Gundlachia neozelanica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gundlachia neozelanica |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): | |
| Superfamily: |
Planorboidea
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| Family: |
Planorbidae
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| Subfamily: |
Bulininae
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| Tribe: |
Miratestini
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| Genus: |
Ferrissia
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| Species: |
F. neozelanica
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| Binomial name | |
| Ferrissia neozelanica (Suter, 1905)
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| Synonyms | |
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Ferrissia neozelanica is a tiny freshwater snail, also known as a limpet. It's a type of mollusk that lives in water and breathes air, like a land snail. Sometimes it's called Gundlachia neozelanica. These little creatures are part of the Planorbidae family.
In 2014, this species was listed in two ways on the IUCN Red List. One listing said we didn't have enough information about Gundlachia neozelanica. The other said Ferrissia neozelanicus was "least concern," meaning it's not currently at risk of disappearing.
Contents
What Does Its Shell Look Like?
The shell of the Ferrissia neozelanica is flat and shaped like an oval. It's very thin and you can almost see through it. The shell is usually a horn-color, which is a yellowish-brown, and can have a dark greenish layer on top.
The top of the shell, called the apex, is slightly tilted to the right. It's located near the back of the shell. You can see growth lines on the shell, like rings on a tree. Inside, the shell is shiny and light brown. The opening of the shell is long and oval-shaped.
These shells are quite small. They can be up to 3 millimeters (about 0.12 inches) long. They are up to 2 millimeters (about 0.08 inches) wide and only 0.75 millimeters (about 0.03 inches) tall.
How Does It Breathe?
Like all snails that breathe air, Ferrissia neozelanica has a special breathing organ called a pallial lung. But these limpets also have something extra: a "pseudobranch." This is like a false gill.
The pseudobranch helps them breathe underwater. This is important because these limpets might not always be able to reach the water surface to get air with their lung.
Where Does It Live?
This small freshwater limpet is found only in New Zealand. It is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. This means it naturally lives nowhere else in the world.
What Kind of Home Does It Like?
These tiny limpets like to live in calm, quiet waters. You can often find them stuck to the stems and the undersides of leaves of water plants.
