Caldicochlea is characterised by simple, smooth, imperforate, broadly ovate to conic shells with a simple aperture and lacking an external varix. Operculum with weakly to moderately developed pegs on inner side and radula with two laterally placed basal cusps on central teeth. Female genital system with single globular, posteriorly located medium sized sperm sac and posteriorly elongated coiled oviduct. Male with long tapering whip-like penis. Stomach with horn-like process on upper edge of posterior chamber and lacking obvious caecum.
Caldicochlea Ponder, 1997
Class Gastropoda
Infraclass Caenogastropoda
Order Littorinida
Suborder Rissoidina
Superfamily Truncatelloidea
Family Tateidae
Genus Caldicochlea Ponder, 1997
Type species: Dalhousia globosa Ponder, Colgan, Terzis, Clark & Miller, 1996.
Original reference: Ponder W. F. (1997). Nomenclatural rectifications in Australian Hydrobiidae Molluscan Research 18: 67-68.
Synonym: Dalhousia Ponder, Colgan, Terzis, Clark & Miller, 1996 (preoccupied).
We follow Ponder (1997) & Ponder et al. (1996) in this resource.
Lives in large warm pools or warm outflows from large springs ranging from 33-42°C. Lives on rocks and wood in shallow areas around spring edges.
The main pool and outflow of spring Ca 1, Dalhousie Springs. South Australia.
Caldicochlea is most similar to Fonscochlea but can be distinguished by its apomorphic single sperm sac and very elongate penis. Both Caldicochlea species are very variable in shell morphology although C. globosa is generally larger and wider than C. harrisi.
Colgan, D. J. & Ponder, W. F. (2000). Incipient speciation in aquatic snails in an arid-zone spring complex. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 71: 625-641.
Fensham, R., Ponder, W. & Fairfax , R. (2010). Recovery plan for the community of native species dependent on natural discharge of groundwater from the Great Artesian Basin. Report to Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra. Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management, Brisbane. https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/0cefc83a-3854-4cff-9128-abc719d9f9b3/files/great-artesian-basin-ec.pdf
Fensham, R. J., Silcock, J. L., Kerezsy, A. & Ponder, W. F. (2011). Four desert waters: setting arid zone wetland conservation priorities through understanding patterns of endemism. Biological Conservation 144: 2459-2467.
Perez, K. E., Ponder, W. F., Colgan, D. J., Clark, S. A. & Lydeard, C. (2005). Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of spring-associated hydrobiid snails of the Great Artesian Basin, Australia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 34: 545-556.
Ponder, W. F. (1997). Nomenclatural rectifications in Australian Hydrobiidae. Molluscan Research 18: 67-68.
Ponder, W. (2019). Tateidae Thiele, 1925. Pp. 134-138 in C. Lydeard & Cummings, K. S. Freshwater Mollusks of the World: a Distribution Atlas. Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press.
Ponder, W. F., Colgan, D. J., Terzis, T., Clark, S. A. & Miller, A. C. (1996). Three new morphologically and genetically determined species of hydrobiid gastropods from Dalhousie Springs, northern South Australia, with the description of a new genus. Molluscan Research 17: 49-109.
Rossini, R. A., Tibbetts, H. L., Fensham, R. J. & Walter, G. H. (2017). Can environmental tolerances explain convergent patterns of distribution in endemic spring snails from opposite sides of the Australian arid zone? Aquatic Ecology 51: 605-624.
Rossini, R. A., Fensham, R. J., Stewart‐Koster, B., Gotch, T. & Kennard, M. J. (2018). Biogeographical patterns of endemic diversity and its conservation in Australia's artesian desert springs. Diversity and Distributions 24: 1199-1216.
Zeidler, W. & Ponder, W. F., Eds. (1989). The natural history of Dalhousie Springs. Adelaide, South Australian Museum.
