Melanopsis letourneuxi
Melanopsis letourneuxi is a species of freshwater gastropod endemic to streams in coastal Morocco and Algeria.
Distribution, ecology and threats
Melanopsis letourneuxi is found almost exclusively in relatively shallow medium-sized streams with stony substrates, rarely occurring in stagnant sources. The species had historically been reported from several localities in north Africa, including a site in Algeria or Morocco - "in the source and the river Moulouya, west of Maghnia" from which it has not been documented recently- and two confirmed adjacent Moroccan sites -Berguent and Ras el Ain at Aïn Beni Mathar - in which it is exceedingly rare. Remaining populations are threatened by water abstraction, pollution, and shell-collecting.Populations
Historically, several varieties had been identified by Pallary and Bourguignat, including:- † Melanopsis letourneuxi var. semesaMelanopsis letourneuxi var. magna *Melanopsis letourneuxi var. minor *Melanopsis letourneuxi var. emaciata Melanopsis letourneuxi var. mattarica
- Denotes that the variety is considered invalid by the nomenclator of Neubauer 2016