Thanks Paul, we really appreciate the info.!
 
If you have a second can you tell us if there is a way to distinguish an air
breathing snail from a gilled snail by simple examination of external
morphology -- or by looking at a diagram for that matter.
 
Mike
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Monfils <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thursday, February 19, 1998 8:50 AM
Subject: Gastropods -Reply
 
 
>Air Br. in this context undoubtedly means air breathing snails (land
>snails and various intertidal and marsh snails fall into this
>category, as well as some fresh water snails) - these forms do not
>have gills, and instead breath by means of a specialized mantle
>cavity which acts (more or less) like a primitive lung.  There is
>plenty written on dextral and sinistral ("right-handed" and
>"left-handed") snails, but I don't know what your notations "left
>whorl" and "right whorl" might mean here, because there is no
>correlation between direction of shell spiral and method of
>respiration.
>
>Paul M.
>