Planorbella trivolvis is a species of freshwater air-breathing snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails, or planorbids, which all have sinistral or left-coiling shells.
Description All species within family Planorbidae have sinistral shells. The width of the shell of this species is up to 18 mm.
Distribution This pond snail is native to North America, from the Arctic areas of Canada all the way south to Florida. It has also been introduced in other parts of the world. Recent genetic analysis of western U.S. populations of Planorbella trivolvis found that most genetic variation occurs within and among local populations rather than between watersheds, and that geographic distance did not predict genetic distance — a pattern attributed to long-distance dispersal by migratory waterfowl.Martin KR, Johnson PTJ, Bowerman J, & Li J (2020). Biogeography of the freshwater gastropod Planorbella trivolvis (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in the western United States. PLoS ONE, 15(7): e0235989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235989
PeruParaense W. L. (September 2003) "Planorbidae, Lymnaeidae and Physidae of Peru (Mollusca: Basommatophora)". Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 98(6): 767-771. PDF DominicaReeves W. K., Dillon Jr. R. T. & Dasch G. A. (2008). "Freshwater snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from the Commonwealth of Dominica with a discussion of their roles in the transmission of parasites". American Malacological Bulletin 24: 59-63. . PDF .
Habitat This species prefers habitats with floating water weeds.
Parasites Planorbella trivolvis is an intermediate host for Echinostoma trivolvis."Maintenance of the life cycle of Echinostoma trivolvis (Trematoda) in dexamethasone-treated ICR mice and laboratory-raised Helisoma trivolvis (Gastropoda)". .
References
Further reading CYNTHIA G. NORTON & JENNIFER M. BRONSON (2006) "THE RELATIONSHIP OF BODY SIZE AND GROWTH TO EGG PRODUCTION IN THE HERMAPHRODITIC FRESHWATER SNAIL, HELISOMA TRIVOLVIS". Journal of Molluscan Studies 72(2): 143-147. Norton C. G., Johnson A. F. & Mueller R. L. (2008) "Relative size influences gender role in the freshwater hermaphroditic snail, Helisoma trivolvis". Behavioral Ecology 19(6): 1122-1127.
Johnson, P. D.; Bogan, A. E.; Brown, K. M.; Burkhead, N. M.; Cordeiro, J. R.; Garner, J. T.; Hartfield, P. D.; Lepitzki, D. A. W.; Mackie, G. L.; Tarpley, T. A.; Tiemann, J. S.; Whelan, N. V.; Strong, E. E. (2013). Conservation status of freshwater gastropods. of Canada and the United States. Fisheries. 38(6): 247-282