Dear Ross,
Brotia (Brotia) costula  (Rafinesque, l833), is a large and widespread snail
in the family Thiaridae (?).
The best description I have is in Archiv fur Molluskenkunde 105, I-IV,
1-423, The Non Marine Aquatic Mollusca of Thailand by Rolf A. Brandt.
To briefly summarise this -
This is an extremely variable species and also the largest Brotia. There are
a great many synonyms and a wide distribution from North India, Burma, South
China, continental South East Asia to Sumatra, Java and Borneo. It occupies
many different habitats.
Brandt recognises 3 races:
Brotia costula costula (Rafinesque 1833)
               varicosa (Troschel 1837)
               peninsularis Brandt l974
Synonyms for costula costula include
variabilis Benson
herculea Gould
indica Souleyet
corrugata Reeve
jullieni Deshayes
peguensis Morelet
Brandts description reads;
Shell large for family and genus; it is the largest representative of the
family in Thailand and one of the largest freshwater species of the
superfamily. Shell elongately turreted, solid to thick, covered with a dark
brownish or olive-brown periderm. The apex is generally truncate thus
leaving 4-8 of the 9-12 whorls. The sculpture consists of numerous spiral
grooves which are weaker on the upper half of the body whorl and may be even
obsolete on the middle and postnuclear whorls. The upper spiral ridges may
carry nodules which, when developed, mat appear as short spines. The axial
ribs are more or less strongly developed; they never attain the suture and
do not reach beyond the periphery of the body whorl. The variability with
regard to size shape and costulation caused Bensons choice of the name. The
shells are either unicoloured or show 1 - 3 brown spiral bands. - Aperture
brown or milky white within. Peristome greatly produced at the base. -
Operculum almost circular, with 5 whorls.
Size A 55-74mm; D 22-31mm
Animal dark grey with orange ot yellow pigment spots. Females with many
small conical embryonic shells in the brood pouch. The reproductive organs
of the male (about 3% in examined populations seem to have no functional
gonads. Rhachis with narrow glabella and large middle cusp on the cutting
edge. On either side of it are 2 curved, finger shaped small cusps. The
irregularly shaped laterals have the cusp formula 1-1-1(2), the marginals
have 2 cusps.
Type locality River Ganges.
There is a lot more information if needed in this paper.
Of interest costula peninsularis has been reported as infected with
cercariae of Paragonimus westermani in Malaysia, but not in Thailand.
Let me know if you need any more.
I will also forward this to Stanley.
Regards
Geoff


>From: Ross Mayhew <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Conchologists of America List <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Anyone ever heard of Brotia costula??
>Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2001 01:40:37 +0000
>
>I have a request for information about the Malaysian land snail Brotia
>costula:
>anyone know anything about this beast?
>
>From the Great White AND Wet north,
>Ross.

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