Potamolithus is a genus of small freshwater snails that have an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Tateidae.Davis G. M. & Pons da Silva M. C. (1984). "Potamolithus: morphology, convergence, and relationships among hydrobioid snails". Malacologia 25: 73-108.Bouchet, P. (2014). Potamolithus Pilsbry, 1896. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=724574 on 2014-07-29
Potamolithus was traditionally classified within the Hydrobiidae. However, anatomical study of Potamolithus by Davis & Pons da Silva (1984) showed its relationship with Lithoglyphus, and it is then placed within the family Lithoglyphidae.
The first appearance of the name Potamolithus was in November 1896 as a nomen nudum (a bare name with no description or illustration).Pilsbry H. A. & Rush W. H. (1896). "List, with notes, of land and fresh water shells collected by Dr. Wm. H. Rush in Uruguay and Argentina". The Nautilus 10(7): 76-81. page 80.Lopez Armengol M. F. & Mancefiido M. O. (1992). "Case 2801. Potamolithus Pilsbry, 1896 (Mollusca, Gastropoda): proposed confirmation of P. rushii Pilsbry, 1896 as the type species". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 49(2): 109. The genus was formally defined by Pilsbry in December 1896.
Distribution Potamolithus is the only genus of the family Tateidae in South America. Distribution of Potamolithus includes Argentina (22 species, 11 species are endemic to Argentina),Rumi A., Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V. & Darrigran G. A. (2008). "Malacología Latinoamericana. Moluscos de agua dulce de Argentina". Revista de Biología Tropical 56(1): 77-111. HTM. Uruguay (17 species) Scarabino F. (2004). "Lista sistemática de los Gastropoda dulciacuícolas vivientes de Uruguay". Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay 8(84–85/86–87): 347-355. PDF . and Brazil. Potamolithus is the largest genus (i.e. the one with the highest species richness) of recent freshwater snails in Argentina and in Uruguay.
Species
Species within the genus Potamolithus include: Potamolithus agapetus Pilsbry, 1911Rumi A., Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V., César I. I., Roche M. A., Tassara M. P., Martín S. M. & Armengol M. F. L. (2006). "Freshwater Gastropoda from Argentina: Species Richness, Distribution Patterns, and an Evaluation of Endangered Species". Malacologia 49(1): 189-208. . table.Pilsbry H. A. (1911). "Non-marine Mollusca of Patagonia". In: Scott W. B. (ed.) Reports of the Princeton University Expedition to Patagonia 1896–1899 3: 513-633. Potamolithus is on pages 566-602, plates 38-41.Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V., Rumi A. & Roche M. A. (2006). "Freshwater gastropods from del Plata basin, Argentina. Checklist and new locality records". Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay 9(89): 51-60. PDF. Potamolithus bushii (Frauenfeld, 1865) Potamolithus callosus Pilsbry, 1925 Potamolithus carinifer Pilsbry, 1911 Potamolithus catharinae Pilsbry, 1911 Potamolithus concordianus Parodiz, 1966 Potamolithus conicus (Brot, 1867) Potamolithus dinochilus Pilsbry, 1896 Potamolithus doeringi Pilsbry, 1911 Potamolithus fabiani Potamolithus felipponei Ihering, 1910 Potamolithus hidalgoi Pilsbry, 1896 - synonyms: Potamolithus microthauma Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus dinochilus Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus hatcheri Pilsbry, 1911 Potamolithus iheringi Pilsbry, 1896 Potamolithus karsticus Simone & Moracchioli, 1994 Potamolithus lapidum (d'Orbigny, 1835) - synonyms: Potamolithus lapidum supersulcatus Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus paysanduanus Ihering, 1910; Potamolithus lapidum var. elatior Pilsbry, 1911; Potamolithus callosus Pilsbry, 1926 Potamolithus microthauma Pilsbry, 1896 Potamolithus orbignyi Pilsbry, 1896 Potamolithus paranensis Pilsbry, 1911 Potamolithus peristomatus (d'Orbigny, 1835) Potamolithus petitianus (d'Orbigny, 1840) Potamolithus petitianus sykesii Pilsbry, 1896 - synonyms: Potamolithus bisinuatus bisinuatus Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus bisinuatus obsoletus Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus gracilis gracilis Pilsbry, 1896; Potamolithus gracilis viridis Pilsbry, 1896 Potamolithus philipianus Pilsbry, 1911 Potamolithus quadratus Pilsbry & Ihering, 1911 Potamolithus rushii Pilsbry, 1896 - type genus Potamolithus ribeirensis Pilsbry, 1911Bichuette M. E. & Trajano E. (2003). "A population study of epigean and subterranean Potamolithus snails from southeast Brazil (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)". Hydrobiologia 505: 107-117. abstract, PDF. Potamolithus simplex Pilsbry, 1911 Potamolithus tricostatus (Brot, 1867) Potamolithus troglobius Simone & Moracchioli, 1994 Potamolithus valchetensis Miquel, 1998
Ecology Potamolithus species live in streams. Some species are subterranean, living in caves (for example Potamolithus troglobius and Potamolithus karsticus).
References
Further reading
Bichuette M. E. (1998). "Distribuição e biologia de gastrópodes de água doce, gênero Potamolithus, no Vale do Alto Ribeira, São Paulo (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)". M.Sc. Thesis – Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil. 127 pp. López Armengol M. F. (1985). "Estudio sistemaco y bioecológico del género Potamolithus (Hydrobiidae) utilizando técnicas de taxonomía numérica Tesis Doctoral (N°. 455)". Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. López Armengol M. F. & Darrigran G. (1998). "Distribución del género neotropical Potamolithus Pilsbry & Rush, 1896 (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) en el estuario del Río de la Plata". Iberus 16: 267–274. Parodiz J. J. (1965). "Relaciones y evidencias paleontológicas de Potamolithus". Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacológica del Uruguay 1: 273–278.