Both Caldicochlea species are highly variable in shell shape and are difficult to distinguish on shell morphology alone. However, C. harrisi is usually smaller and more conical than C. globosa.
Caldicochlea harrisi (Ponder, Colgan, Terzis, Clark & Miller, 1996)
Class Gastropoda
Infraclass Caenogastropoda
Order Littorinida
Suborder Rissoidina
Superfamily Truncatelloidea
Family Tateidae
Genus Caldicochlea Ponder, 1997.
Original name: Dalhousia harrisi Ponder, Colgan, Terzis, Clark & Miller, 1996. In Ponder, W. F., Colgan D. J., Terzis, T., Clark, S. and Miller, A. 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.
Type locality: Earwanyera Spring, Dalhousie Springs, South Australia.
This species lives in a wide range of habitats ranging from small cold seeps (down to 20 degrees C), to large warm pools to very hot (up to 43 degrees) springs. It sometimes occurs in sympatry with the almost identical C. globosa in some springs. At site Ca 1 it has been found only on the edges of the large pool where it is effectively out of reach of predatory catfish which are known to eat tateid snails.
Found in all springs of the Dalhousie group except the Gb subgroup (see Ponder et al. 1996).
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.
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.
Ponder, W. F. (1997). Nomenclatural rectifications in Australian Hydrobiidae. Molluscan Research 18: 67-68.
Zeidler, W. & Ponder, W. F., Eds. (1989). The natural history of Dalhousie Springs. Adelaide, South Australian Museum.
