Margarya monodi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Margarya monodi |
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| Shell of Margarya monodi. | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): |
clade Caenogastropoda
informal group Architaenioglossa |
| Superfamily: |
Viviparoidea
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| Family: |
Viviparidae
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| Genus: |
Margarya
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| Species: |
M. monodi
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| Binomial name | |
| Margarya monodi Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1905
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| Synonyms | |
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Margarya monodi is a special kind of large freshwater snail. It lives in water and has a hard lid, called an operculum, that can close its shell. This snail belongs to a group called river snails, or Viviparidae.
This unique snail is found only in Lake Dianchi. This lake is located in Yunnan Province, China. When a species is found only in one specific place, it is called "endemic." People in the area have traditionally collected these snails. They are used both as food and for medicine.
Why Margarya monodi Snails Are in Danger
The Margarya monodi snail is facing serious threats. Its numbers have dropped a lot since the 1980s. Back then, fishermen could collect many kilograms of snails each day. Now, they find much less.
What Harms These Snails?
Several things are making it hard for these snails to survive:
- Water Pollution: The lake where they live, Lake Dianchi, has become very dirty. Both natural and man-made waste, called pollution, harms the snails.
- Overharvesting: Too many snails were collected for food and medicine. This means not enough snails were left to reproduce and make more snails.
- New Predators: Some new types of fish have been brought into the lake. These fish eat the Margarya monodi snails, which adds to their problems.
Where Are They Now?
In 1999, these snails could still be found in the eastern part of Lake Dianchi. But by 2009, they were only found in a small area near where the lake water flows out. This shows how much their population has shrunk. Scientists are working to protect this special snail.
