Classification
The domain for Guppya sterkii is Eukarya. In Latin, this term takes on the meaning of "nut" or "kernel" (Hickman et al. 2009). This is referring to the main characteristic of this domain which is to have a nucleus that contains the genetic material for the organism (ITIS Report, 2011).
Metazoa (previously Animalia) which both mean "animal" in Latin is the kingdom for this organism (Hickman et al. 2009). Guppya sterkii is classified here due to the fact that it is a multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryote (ITIS Report, 2011). These are the main characteristics that are necessary to be classified into this kingdom.
The phylum of this organism is Mollusca which means "soft" in Latin (BayScience Foundation, 2009). This Latin definition describes the main characteristic that is necessary to be placed into this phylum which is a soft body (Hickman et al. 2009). Other characteristics are that they all possess a foot, a mantle, and a visceral mass (Hickman et al. 2009). All the organisms in this phylum also produce eggs (Hickman et al. 2009).
Guppya sterkii is in the class Gastropoda meaning "stomach foot" in Latin (Hickman et al. 2009). The main features that are seen in a majority of organisms in this class are a property called torsion, coiling of the shells (if they have one), and the adaptation of a radula (Hickman et al. 2009).
Stylommatophora is the order of Guppya sterkii (BayScience Foundation, 2009). The main things that an organism needs to be classified into this order are: that it is air breathing, lives on land, has a long pedal gland, and retractile tentacles (BayScience Foundation, 2009).
The family that it is now a part of is Helicarionidae (ITIS Report, 2011). The traits that this land snail has that allowed it to be classified into this family are that is has a small, smooth shell with little to no sculpture (Hyman et al. 2007).
The genus for this snail is Guppya (ITIS
Report, 2011)
. There are quite a few traits that are needed to classify
an organism into this genus. These are that the organism
have a lower spire and that the whorls of the shell be spirally
striated or smooth (Hubricht,
1985). The mantle collar should have right and left
shell lobes (Hubricht,
1985). The foot must contain pedal grooves and the
tail projection must be located above the caudal pit (Hubricht,
1985). It must have a smooth, highly arched jaw along
with a lung that is 4.5 times the size of the kidney (Hubricht,
1985).
The species name also called the specific epithet is sterkii however this name is never written alone. It must be written along with the genus seen above to mean anything (Hickman et al. 2009). To be classified as this specific epithet, the snail must be 1.00-1.25mm and have a shell that has 3.5 whorls(Hubricht, 1985) .
Guppya sterkii also has two common names that it goes by which are Brilliant Granule and Sterki's granule (Wisconsin DNR, 2011).