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. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.