Physella gyrina

Physella gyrina, common name the "tadpole physa", is a species of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae.

Physella gyrina
Physella gyrina figure 10
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Superorder:	Hygrophila
Family:	Physidae
Genus:	Physella
Species:	P. gyrina
Binomial name
Physella gyrina (Say, 1821)[1]
Synonyms
Physa gyrina Say, 1821

Shell description

Snails in the family Physidae have shells that are sinistral, which means that if the shell is held with the spire pointing up, and the aperture is facing the observer, the aperture is on the left-hand side.

The shells of Physella species have a long and large aperture, a pointed spire, and no operculum. The shells are thin and corneous and rather transparent.

Drawing of the eggs of Physella gyrina: upper image is the egg-mass showing position of eggs in envelope. Lower images is a single egg showing the position of an embryo.

Distribution

This species is known to occur in:

• the USA - indigenous
• Great Britain - introduced
• Ireland - introduced
• Spain