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20 May 2015 Radular Morphology of Extinct Pleurocerids (Gastropoda: Cerithioidea: Pleuroceridae)
Nathan V. Whelan
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Abstract

The freshwater gastropod family Pleuroceridae suffers from a disproportionately high number of imperiled species and recent extinctions. As pleurocerid diversity has been lost, so too has our ability to study the biology of these animals. However, many extinct species were deposited in natural history collections before their demise. I extracted radulae from dried tissue left in shells of seven extinct species in three genera (Leptoxis Rafinesque, 1819, Gyrotoma Shuttleworth, 1845, Lithasia Haldeman, 1840) to gain insights into the morphological differences separating species and provide data for future researchers. There were notable intergeneric and interspecific differences in radular morphology such as shape of cusps (e.g., dagger-like vs. blunt) and number of denticles on the rachidian, lateral, and marginal teeth. Interestingly, the degree of radular differences among Leptoxis spp. likely corroborates previous hypotheses that the genus is not a natural group. These data are a resource for future studies and should aid in determining the feeding habits and relationships of extinct pleurocerids.

Nathan V. Whelan "Radular Morphology of Extinct Pleurocerids (Gastropoda: Cerithioidea: Pleuroceridae)," American Malacological Bulletin 33(2), 221-226, (20 May 2015). https://doi.org/10.4003/006.033.0202
Received: 10 January 2015; Accepted: 14 March 2015; Published: 20 May 2015
KEYWORDS
freshwater gastropod
Gyrotoma
Leptoxis
Lithasia
microscopy
radula
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