Shell sinistral, medium-sized and globose to elongate, smooth with microscopic wrinkles, or with spiral threads or ridges and periostracal setae. Low to elongate spire. Members of the genus possess a twist or fold on the columella, a feature lacking in Isidorella and Physella. Whorls round or carinate. Copulatory organ with a flagellum, lacking an accessory bursa, penis uniramous with terminal stylet, bursa copulatrix globose; rectal ridge present; single renal ridge on roof of pulmonary cavity.
Glyptophysa (Glyptophysa) differs from the otherwise similar native genus Isidorella in the penial apparatus with a penial stylet and an accessory flagellum. Isidorella lacks a stylet and an accessory structure but the penis has two lobes.
Glyptophysa Crosse, 1872
Class Gastropoda
Infraclass Heterobranchia
Megaorder Hygrophila
Order Lymnaeida
Superfamily Planorboidea
Family Planorbidae
Subfamily: Miratestinae
Genus Glyptophysa Crosse, 1872
Type species: Physa petiti Crosse, 1872 (= Glyptophysa petiti (Crosse, 1872)
Original reference: Crosse, H. (1872). Description d’un genre nouveau et d’espèces inédites, provinant de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Journal de Conchyliologie 20: 148-154.
Type locality: New Caledonia.
Synonyms: Physastra Tapparone-Canefri 1883; Lenameria Iredale, 1943; Glyptamoda Iredale, 1943; Tasmadora Iredale, 1943; Mutalena Iredale, 1944.
Two subgenera are recognised:
Glyptophysa (Glyptophysa) Crosse, 1872
Glyptophysa (Oppletora) Iredale, 1943
On water weeds, wood, and similar substrates, in ponds, billabongs, swamps, and sluggish streams and rivers. Feeds on algae and detritus. Egg mass typically a bean(kidney)-shaped jelly strip containing many small eggs. Development direct.
Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Moluccas, Philippines, Sumatra, islands of South Pacific east to Tahiti, and Malaysia (introduced).
This genus is similar to the common introduced Physa acuta (Physidae) in that both have similar-shaped, sinistral shells. Glyptophysa can be distinguished by the shell not being completely smooth (as it is in Physa), Glyptophysa often having some periostracal ornament and microscopic wrinkles or spiral ridges in the case of Glyptophysa aliciae. Physa has a mottled mantle which can usually be seen through the semi- transparent shell whereas Glyptophysa has a uniformly dark-coloured mantle. The animal of Physa has digitations (finger-like processes) along the mantle edge against the columella whereas this edge is smooth in Glyptophysa. Physa lacks a false gill (pseudobranch) which is present in Glyptophysa and all planorbids. The animal of Glyptophysa, if damaged when alive, has red-coloured blood whereas Physa blood is clear.
The taxonomy of Glyptophysa is very poorly understood. A large number of species-group names are available, and it is quite possible that more species occur in Australia.
Some forms of Glyptophysa, particularly from Tasmania, have inflated shells with relatively low spires and superficially resemble Isidorella .
Glyptophysa appears to be disappearing from urban areas and areas heavily affected by agriculture and industry, where it is commonly replaced by the introduced Physa.
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