mollusk

Coffee Bean Snail

Coffee bean snails, Melampus Coffee, is a species of snail commonly found in the mangroves forests of Southwestern Florida. The Coffee Melampus is a land snail that uses specialized tissue to breathe air. However, this specialized tissue called a lung is different from the respiratory system found in vertebrate animals.
The shell is thick and its aperture has small serrations internally. Because of the shell’s color pattern and shape resembling a coffee bean, this species of snail became known as the Coffee Bean Snail.
The coffee bean snail feeds on decaying matter and plants. They also are a significant food source for a variety of species.
Photo Credit: Aymee Laurain
Author: Steven Marquez – Student, Valencia College
Work Cited:
Leal, John H., “The Coffee Melampus.” Bailey-Matthews National Shell
Museum Accessed 25 Nov 2021.
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Mangrove Periwinkle

The Mangrove Periwinkle
 
The Mangrove Periwinkle, Littoraria angulifera, has a small spiral shell that is commonly about 3 cm high (Hosein). Despite its colorful shell, this species of snail has a gray operculum. But its carapace is full of beautiful colors. The color pattern of the shell is a combination of green, orange, and yellow with black slanted markings. These markings decorate the shell from its opening to the top. Additionally, the 6 to 7 whorls that end in a pointed top give this snail an attractive look.
 
The mangrove periwinkle population spreads from South Florida to South America. They also inhabit the Caribbean Islands and spans in Africa from Senegal to Angola (Hosein). In these regions, the mangrove periwinkle, just like its name suggests, lives in mangrove areas. Here, juvenile periwinkles stay living near the tideline until they reach adulthood. After that, adult snails inhabit trunks, stems, roots, and leaves of mangroves trees.
 
The diet of this species consists of algae, fungi, and other plant materials, but this mollusk is also an important food source for various animals.
 
Works Cited: Hosein, Trent. “Littoraria Angulifera (Mangrove Periwinkle).” UWI: The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago, 2015.
 
Photo Credit: Aymee Laurain
Author: Steven Marquez – Student, Valencia College
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