sapelo Island, Georgia, U. S. A. Crabs consumed significantly more unscarred than scarred snails, suggesting that unscarred snails are more easily accessed. This pattern was more pronounced when the snails were close to the maximum edible size. Measurements indicated that the shells of scarred snails had significantly thicker lips than those of unscarred snails. These results demonstrate that shell scars correlate with greater predation resistance in L. irrorata.