Kimberleymelon tealei
Encyclopedia
Kimberleymelon tealei is a species
of air-breathing land snail
, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae
.
Kimberleymelon tealei is the only species in the genus Kimberleymelon.
The generic name Kimberleymelon consists of "Kimberley" which is a region in Western Australia, and the suffix "-melon" which is from the Greek language
meaning melon
, the fleshy fruit of the family Cucurbitaceae, a reference to the globular shape of the shell. The specific name "tealei" is in honor of Roy Teale, the malacologist who collected the holotype
of this species.
in north-western Kimberley, Western Australia. This species is endemic to Middle Osborn Island.
is of trochiform shape, high-spired and has a closed umbilicus.Shell dimensions are 20-28 mm in diameter and 18-26 mm in height.
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 air-breathing land snail
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
, a terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae
Camaenidae
Camaenidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea.This is one of the most diverse families in the clade Stylommatophora....
.
Kimberleymelon tealei is the only species in the genus Kimberleymelon.
The generic name Kimberleymelon consists of "Kimberley" which is a region in Western Australia, and the suffix "-melon" which is from the Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
meaning melon
Melon
thumb|200px|Various types of melonsThis list of melons includes members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae with edible, fleshy fruit e.g. gourds or cucurbits. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit...
, the fleshy fruit of the family Cucurbitaceae, a reference to the globular shape of the shell. The specific name "tealei" is in honor of Roy Teale, the malacologist who collected the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
of this species.
Distribution
The type locality of Kimberleymelon tealei is Middle Osborn Island, Bonaparte ArchipelagoBonaparte Archipelago
The Bonaparte Archipelago is a group of islands off the coast of Western Australia in the Kimberley region. The closest inhabited place is Kalumburu located about to the east of the island group....
in north-western Kimberley, Western Australia. This species is endemic to Middle Osborn Island.
Shell description
The shellGastropod 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 of trochiform shape, high-spired and has a closed umbilicus.Shell dimensions are 20-28 mm in diameter and 18-26 mm in height.