Limnotrochus

Limnotrochus is a monotypic genus in the family Paludomidae containing the single species Limnotrochus thomsoni, a tropical freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusk.^[4][5] It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika.^[1]

Limnotrochus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Family:	Paludomidae
Genus:	Limnotrochus E. A. Smith, 1880[2]
Species:	L. thomsoni
Binomial name
Limnotrochus thomsoni E. A. Smith, 1880[2]
Synonyms[3]
Species synonymy Limnotrochus cyclostoma Bourguignat, 1885 Limnotrochus giraudi Bourguignat, 1885

The specific name thomsoni is in honor of Scottish explorer Joseph Thomson.^[2]

Distribution

Limnotrochus thomsoni is endemic to Lake Tanganyika and is found in all countries surrounding the lake: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia.^[1] The type locality is Lake Tanganyika.^[5][2]

Description

The shell measures 14 mm (0.55 in) in width and 19 mm (0.75 in) in height.^[5]

Ecology and threats

Limnotrochus thomsoni lives in depths 4–30 m (13–98 ft) on silt and sandy bottoms of Lake Tanganyika. It is potentially threatened by sedimentation.^[1]