Lanistes nyassanus | |
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L. nyassanus exhibit at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Architaenioglossa |
Family: | Ampullariidae |
Genus: | Lanistes |
Species: | L. nyassanus
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Binomial name | |
Lanistes nyassanus |
Lanistes nyassanus is a species of large freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk with a gill and an operculum in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. The shell of this species is unusual in that it has left-handed shell-coiling.
The specific name nyassanus is derived from the type locality of the species, Lake Nyassa.
Lanistes nyassanus is found in Malawi and Mozambique.[1] Found in sand and weeds, it is common at 1.5 meters depth, but some have been found as deep as 35 meters.[1]
The type locality is the southern end of Lake Nyassa.[2]
The width of the shell is 75 mm; the height of the shell is 68 mm.[3]
These snails burrow into sand to hide from fish.[1]