Camptoceras


Camptoceras is a genus of air-breathing freshwater snails with sinistral shells, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Planorbidae. It was described in 1843 by William Henry Benson.

Taxonomy

Camptoceras was described in 1843 by William Henry Benson as a monotypic genus, with C. terebra as the type species. Originally, the genus was placed within the family Helicidae, and the subfamily Lymnaeinae. Debates ensued as to whether this new genus was aquatic or terrestrial. It was first placed into the aquatic family Planorbidae in 1919 on account of its eyes, shell, teeth and jaws. In 1974, it was placed in the subfamily Camptoceratinae, though this taxonomy is not always recognized.
The genus Culmenella was once a subgenus of Camptoceras. The characters that distinguish the two genera may not be significant, but include the shape of the salivary glands, the arrangements of the teeth, the width of the penis, and differences in an accessory organ called the accessory preputial gland.

Species

Species within the genus Camptoceras include:Camptoceras austeni H. F. Blanford, 1871Camptoceras hirasei Walker, 1919Camptoceras terebra Benson, 1843

Taxonomic synonyms