Classification:

 

Common name: Tiny liptooth

Scientific name: Lobosculum pustuloides    

             

Domain: Eukarya                                                                   

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Order: Stylommatophora

Family: Polygyridae

Genus: Lobosculum

Species: Lobosculum pustuloides

 

Domain Eukarya Lobosculum pustuloides is classified into the domain Eukarya because the cells are eukaryotic.  Each cell in Lobosculum pustuloides contains organelles located within a membrane (Hickman et al, 2009).

Kingdom Animalia:  The Kingdom Animalia is a diverse group that is characterized by cells that do not have a cell wall and instead have only a cell membrane. Lobosculum pustuloides also is a multicellular, heterotrophic organism (Hickman et al, 2009).

Phylum Mollusca Animals in the phylum Mollusca all have coeloms allowing the organisms to have a hyrdrostatic skeleton and allows them to have a place of attachment for any internal organs and mesenteries.  A soft body is another characteristic of mollusks, most of which are then protected by a hard calcium-containing shell.  The body plan of mollusks is split into three different regions: the head-foot, the visceral mass, and the mantle.  The head-foot is the location of motor and sensory organs.  The visceral mass is the region of any internal organs and the mantle is a tissue layer that encloses the visceral mass and secretes a shell (Hickman et al, 2009).

Class Gastropoda:  Class Gastropoda includes snails, slugs, alabone, whelks, and periwinkles.  Gastropods are classified by undergoing torsion, a process that results in the twisting of visceral mass so that the anus is near the head.  Undergoing torsion allows the animal to have only one small region that is not protected by a shell.  Some organisms experience detorsion and therefore have the mouth and anus at opposite ends of the body.  They are named gastropods because it appears as if they move along on their stomach (Hickman et al, 2009).

Order Stylommatophora:  This order includes land-dwelling, air-breathing snails and slugs.  Two characters that distinguish the order Stylommatorphora include a long pedal gland that is located under a membrane and two pairs of retractile tentacles (Nordsieck).

Family Polygyridae:  Polygyrid snails are classified together because of three characters.  The first is a missing dart apparatus that is normally used in courtship.  The second is that the muscles that allow the eyes and pharynx to be retracted have formed into one band instead of being two separate bands of muscle.  The last is that their jaws are ribbed. (Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)

Genus Lobosculum:  Lobosculum species are few species of land snail that are air-breathing.  They are small organisms as compared to other land snails; measuring 4-6 millimeters.  Thus far there are three species in the genus Lobosculum: Lobosculum pustuloides, Lobosculum leporinum and Lobosculum pustula (Biodiversity Institute of Ontario).

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