Clea nigricans explained

Clea nigricans is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, most of which are marine.^[1]

Clea nigricans is the type species of the genus Clea.^[2]

Distribution

This Southeast Asian species occurs in the Malay Peninsula. It is found in member states Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo.^[3] It was recorded also from Sirhassen island in South Natuna Islands, Indonesia.

Description

The width of the shell is 5–12 mm. The height of the shell is 10–22 mm.

Ecology

It lives in calm pools of fast-flowing streams and also on rocks in small waterfalls. Polgar et al. (2015) measured thermal tolerance of Clea nigricans.^[4] The behaviour of Clea nigricans in natural habitat is unknown.^[4]

Feeding habits

Like all snails in the clade Neogastropoda, this species is carnivorous. It feeds on different types of worms and gastropods, often eating other, larger snails after burying themselves and ambushing their prey.^[1]

Life cycle

Clea nigricans consists of defined male and female genders, and is not capable of gender change. It is unknown as to how to sex these animals. Both males and females seem to be the same size and shape. When a male and female mate, they lock together for 8–12 hours.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Assassin Snails and Sulawesi Elephant Snails: Keeping Clea and Tylomelania in the aquarium . Monks . Neale . Neale Monks . 2009 . Conscientious Aquarist Magazine . 6 . 4 . Clea are whelks, most of which live in the sea. Like their marine relatives, Clea are opportunistic carnivores that feed on both live prey and carrion. Among the prey taken are snails, and it is this that has made them popular with fishkeepers. Clea stay partially hidden under the sediment, and if a snail slides past, then quickly (by snail standards) jump into action, chasing their prey and eventually subduing it. --> . March 11, 2014.
2. Strong, E. E., Galindo, L. A., & Kantor, Y. I. (2017). "Quid est Clea helena? Evidence for a previously unrecognized radiation of assassin snails (Gastropoda: Buccinoidea: Nassariidae)". PeerJ 5: e3638. .
3. Web site: Map of Clea nigricans . Discover Life . . March 8, 2014.
4. Polgar, G., Khang, T. F., Chua, T., & Marshall, D. J. (2015). "Gross mismatch between thermal tolerances and environmental temperatures in a tropical freshwater snail: climate warming and evolutionary implications". Journal of thermal biology 47: 99-108. .