Afropomus balanoideus

Afropomus balanoidea is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails and their allies.

Afropomus balanoideus
A drawing of an apertural view of the shell of Afropomus balanoideus
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Caenogastropoda informal group Architaenioglossa
Superfamily:	Ampullarioidea
Family:	Ampullariidae
Subfamily:	Afropominae
Genus:	Afropomus Pilsbry & Bequaert, 1927[2]
Species:	A. balanoideus
Binomial name
Afropomus balanoideus (Gould, 1850)[3]
Synonyms
Ampullaria balanoidea Gould, 1850 Afropomus balanoidea (Gould, 1850)

Afropomus balanoideus is the only species in the genus Afropomus.^[4] Afropomus is the type genus of the subfamily Afropominae.^[5]

Based on the anatomy, mainly that of the reproductive system, Afropomus appears to be a primitive genus within the Ampullariidae.^[4] This basal position of Afropomus within Ampullariidae has also been confirmed by molecular phylogeny.^[6]

Subspecies

Subspecies of Afropomus balanoideus include:

• Afropomus balanoideus balanoideus (Gould, 1850)
• Afropomus balanoideus nimbae Binder, 1963^[4] This subspecies from the Ivory Coast and Senegal has a higher spire.

Distribution

The distribution of Afropomus balanoideus includes:

• Côte d'Ivoire^[1][4]
• Liberia^[1][4]
• Nigeria^[1][4]
• Sierra Leone^[1][4]

The type locality is Cape Mount in Liberia.^[4]

Its presence in Ghana is uncertain.^[1]

Description

The shape of the shell is ovate.^[4]

The width of the shell is 20 mm.^[4][7] The height of the shell is 22–23 mm.^[4][7]

Ecology

Afropomus balanoideus lives in clean water in ditches, creeks and small rivers.^[1][4] It requires a high concentration of oxygen.^[1]