Edgbastonia coreena facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Edgbastonia coreena |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Tateidae |
| Genus: | Edgbastonia |
| Species: |
E. coreena
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| Binomial name | |
| Edgbastonia coreena (Ponder & Clark, 1990)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Edgbastonia coreena is a tiny freshwater snail found in Australia. It's a type of aquatic gastropod mollusc and belongs to the family Tateidae. Like many snails, it has a special "trapdoor" called an operculum that can close its shell opening.
This snail lives only in Australia and is mostly found in Queensland.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
Its Shell
The shell of the Edgbastonia coreena is considered medium-sized for a snail. It usually measures about 2.6 to 3.1 millimeters long. That's about the size of a small grain of rice! Its width is around 2.2 to 2.5 millimeters.
Compared to a related snail, Edgbastonia corrugata, the Edgbastonia coreena is quite a bit smaller. However, it's larger than another relative, Edgbastonia alanwillsi.
The shells are usually pale white and look a bit see-through. They have a classic cone shape with a flat bottom, like a tiny spinning top. The way the shell spirals can be measured by an angle, which is usually between 76 and 90 degrees.
The shell also has about three whorls, which are the turns of the spiral. You can often see faint lines on the shell that show how it grew over time. The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is about half the length of the entire shell.
The edge of the shell's opening, called the lip, is also of medium thickness. The umbilicus, which is the small hole at the center of the shell's base, is also medium-sized.
The Edgbastonia coreena has a yellowish operculum, which is like a small lid that can close the shell opening to protect the snail. It's about 1.2 to 1.4 millimeters long.
Its Body
Inside its mouth, the Edgbastonia coreena has a special tongue-like ribbon called a radula. This radula has tiny teeth that help the snail scrape food. Its central teeth usually have 3 to 4 small points.
The snail has triangular "feelers" called cephalic tentacles on its head. These tentacles can be uncolored or a dark grayish color. The head itself is often dark gray.
The snail's mantle cavity is like a space inside its shell where its gills and other organs are located. It has about 25 to 28 small filaments. It also has an osphradium, which is a sensory organ that helps the snail "taste" the water.
Where Does It Live?
Edgbastonia coreena snails live in freshwater springs across the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) in Australia. The GAB is the world's largest underground water system! It covers a huge area, about 1.7 million square kilometers, across parts of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and the Northern Territory.
These snails are found in the northern and eastern parts of Australia. Many Edgbastonia coreena have been found in the springs around Lake Eyre in South Australia. They also live in many springs in Queensland, especially at the Edgbaston Reserve.
One specific place where they are found is a large unnamed spring south of a homestead called "Coreena." This place is about 32 kilometers northeast of Barcaldine in Queensland.
How It's Classified
The accepted scientific name for this snail is Edgbastonia coreena. It used to be called Jardinella coreena.
It belongs to the genus Edgbastonia and is part of the Tateidae family. The Tateidae family is a newer group of freshwater snails. It was separated from a larger family called Hydrobiidae.
Its Home and Habits
Habitat
The Great Artesian Basin provides a constant supply of water to many "oasis-like" springs in the dry parts of Queensland and South Australia. These springs create perfect homes for unique plants and animals, including freshwater snails like the Edgbastonia coreena.
The types of snails found can vary between different spring areas. For example, springs around Lake Eyre mostly have snails from the Tateidae family, including Edgbastonia coreena. Other areas, like the Pelican Creek complex, have a mix of different snail families.
Most snails that live in these GAB freshwater springs, including Edgbastonia coreena, prefer to stay in the deepest parts of the springs. They like to be completely underwater.
The springs where these snails live can be quite deep, sometimes over 15 centimeters. The water usually has a pH level between 7.7 and 8.5, which is slightly alkaline. The water's conductivity (how well it conducts electricity) also varies, but it's generally between 500 and 965.
Snails that are more "aquatic" (meaning they live mostly in water) tend to stay in concentrated areas. This is because the spring environment can be challenging. Snails that are more "amphibious" (meaning they can handle both water and land) are more spread out. Edgbastonia coreena and similar species like Jardinella acuminata and Jardinella jesswiseae are often found in larger springs and prefer the deeper, well-watered areas.
Scientists have studied how these snails handle dry conditions. Some species, like Jardinella acuminata, did not survive when there was no freshwater. However, others, like Glyptophysa edgbastonensis and Jardinella jesswiseae, were tougher and could survive for a while without water.
High conductivity in the water can also be a problem. If the water has too much electrical conductivity, many snails, including Jardinella species, might not survive.
Temperature is another important factor. Some snails, like Glyptophysa edgbastonensis, can go into a "heat coma" if the water gets too hot (around 50 degrees Celsius). They also become very still if the water is too cold (under 10 degrees Celsius).
Behaviour
Edgbastonia coreena snails, like many other species in their area, are often isolated because of where they live. This can lead to allopatric speciation, which means new species can form because groups are separated geographically.
These snails are also considered monophyletic. This means they all share a single common ancestor, just like other nearby snail species such as Jardinella acuminata and Edgbastonia corrugata.
See also
 | Precious Adams |
 | Lauren Anderson |
 | Janet Collins |
