Notopala facts for kids

Notopala is a group of medium to large freshwater snails. They live in rivers and lakes. These snails have a special lid called an operculum. This lid helps them close their shell. They are a type of mollusk from the family Viviparidae. This family is also known as river snails or mystery snails.

What Do Notopala Snails Look Like?

The shell of a Notopala snail is usually shaped like a globe or a cone. It is also dextral, which means it spirals to the right. The shell can have up to five turns, called whorls. The opening of the shell, called the aperture, looks like an oval.

Their special lid, the operculum, is made of a tough, horn-like material. It has rings that grow outwards, like a target. These snails come in many colors. You might see them in yellow, olive green, brown, cream, or white. Sometimes, they even have darker bands spiraling around their shell.

The snail's head and foot have long feelers, called tentacles. Their eyes are on short stalks at the base of these tentacles. The snails can also have many different colors on their bodies.

Where Do Notopala Snails Live?

The Notopala genus is originally from Australia. You can find these snails in almost all Australian states and territories. The only place they are not found is Tasmania. They live all over Queensland and New South Wales. They are also found in northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In southern Australia, they live in the Murray-Darling Basin in Victoria and South Australia.

Notopala Habitat and Life

Notopala snails usually live on soft mud or sand. They also like to be on or under rocks and logs. These snails are thought to be grazers. This means they eat tiny plants and algae that grow on surfaces, called periphyton. They prefer water that is slow-moving or still.

Some species of Notopala can aestivate. This is like a long nap during dry times. They can bury themselves in the mud when their water dries up. This helps them survive until the water returns.

Types of Notopala Snails

Here are some of the species within the Notopala group:

• † Notopala albascopularis (Etheridge, 1902) - This is a fossil species found in New South Wales.
• Notopala ampullaroides (Reeve, 1863)
• Notopala essingtonensis (Frauenfeld, 1862)
• Notopala hanleyi (Frauenfeld, 1864)
• Notopala kingi (A. Adams & Angas, 1864)
  • Notopala kingi kingi (A. Adams & Angas, 1864)
  • Notopala kingi suprafasciata (Tryon, 1866)
• Notopala sublineata Conrad, 1850
  • Notopala sublineata sublineata Conrad, 1850
  • Notopala sublineata alisoni (Brazier, 1979)
• † Notopala wanjacalda Cotton, 1935 - This is another fossil species found in South Australia.
• Notopala waterhousii (Adams & Angus, 1864)
• Notopala tricincta (E. A. Smith, 1882)

The main species that helps define the Notopala group is Paludina hanleyi Frauenfeld, 1862.