Pythia (gastropod) explained

Pythia is a genus of small air-breathing salt marsh snails, pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Pythiinae of the family Ellobiidae.^[1]

Pythia is a largely terrestrial genus commonly found in the Indo-Pacific. It lives in mangroves from above high tide to further inland. It is readily differentiated within the family by its dorso-ventrally flattened shell and heavily dentate aperture. Plate gave the first account of Pythia scarabaeus in 1897.^[2]

Pythia is the type genus of the subfamily Pythiinae.

Species

According to the World Register of Marine Species, species in the genus Pythia include:

• Pythia albovaricosa L. Pfeiffer, 1853
• Pythia anhi Thach, 2016
• Pythia apiensis E. A. Smith, 1884
• Pythia bischofi I. Rensch, 1937
• † Pythia bonneti (Cossmann, 1895)
• Pythia borneensis (A. Adams, 1851)
• Pythia castanea (Lesson, 1831)
• Pythia cecillii (Philippi, 1847)
• Pythia celebensis L. Pfeiffer, 1855
• Pythia ceylanica L. Pfeiffer, 1853
• Pythia chalcostoma (A. Adams, 1851)
• Pythia chrysostoma Tapparone Canefri, 1883
• Pythia colmani Martins, 1995
• Pythia cumingiana (Petit de la Saussaye, 1843)
• Pythia fimbriosa Möllendorff, 1885
• Pythia imperforata (A. Adams, 1850)
• Pythia inflata L. Pfeiffer, 1853
• Pythia insularis (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1847)
• Pythia lekithostoma Reeve, 1832
• Pythia lozoueti Thach & F. Huber, 2021
• Pythia macgillivrayi L. Pfeiffer, 1855
• Pythia nana Bavay, 1908
• Pythia ovata L. Pfeiffer, 1855
• Pythia pantherina (A. Adams, 1851)
• Pythia perovata Garrett, 1872
• Pythia plicata (Férussac, 1821)
• Pythia pyramidata (Reeve, 1842)
• Pythia savaiensis (Mousson, 1869)
• Pythia scarabaeus (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Pythia semisulcata (A. Adams, 1851)
• Pythia sinuosa (A. Adams, 1851)
• Pythia striata (Reeve, 1842)
• Pythia tortuosa Mousson, 1871
• Pythia trigona (Troschel, 1838)
• Pythia undata (Lesson, 1831)
• Pythia variabilis (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1847)

Taxon inquirendum:

• Pythia albovaricosa Pfeiffer, 1853
• Pythia pachyodon Pilsbry & Y. Hirase, 1908 (taxon inquirendum)

Species brought into synonymy:

• Pythia acuminata (Morelet, 1889): synonym of Myosotella myosotis (Draparnaud, 1801) (junior synonym)
• Pythia argenvillei L. Pfeiffer, 1853: synonym of Pythia scarabaeus (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Pythia cecillei (Philippi, 1847): synonym of Pythia cecillii (Philippi, 1847) (unjustified emendation to original species name, Scarabus cecillii Philippi, 1847)
• Pythia ferminii Beck, 1838: synonym of Ovatella firminii (Payraudeau, 1826)
• Pythia gassiesi Crosse, 1895: synonym of Pythia undata (Lesson, 1831) (junior subjective synonym)
• Pythia helicina Röding, 1798: synonym of Pythia scarabaeus (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Pythia letourneuxi (Bourguignat, 1887): synonym of Myosotella denticulata (Montagu, 1803): synonym of Myosotella myosotis (Draparnaud, 1801)
• Pythia petiveriana (Férussac, 1821): synonym of Pythia pantherina (A. Adams, 1851) (junior synonym)
• Pythia reeveana Pfeiffer, 1853: synonym of Pythia pantherina (A. Adams, 1851) (junior synonym)

References

• Vaught, K.C. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). . XII, 195 pp

External links

• Röding, P.F. (1798). Museum Boltenianum sive Catalogus cimeliorum e tribus regnis naturæ quæ olim collegerat Joa. Fried Bolten, M. D. p. d. per XL. annos proto physicus Hamburgensis. Pars secunda continens Conchylia sive Testacea univalvia, bivalvia & multivalvia. Trapp, Hamburg. viii, 199 pp
• Kobelt, W. (1897-1901). Die Familie Auriculacea. Zweiter Theil. In: Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz, Ersten Bandes, sechzehnte Abtheilung, zweiter Theil. (1) 16 (2, 433): pls. 10, 11, 13 (1897); (1) 16 (2, 435): 77-108, pls. 12, 14-18 (1898); (1) 16 (2, 437): 109-180, pls. 19-24 (1898); (1) 16 (2, 438): 181-228, pls. 25-30 (1898); (1) 16 (2, 458): 229-268, pls. 31, 32 (1900); (1) 16 (2, 460): 269-316 (1901). Nürnberg (Bauer & Raspe).
• Montfort P. [Denys de]. (1808-1810). Conchyliologie systématique et classification méthodique des coquilles. Paris: Schoell. Vol. 1: pp. lxxxvii + 409]
• Möllendorff, O. F. von. (1898). Verzeichnis der auf den Philippinen lebenden Landmollusken. Abhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft zu Görlitz. 22: 26-208.

Notes and References

1. Bouchet, P. (2011). Pythia Röding, 1798. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=560065 on 2011-12-04
2. Web site: Archived copy . 2011-12-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120617120607/http://www.azoresbioportal.angra.uac.pt/files/publicacoes_Martins_1995MollRes.pdf . 2012-06-17 . dead .