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Ferrissia rivularis (Say, 1817)
Creeping Ancylid.; Stream Limpet
Family: Planorbidae
Introduction to the Molluscs of BC

Photograph

© Ian Gardiner     (Photo ID #69823)

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Distribution of Ferrissia rivularis in British Columbia in British Columbia

Introduction


Ferrissia rivularis, the Creeping Ancylid, in either of its ecophenotypical forms (see below), is widely distributed across North America (Basch, 1963; Burch et al, 1980). It is found across southern British Columbia from the Kootenays to Vancouver Island (Canadian Museum of Nature Collections; Royal BC Museum Collections).

Using molecular methods, Walther et al. (2010) showed that Ferrissia rivularis and Ferrissia parallela represent lotic and lentic ecophenotypes respectively of the same limpet species - with the name Ferrissia rivularis (Say, 1817) having priority over Ferrissia parallela (Haldemann, 1841).

The typically lotic ecophenotype is found attached to rocks and mussel shells in rivers and streams, and attached to rocks in exposed habitats in lakes. The typically lentic ecophenotype is found on vegetation in lakes, swamps, and slow-flowing rivers. It is often found on the stems of cattails and sedges, and on the undersides of lily pads (Clarke, 1981).

Note Author: Ian Gardiner.

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)		COSEWIC
NativeS5?YellowNot Listed



BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Ancylus parallelus Haldeman, 1841
Ferrissia parallela (Haldeman, 1841)
Ferrissia parallelus (Haldeman, 1841)

Additional Range and Status Information Links

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Species References

Basch, P. F. 1963. A review of the recent freshwater limpet snails of North America (Mollusca: Pulmonata). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 129 (8): 399-461

Burch, J. B. & J. L. Tottenham 1980. North American freshwater snails. Walkerana 1 (3): 81-215

Canadian Museum of Nature Collections, available online http://collections.nature.ca/en/Search/Index

Clarke, A. H. 1981. The freshwater molluscs of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario: 446pp.

Royal BC Museum Collections, available online. http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Invertebratezoology

Walther, A. C., Burch, J.B. & D. Ó Foighil 2010. Molecular phylogenetic revision of the freshwater limpet genus Ferrissia (Planorbidae: Ancylidae) in North America yields two species: Ferrissia (Ferrissia) rivularis and Ferrissia (Kincaidilla) fragilis. Malacologia 53 (1): 25-45.

General References

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