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Species of gastropod From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xerocrassa simulata is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Geomitridae.[1] It is endemic to southern Spain, specifically adapted to dry Mediterranean climates. Like other land snails, it undergoes a life cycle that includes egg laying, hatching of juveniles, shell development, and reproductive maturity as adults. These snails play a crucial role in their ecosystem by recycling nutrients and serving as prey for various predators, highlighting their ecological significance in their native habitat.[2]
| Xerocrassa simulata | |
|---|---|
| |
| Shell of Xerocrassa simulata | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Geomitridae |
| Genus: | Xerocrassa |
| Species: | X. simulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Xerocrassa simulata Ehrenberg, 1831 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
This species is common in the deserts and semideserts of the levantine region. Morphology varies greatly with locality.[3]
The size of the egg of this species is 2.6 × 2.1 mm.[4]
Xerocrassa simulata (XS) exhibits a dietary preference for plant litter, distinguishing it from other desert snail species that primarily consume biological soil crust (biocrusts). In laboratory conditions, XS produces approximately 0.5 ± 0.1 mg of mucus per mg of body mass daily. Despite its dietary preference, XS mucus significantly affects biocrust activity through its deposition. The mucus increased CO2 efflux in both cyanobacteria-dominated and lichen/moss-dominated biocrusts, with consistent effects across different biocrust types (Hedges d effect sizes ranging from 1.28 to 1.44). For cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts, XS mucus enhanced CO2 efflux by 106% compared to controls. These findings suggest that XS mucus acts as a potent stimulator of biocrust activity, regardless of the snail's primary diet or the specific biocrust community composition[5]
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