Classification Level and Description:
Domain: Eukaryote
Eukaryote properties include multicellular animals with cell walls, a nucleus and organelles in particular mitochondria.
Kingdom: Animalia
The Kingdom Animalia include all organisms that do not have rigid cell walls, are heterotrophic and multicellular (Hickman et. al.2009).
Phylum: Mollusca
The Phyla Mollusca include soft bodied animals that are coelomates, have an open circulatory system, a muscular foot, a shell made of calcium carbonate and a radula for scraping food (Hickman et. al.2009) .
Class: Gastropodia
Gastropods undergo torsion meaning that they undergo a 180° twist of their bodies putting their anus above their head making it so they need only one hole in their shell making them less vulnerable to predators (Hickman et. al.2009).
Order: Bassomatophora
Bassomatophores lack an operculum and have a mantle that functions as a lung. It's shell also has smooth sinistral spirals with a very short spire and large opening. The tentacles are also long and thin (Great Lakes 2011).
Family: Physidae
The family Physidae is comprised of sinestral (meaning left turned) shells and bodies with raised spires and a slender food and tentacles (Thorp 2011).
Genus: Physella (Physa)
Members of the genus Physella include freshwater air-breathing snails (Thorp 2011).
Species: heterostropha
This species is synonymous with P. Acuta, P. integra and P. virgata. It has been an issue that has been debated among snail experts. According to Thorp there has been molecular studies that show that these snails are just ecophenotypes (meaning it's phenotype is varied in response to the environment) of each other (Thorp 2011).
e.