Classification- Who are they?
This page includes a break down of the specific classification of snails represented by the species Mesodon trossulus, and why they fall into each level of the classification system. Each specific level reveals more information and a few detailed characteristics of this particular type of snail.
Domain: Eukarya - Mesodon trossulus have a membrane bound nucleus (in contrast to prokaryotes with no membrane bound nuclei) (Hickman et. al., 2012).
Kingdom: Animalia- Mesodon trossulus are multicellular and heterotrophic (Hickman et. al, 2012), which is what makes them a part of the animal kingdom.
Phylum: Mollusca- Mesodon trossulus have the distinctive characteristic of a soft body (Hickman et. al., 2012), for which they are characterized in the Phylum Mollusca.
Class: Gastropoda- Mesodon trossulus exhibit a shell which is common in most gastropods. Also, they have undergone torsion, a characteristic specific to gastropods. (Hickman et. al., 2012),
Order: Stylommatophora- Mesodon trossulus are characteristic of (subgroup) pulmonates, which are air breathing land snails. They also exhibit eyes that are positioned at the ends of the tentacles. These characteristics are what make them part of the order Stylommatophora.
Family: Polygyridae- Mesodon trossulus are characterized by anatomical features such as ribbed jaws and lack of the dart apparatus (a structure used in reproduction seen in a few types of land snails), which are representations seen in the family Polygyridae.
Genus: Mesodon- Mesodon trossulus are characterized by a large, spherical, cone-shaped shell to represent the specific genus Mesodon(Pilsbry, 1940).
Scientific Species Name: Mesodon Trossulus
Common Name: Dandy Globelet
Special Note: Originally the Mesodon trossulus was classified as a subspecies of Mesodon clausus, with further review it was promoted to a species rank. However any characteristics pertaining to Mesodon clausus are closely associated with those of Mesodon trossulus.