Morphometrics of two Tylomelania gastropods from the Pattunuang River, Maros, South Sulawesi

Abstract

Abstract Sulawesi Island in the Wallacea bioregion, Indonesia, has a rich aquatic fauna, with many endemic species including freshwater snail radiations. Variations in shell morphometry can reflect diversity, distribution, interactions with other species and their environment. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe morphometric characters of gastropods from the Pattunuang Maros River, South Sulawesi. Samples were collected using a belt transect method and environmental parameters were recorded during sampling. The 87 snails collected comprised three morphotypes; two were identified as members of the Sulawesi endemic genus Tylomelania : T. wallacei (density 0.183 ind/m 2 ) and T. perfecta (density 0.178 ind/m 2 ). Morphomeristic characters measured were shell length, shell width, shell aperture length and width, body whorl length, numbers of axial and spiral ribs and whorls in the spire, and the spire angle. Regression analyses showed moderate to strong (R 2 0.73 − 0.95) allometric negative correlation between wet weight (W) and shell length, and between W and spire angle. Condition factor analyses indicate that, under the environmental conditions in the Pattunuang River, T. perfecta shell weight increased faster with length and with spire angle compared to T. wallacei , likely due to the greater shell thickness in T. perfecta .

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