Notopala is a genus of moderately large to large, freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Viviparidae, the river snails or mystery snails.
Description
The shell is dextral and globose-conic.[3] The shell has up to five whorls.[3] The aperture is subovate.[3] The operculum is corneous and concentric.[3] Colour is usually yellow, olive green, brown, cream or white and sometimes may have darker spiral bands.[4] Head-foot with long tentacles with eyes on short processes at their outer bases; often pigmented with multiple different colours.[4]
Distribution
The genus of Notopala is native to Australia. Notopala is found in all states and territories except Tasmania. It occurs throughout Queensland and New South Wales, northern Western Australia and Northern Territory and in the Murray-Darling Basin in Victoria and South Australia.
Habitat and ecology
Generally occurs on fine sediment and/or on and under rocks and logs. Members of Notopala are thought to be grazers of periphyton and occur in slow moving or still waters.[5] Some species are able to aestivate in mud during dry periods.
Species
Species within the genus Notopala include:
- † Notopala albascopularis (Etheridge, 1902) - synonym: Viviparus (?) albascopularis Etheridge, 1902[1][6] - from Aptian, Wallumbilla Formation, New South Wales[1]
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Notopala ampullaroides (Reeve, 1863)[7]
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Notopala essingtonensis (Frauenfeld, 1862)[8]
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Notopala hanleyi (Frauenfeld, 1864)[9]
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Notopala kingi (A. Adams & Angas, 1864)[10]
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Notopala sublineata Conrad, 1850
- † Notopala wanjacalda Cotton, 1935 - from upper Pleistocene near Sunnyside, South Australia[1]
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Notopala waterhousii (Adams & Angus, 1864)[3]
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Notopala tricincta (E. A. Smith, 1882)[13]
Note:
"Banded species of Notopala occur in several parts of northern Australia and Queensland that are similar to N. essingtonensis, N. tricincta and N. kingi but are thought to be different species (W. Ponder, unpublished studies). These should be identified simply as Notopala sp."[4]
The type species of the genus Notopala is Paludina hanleyi Frauenfeld, 1862, by original designation[1]
References
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^ a b c d e Kear B. P., Hamilton-Bruce R. J., Smith B. J. & Gowlett-Holmes K. L. (2003). "Reassessment of Australia's oldest freshwater snail, Viviparus (?) albascopularis Etheridge, 1902 (Mollusca : Gastropoda : Viviparidae), from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian, Wallumbilla Formation) of White Cliffs, New South Wales". Molluscan Research 23(2): 149–158. doi:10.1071/MR03003, PDF.
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^ Cotton B. C. (1935). "Recent Australian Viviparidae and a fossil species". Records of the South Australian Museum 5: 339-344. page 339.
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^ a b c d e Hamilton-Bruce R. J., Smith B. J. & Gowlett-Holmes K. L. (2002). "Descriptions of a new genus and two new species of viviparid snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Viviparidae) from the Early Cretaceous (middle-late Albian) Griman Creek Formation of Lightning Ridge, northern New South Wales". Records of the South Australian Museum 35: 193–203. PDF
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^ a b c "Notopala - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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^ The Waterbug Book.
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^ Etheridge R. Jr. (1902). "A monograph of the Cretaceous invertebrate fauna of New South Wales". Memoirs of the Geological Survey of New South Wales 11: 1-98.
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^ "Notopala ampullaroides - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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^ "Notopala essingtonensis - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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^ "Notopala hanleyi - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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^ a b "Notopala kingi kingi - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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^ "Notopala kingi suprafasciata - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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^ a b River Snail (Notopala sublineata). accessed 26 September 2010
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^ "Notopala tricincta - fact sheet". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
