Neoplanorbis tantillus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Neoplanorbis tantillus |
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| Three views of a shell of Neoplanorbis tantillus oriented as if it were a dextral shell. (All planorbids are in fact sinistral.) | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
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| Superfamily: |
Planorboidea
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| Family: |
Planorbidae
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| Subfamily: |
Neoplanorbinae
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| Genus: |
Neoplanorbis
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| Species: |
N. tantillus
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| Binomial name | |
| Neoplanorbis tantillus Pilsbry, 1906
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Neoplanorbis tantillus was a very tiny, air-breathing freshwater snail. It was a type of mollusk belonging to the family Planorbidae, often called ram's horn snails because of their coiled shells.
This snail was only found in the United States. Sadly, in 2012, it was officially declared extinct by the IUCN Red List. This means it no longer exists anywhere on Earth.
Even though its shell looked like it coiled to the right (dextral), Neoplanorbis tantillus was actually a left-coiling (sinistral) snail. It carried its shell upside down, which made it appear to coil the other way!
Discovery of the Snail
This tiny snail was first described in 1906 by a scientist named Henry Augustus Pilsbry. He was a famous expert on mollusks.
Where it was Found
The first specimens of Neoplanorbis tantillus were found in the Coosa River near a town called Wetumpka, Alabama. This area was its only known home.
Pilsbry noted that this snail was one of the smallest freshwater mollusks ever found in America at that time. It was truly tiny!
Images for kids
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Three views of the Neoplanorbis tantillus shell.
See also
In Spanish: Neoplanorbis tantillus para niños
