Sarnia frumentum (Petit de Saussaye, 1842)

Araya, Juan Francisco & Catalan, Ricardo, 2014, A review of the non-bulimulid terrestrial Mollusca from the Region of Atacama, northern Chile, ZooKeys 398, pp. 33-51 : 38

Sarnia frumentum (Petit de Saussaye, 1842) Table 2

Auricula frumentum Petit de Saussaye, 1842: 105-106; Reeve 1878, vol. 20, Auricula, pl. 4, fig. 23. Auricula avena Petit de Saussaye, 1842: 106; Reeve 1878, vol. 20, Auricula, pl. 4, fig. 24. Melampus avena Dall, 1909: 204. Sarnia frumentum Keen, 1971: 850, fig. 2418; Marincovich 1973: 41, figs 92, 94; Paredes et al. 2005: 70, fig. 2.

Material examined.

Aguas Verdes (26°52'S, 70°48'W), Commune of Caldera, August 2011, JFA 100502, 15 specimens.

Diagnosis.

This is one of the smallest terrestrial snails found in northern Chile. They have small (up to about 7 mm) whitish-orangish shells, of subcylindrical shape, with a simple and sharp aperture, with three plyes in the columellar side.

Distribution and remarks.

This species has been cited from El Callao, Peru to Chañaral, Chile ( Paredes et al. 2005). This is the southernmost record for this species in Chile. It has been found that this species feeds on remains of birds, fishes and sea urchins ( Paredes et al. 2005).