Origin of Name
The scientific name of this terrestrial snail is Daedalochila peninsulae. It also currently goes by the common name of St. Johns Liptooth.
Knowledge of the Latin and Greek roots of an organisms name
can aid in the understanding of the characteristics of the
organism. Daedalochila peninsulae can be broken down into the
words roots "Daedal", "Chila", "Paene", and "Insula".
"Daedal"=intricate, skillful, and ingenious (Websters
Revised Unabridged Dictionary 2008), and describes
the structure of the shell.
"Chila"=lip (Bellamy 1986), and refers to the unique structure of the
snail's aperture.
"Paene", meaning almost, and "Insula", meaning island (Merriam-Webster
2012),
combine to form "almost island", describing the peninsular
Habitat where this snail was
discovered.
The common name, St. John's Liptooth, can be broken down to
reveal its meaning as well. St. John's is used because of a
location of discovery, St. Johns County, Florida.
"Liptooth" is used to describe the unique structure of the
aperture of this snail.
"Liptooth" is used similarly here as "Chila" is in its
scientific name; they each refer to the organisms unique
aperture.
Classification
Domain: Eukarya
-classified by having membrane bound organelles and
genetic material contained in a nucleus
Kingdom: Animalia
-classified by being heterotrophic and multicellular
Phylum: Mollusca
-classified by having a soft coelomate body with a
muscular foot, visceral mass, and a mantle
Class: Gastropoda
-classified by having one shell made of calcium
carbonate, and showing coiling and torsion
Order: Stylommatophora
-classified by having a long pedal gland under the
membrane and retractable tentacles (Reference.com
2012)
Family: Polygyridae
-classified by a lack of a dark apparatus, aka love
dart (BayScience
Foundation 2012). Also, the muscles which allow the eyes and
pharynx to be retraced are joined in a single band and the jaws
are ribbed (BayScience
Foundation 2012).
Genus: Daedalochila (common name: Liptooth)
-classified by being "small" snails (only about
one-half inch), with apertures that have small openings.
Species: Daedalochila peninsulae (common name: St.
John's Liptooth)
-classified by having an extended parietal callus
and basal lip tooth, which helps form the "Liptooth". In
addition, it has been photographed as a caramel brown colored
shell that is 7-8mm in diameter with a short spire (jaxshells.org
2010).
Classification was aided by the information provided by the
Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Continue to Habitat to find where
this snail live!
Or return to the Homepage.