Afropomus balanoidea is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of freshwater snail

Freshwater snail

A freshwater snail is one kind of freshwater mollusc, the other kind being freshwater clams and mussels, i.e. freshwater bivalves. Specifically a freshwater snail is a gastropod that lives in a watery non-marine habitat. The majority of freshwater gastropods have a shell, with very few exceptions....

, an aquatic

Aquatic

Aquatic means relating to water; living in or near water or taking place in waterAquatic may also refer to:* Aquatic animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life...

 gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae

Ampullariidae

Ampullariidae, common name the apple snails, is a family of large freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks with a gill and an operculum...

, the apple snails and their allies.

Afropomus balanoidea is the only species in the genus Afropomus. Afropomus is the type genus of the subfamily Afropominae.

Based on the anatomy, mainly that of the reproductive system

Reproductive system of gastropods

The reproductive system of gastropods varies greatly from one group to another within this very large and diverse taxonomic class of animals...

, Afropomus appears to be a primitive genus within the Ampullariidae. This basal position

Basal (phylogenetics)

In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...

 of Afropomus within Ampullariidae has also been confirmed by molecular phylogeny

Molecular phylogeny

Molecular phylogenetics is the analysis of hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree...

.

Subspecies

Subspecies of Afropomus balanoidea include:

• Afropomus balanoidea balanoidea (Gould, 1850)
• Afropomus balanoidea nimbae Binder, 1963 This subspecies from the Ivory Coast has a higher spire
  Spire (mollusc)
  A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
  
  .

Distribution

The distribution of Afropomus balanoidea includes:

• Côte d'Ivoire
• Liberia
• Nigeria
• Sierra Leone

The type locality is Cape Mount, in Liberia.

Its presence in Ghana is uncertain.

Description

The shape of the shell

Gastropod shell

The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...

is ovate.

The width of the shell is 20 mm. The height of the shell is 22-23 mm.

Ecology

Afropomus balanoidea lives in clean water in ditches, creeks and small rivers. It requires a high concentration of oxygen.

External links

• "Afropomus". The apple snail website.