The morphology of gastropod shells provides a record of the growth rate at the aperture of the shell, and molecular biological studies have shown that the growth rate gradient along the aperture of a gastropod shell can be closely related to gene expression at the aperture. Here, we develop a novel method for deriving microscopic growth rates from the macroscopic shapes of gastropod shells. The...

Bythinellaanatolica sp. n., Bythinellaistanbulensis sp. n., Bythinellamagdalenae sp. n., and Bythinellawilkei sp. n. from western Turkey are described herein. Illustrations of the shell and genitalia of the newly described taxa, together with comparisons with previously known Bythinella taxa and a key to the species from western Turkey, are also provided.

Limestone hills are now gaining global conservation attention as hotspots for short-range endemic species. Levels of land snail endemism can be high at limestone hills, especially at hill clusters that are geographically isolated. In the State of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, limestone hills have been opportunistically surveyed for land snails in the past, but the majority have yet to be surveyed...

Feeding in Navanax inermis Cooper was filmed and analysed after various dissections. In preparations with a cut through the body wall exposing the pharynx and buccal ganglia, completely normal feeding was observed. In addition to seven motor acts previously described in intact animals, an eighth act, peristalsis, was observed. In preparations with the pharynx excised from the animal but attache...

Arousal states strongly influence behavioral decisions. In general, arousal promotes activity and enhances responsiveness to sensory stimuli. Earlier work has emphasized general, or nonspecific, effects of arousal on multiple classes of behaviors. However, contemporary work indicates that arousal has quite specific effects on behavior. Here we review studies of arousal-related circuitry in moll...

This paper reports on results of several collecting trips of the authors in Turkey. In the course of this research, a long-lasting question was addressed. It could be proven that the nominal species Bulimus frivaldskyi L. Pfeiffer, 1847 is closely related to Meijeriella canaliculata Bank, 1985, and thus this species is shifted from the genus Ena Turton, 1831, to the genus Meijeriella Bank, 1985...

The study was carried out to ascertain benthic macro-invertebrates checklist in the Cross River, Nigeria and using it for bio-indication of the river quality. A total of 186 benthos specimens were collected. The phylum Insecta was most abundant (96) representing 51.61% of total benthos abundance; followed by Oligochaeta 60 (32.25%), Nemertea 10 (5.37%), Hirudiae 8 (4.3%), Cladocera 6 (3.22%), A...

The phylogenetic relationships among certain groups of gastropods have remained unresolved in recent studies, especially in the diverse subclass Opisthobranchia, where nudibranchs have been poorly represented. Here we present the complete mitochondrial genomes of Melibe leonina and Tritonia diomedea (more recently named T. tetraquetra), two nudibranchs from the unrepresented Cladobranchia group...

Fire is a major agent involved in landscape transformation and an indirect cause of changes in species composition. Responses to fire may vary greatly depending on life histories and functional traits of species. We have examined the taxonomic and functional responses to fire of eight taxonomic animal groups displaying a gradient of dietary and mobility patterns: Gastropoda, Heteroptera, Formic...