Small Freshwater
Snailsby John Walsby
The freshwater musselsare the largest molluscs found in our lakes and rivers. There
are some other bivalves but they are very small and difficult
to find in their muddy habitats. The most common molluscs are
small snails with pointed spires that live on stones, mud, weed,
and logs at the water's edge grazing the broths and slimes of
microscopic algae that grow on these surfaces.
The commonest, Potamopyrgus
antipodarum, is often found away from strong water flow, often
in densities of several hundred per square metre. They grow to
10mm tall but are usually smaller and vary in colour from tan
to dark brown. Many of the snails have a spiral crown, or corolla,
of bristles protruding from the shell.
The largest native
freshwater snail Melanopsis trifasciata, grows to 30mm tall. Adults
often have the spire tip broken clean off, exposing the white
shell below its shiny black covering. Melanopsis is found on and
under stones. It shuns bright light but may be found in the open
where there is dense overhanging vegetation.
Did you know that limpets
are found in freshwater as well as on the seashore ? The commonest
and largest freshwater limpet Latia neritoides reaches 10mm in
diameter and is found throughout the North Island. As with marine
limpets, the embryo shell is coiled, but the adult spiral twists
so slowly that the shiny flat shell forms a simple cone.
The smooth, streamline
shells of both marine and freshwater limpets allow these grazers
to colonise places where swift water movements would dislodge
other snails. Latia can often be found most easily by running
your hand over smooth stones which are slippery with algal slimes,
in briskly flowing streams.
This limpet is unique
among freshwater snails in New Zealand in glowing in the dark.
Take a couple home
and keep them in the refrigerator on a white saucer with just
a tablespoon of water. At night, with the lights out, enjoy their
spectacular light show. Under their shells, the limpets bodies
glow bright greenish yellow and, if you move them, a trail of
luminescent mucus spreads into the water.
