Coxiella is a genus of aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Tomichiidae. These snails that live in saline lakes, and have gills and an operculum.
Distribution The distribution of genus Coxiella includes TasmaniaDavis G. M. (1979). "The origin and evolution of the gastropod family Pomatiopsidae, with emphasis on the Mekong river Triculinae". Academy of natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Monograph 20: 1-120. . at Google Books. and Australia: southern Australia, central Australia and northern Queensland.
Species Davis (1979) recognized 10 species (9 in Australia) and one subrecent species Coxiella badgerensis in Tasmania. However, recent phylogenetic studies have suggested that Coxiella contains at least 15 species with six species currently undescribed. Coxiella is a Gondwana relict with its most recent ancestors from South Africa (Tomichia) and South America (Idiopyrgus). Coxiella appears have diversified during previous periods of aridification on the Australian continent.
Species within the genus Coxiella include:
subgenus Coxiella † Coxiella badgerensis (Johnston, 1879) - subrecent Coxiella exposita Iredale, 1943 Coxiella glabra MacPherson, 1957 Coxiella glauertii MacPherson, 1954 Coxiella minima MacPherson, 1954 Coxiella molesta Iredale, 1943 Coxiella pyrrhostoma (Cox, 1868) Coxiella striata (Reeve, 1842) Coxiella striatula (Menke, 1843) - type species
subgenus Coxielladda Iredale & Whitley, 1938Iredale T. & Whitley (1938). S. Aust. Nat. 18(4): 66. Coxiella gilesi (Angas, 1877)
Ecology This genus consists of halophilic species which occur in temporal and permanent saline lakes.Williams W. D. & Mellor M. W. (1991). "Ecology of Coxiella (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Prosobranchia), a snail endemic to Australian salt lakes". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 84(1-4): 339-355. .Kameda Y. & Kato M. (2011). "Terrestrial invasion of pomatiopsid gastropods in the heavy-snow region of the Japanese Archipelago". BMC Evolutionary Biology 11: 118. . Recently ecological studies have suggested that although all Coxiella species can tolerate a broad range of salinities that some species can tolerate significantly higher salinities than others.
Coxiella snails are iteroparous. When the saline lake dries out, adults of Coxiella are able to survive.
References