Clithon retropictum explained

Clithon retropictum (Korean: 기수갈고둥, Japanese: 石蜑螺) is a species of freshwater and brackish water snail with an operculum, a nerite. It is an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Neritidae, the nerites.

Distribution

This species occurs in Japan: Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku.^[1] Its habitat is also located in South Korea near Jeju ^[2] and Taiwan.

Habitat

This nerite lives in brackish water as well as freshwater.

Feeding habits

Clithon retropictum is herbivorous species.^[3]

Life cycle

Clithon retropictum is oviparous.^[4] Juveniles hatch from eggs in September.^[4] The lifespan of Clithon retropictum is up to 12 years and it belongs among the most long-lived of freshwater gastropods.^[5]

Parasites

• Vibrio parahaemolyticus^[6]

Status

The species is considered as a second grade endangered species by the Korean ministry of environment.^[7]

Further reading

• HIRATA TETSU, UEDA HAJIME, TSUCHIYA YASUTAKA, SATO TOSHIHIKO & NISHIWAKI SABURO. 1999. Distribution of Clithon retropictus(Gastropoda; Neritidae) and environmental conditions in the rivers of Izu Peninsula. Bulletin of the Faculty of Education & Human Sciences, Yamanashi University, Volume 1, number 1, 24-30. (article in Japanese, English abstract)

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20070909103814/http://shell.kwansei.ac.jp/~shell/pic_book/data08/r000792.html photos of shells
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080907101015/http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_8638.html photos of shells

Notes and References

1. イシマキガイ Clithon retropictus . accessed 6 January 2011.
2. Web site: 한국의 멸종위기종 기수갈고둥.
3. Ohara T. & Tomiiyama K. (2000). "Niche segregation of coexisting two freshwater snail species, Semisulcospira libertina (Gould) (Prosobranchia: Pleuroceridae) and Clithon retropictus (Martens) (Prosobranchia: Neritidae)". Venus 59(2): 135–147. CiNii.
4. FURUJO Yuki & TOMIYAMA Kiyonori. Distribution and Microhabitat of Coexisting Two Freshwater Snail Species, Semisulcospira libertina (Gould) (Prosobranchia; Pleuroceridae) and Clithon retropictus (Martens) (Prosobranchia: Neritidae). The Japanese journal of malacology. Venus, Vol. 59, No. 3(20000930), pp. 245-260.
5. Shigemiya . Y. . Kato . M. . 10.1007/PL00012024 . Age distribution, growth, and lifetime copulation frequency of a freshwater snail, Clithon retropictus (Neritidae) . Population Ecology . 43 . 2 . 133 . 2001 .
6. Kumazawa . N. H. . Kato . E. . Takaba . T. . Yokota . T. . Survival of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in two gastropod molluscs, Clithon retropictus and Nerita albicilla . Nihon Juigaku Zasshi. The Japanese Journal of Veterinary Science . 50 . 4 . 918–924 . 1988 . 3172602 . 10.1292/jvms1939.50.918. free .
7. The occurrence of Clithon retropictus (v. Martens, 1879) (Gastropoda: Neritidae) in an unusual habitat, northern Jeju Island, Republic of Korea . 10.1007/s12601-013-0023-2 . 2013 . Noseworthy . Ronald G. . Lee . Hee-Jung . Choi . Kwang-Sik . Ocean Science Journal . 48 . 3 . 259–262 . 2013OSJ....48..259N .