A reversed coiled Neocyclotus prominulus (d'Orbigny) (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia, Cyclophoridae) from Grande Island, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Enrolamento reverso em Neocyclotus prominulus (d'Orbigny) (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia, Cyclophoridae) de Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION

A reversed coiled Neocyclotus prominulus (d'Orbigny) (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia, Cyclophoridae) from Grande Island, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Enrolamento reverso em Neocyclotus prominulus (d'Orbigny) (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia, Cyclophoridae) de Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Gleisse K. M. Nunes^{I, II}; Sonia B. dos Santos^{I, III}

^IDepartamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Malacologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, PHLC, sala 525/2, 20550-900, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

^IIBolsista de Mestrado do CNPq. E-mail: [e-mail]

^IIIE-mail: [e-mail]; [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

The first case of reversed coiled shell of Neocyclotus prominulus is reported here. One specimen out of 282 of Neocyclotus prominulus from Grande Island, is sinistral (0.35%). It is represented by a female reaching 3.5 whorls and 0.82 cm of maximum diameter.

Key words: Right-left reversal; sinistral; terrestrial gastropods.

RESUMO

Relatamos o primeiro registro de concha com enrolamento reverso em Neocyclotus prominulus. De 282 exemplares de Neocyclotus prominulus coletados em Ilha Grande, um (0,35%) é sinistrógiro, representado por uma fêmea com 3,5 voltas e 0,82 cm de diâmetro máximo.

Palavras-chave: Gastrópodes terrestres; reversão direito-esquerdo; sinistrógiro.

We report here the first case of reversed coiled shell (Fig. 1) of Neocyclotus prominulus (d'Orbigny, 1835) from Grande Island (23º05'-23º15'S; 44º06'-44º23'W), Angra dos Reis municipality, Rio de Janeiro. This species is a characteristically dextral terrestrial (Fig. 2) prosobranch common at the Grande Island Atlantic Forest remnants (authors observations not published). The specimen was collected at the Papagaio's Peak Track, on the island continental side, on February 2005, at 400 m height.

The great majority of gastropod species is typically right-handed, that is, the shells coil to the right (dextral) (VERMEIJ 2002). The estimates goes from "far more than 90%" (VAN BATENBURG & GITTENBERGER 1996) to "more than 90%" (ASAMI et al. 1998). The evolution of left-handed shells (sinistral) has occurred in hundred of species, and is generally rare (BROMHAM 2001, VERMEIJ 2002, SCHILTHUIZEN & DAVINSON 2005). Despite the rarity of sinistrality, variation occurs in all taxonomic levels, since rare sinistral specimens in dextral populations as Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758 to almost entire sinistral families as Clausiliidae (NORDSIECK 1963). Variations also occurred spatially: species with dimorphic populations in distinct areas as Achatinella bulimoides Swainson, 1828 in Hawaii (WELCH 1954); dimorphic species in clines between areas as Partula suturalis Pfeiffer, 1855 in Polynesian islands (CLARKE & MURRAY 1969). True dimorphism is very rare indeed and may be restricted to just a few groups as Euhadra Pilsbry, 1890 in Japan (UESHIMA & ASAMI 2003, DAVISON et al. 2005) and possibly Amphidromus Albers, 1850; Auriculella Pfeiffer, 1855; Corona Albers, 1850; Liguus Montfort, 1810 and Partulina Pfeiffer, 1854 (ASAMI personal communication in SCHILTHUIZEN & DAVISON 2005).

Literature shows cases of reversed coiling where a sinistral or dextral pattern is expected (ÖRSTAN & WELTER-SCHULTES 2002, SCHILTHUIZEN & DAVINSON 2005). STURTEVANT (1923) was one of the first to suggest, based on prior data from CRAMPTON (1894) and BOYCOTT & DIVER (1923) about inheritance of dextral or sinistral coiling in Lymnaea Lamarck, 1799, that the direction of shell coiling of the offsprings is genetically determined by the genotype of the mother snail (LEVIN & MERCOLA 1998) and, it is the classical example of "delayed inheritance" (UIT DE WEERD et al. 2006).

Brazilian sinistral terrestrial shells were reported by LEE (2006) to Megalobulimus chionostoma (Mörch, 1852) and Thaumastus largillierti (Philippi, 1848) from Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro. The same author reported dextral shell to the normally sinistral Corona regalis (Hupé, 1857) from Mato Grosso and Corona perversa (Swainson, 1820) from Amapá; ASAMI (personal communication in SCHILTHUIZEN & DAVISON 2005) mentioned true dimorphism to this genus. Nowadays, snail chirality is being studied by developmental and molecular biology trying to understand how molecular and cellular signalizing processes translate gene information into form (LEVIN & MERCOLA 1998).

The reversed morphological organization causes mating difficult, perhaps impossible, because the different position of genital apparatus that may prevent or complicate the exchange of gametes between snail of opposite coiling (UIT DE WEERD et al. 2006), and probably explains why reversed coiling is rare in some natural populations (UESHIMA & ASAMI 2003, SCHILTHUIZEN & DAVISON 2005). However, Asami et al. (1998) reported that despite reciprocal mating between dimorphic low-spired snails is not usually possible, because the genitalia of a sinistral individual cannot engage with those of a dextral snail, in high-spired dimorphic snail species mating is possible, albeit with some behavioral adjustments, such as Partula Férussac, 1821.

We have found only one sinistral living animal (0.35%) from the 282 collected specimens, being 85% only shells. ÖRSTAN & WELTER-SCHULTES (2002) found only one dextral specimen in a lot of 261 adult sinistral Albinaria cretensis (Rossmässler, 1836). The specimen is a female with almost 3.5 whorls and 0.82 cm of maximum diameter; housed at the Malacological Collection of Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Col Mol UERJ 4514).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To Antônio C. de Freitas for the pictures; to the Laboratory of Malacology (UERJ) team for helping with the field work; and to the Centro de Estudos Ambientais e Desenvolvimento Sustentável (CEADS/ UERJ) for the facilities.

Received in 26.V.2006; accepted in 27.II.2007.

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  24 Apr 2007
• Date of issue
  Mar 2007

History

• Received
  26 May 2006
• Accepted
  27 Feb 2007