Abstract

MIQUEL, Sergio E; TURIENZO, Paola  and  DI IORIO, Osvaldo R. Gastropod species found in birds' nests from Argentina. Rev. Mus. Argent. Cienc. Nat. [online]. 2015, vol.17, n.1, pp.87-96. ISSN 1853-0400.

Bird's nests are specialized habitats that are inhabited by a diverse suite of invertebrates, such as insects, spiders, pseudoscorpions, and ticks. This study presents a list of gastropods found in birds' nests from Argentina for the first time. A total of 138 specimens of gastropods, belonging to 11 species, 10 genera and 8 families of snails were present in the nests of 42 birds from 6 families in 6 provinces in Argentina. Fifty eight specimens of the snail Pupisoma latens of different sizes were found alive in a nest, representing a new habitat for this species, which has been previously described from the aerial parts of trees. The remaining species were represented by dead specimens (fragments or empty shells), which can be tentatively attributed to bird diets. Among these, the most abundant species were Bulimulus bonariensis bonariensis and Succinea meridionalis, both as pre-adults. The nests Anumbius annumbi and Furnarius rufus from the province of Buenos Aires had the highest number of specimens. Freshwater snails (Heleobia parchappii, Biomphalaria sp., and Drepanotrema sp.) comprised 13% of the snail species found.

Keywords : Mollusks; Aquatic gastropods; Landsnails; Pupisoma; Birds; Nest inhabitants; Diet.

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