Tomichia is a genus of very small freshwater snails which have a gill and an operculum, gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs in the family Tomichiidae.Rosenberg, G. (2010). Tomichia Benson, 1851. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=405098 on 2011-04-04
Distribution The distribution of the genus Tomichia includes South AfricaKameda Y. & Kato M. (2011). "Terrestrial invasion of pomatiopsid gastropods in the heavy-snow region of the Japanese Archipelago". BMC Evolutionary Biology 11: 118. . and Eastern Zaire. Tomichia is the only genus of Pomatiopsidae in Africa.
Ecology This genus occurs is both freshwater and brackish water. There exist halophilic species of Tomichia which live in saline lakes such as Tomichia ventricosa.Brown D. S. (1994). Freshwater Snails of Africa and their Medical Importance. Taylor & Francis. .
Species Brown (1994) recognized 10 species (7 in South Africa and 3 in Central Africa) and one undescribed species. Kameda & Kato (2011) recognized 11 species of Tomichia.
Species within the genus Tomichia include: Tomichia cawstoni Connolly, 1939 Tomichia differens Connolly, 1939 Tomichia guillemei Leloup, 1953 Tomichia hendrickxi (Verdcourt, 1950) Tomichia kivuensis Mandahl-Barth, 1974 Tomichia natalensis Connolly, 1939 Tomichia rogersi (Connolly, 1929) Tomichia tristis (Morelet, 1889)WoRMS (2010). Tomichia tristis. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=405099 on 2011-04-04 - critically endangeredKristensen T. K., Stensgaard A-S. & Appleton C. (2007). Tomichia tristis. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 30 May 2011. Tomichia ventricosa (Reeve, 1842) - type species Tomichia zwellendamensis (Küster, 1852) (?)Tomichia n.sp. - reported by Cohen (1986) from Lake Turkana
References
External links Davis G. M. (1981). "Different Modes of Evolution and Adaptive Radiation in the Pomatiopsidae (Prosobranchia: Mesogastropoda)". Malacologia 21(1-2): 209-262. Verdcourt B. (1951). "The distribution of the genus Tomichia Benson in Africa". Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines 44: 173-174. Verdcourt B. (1960). "A further collection of Tomichia hendrickxi (Verdcourt) from the Belgian Congo". Basteria 24: 3.