• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.81-90
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• 2012

The neritid species Clithon retropictus inhabits rivers and estuaries along the southern coast of the Korean mainland but has not been previously reported from Jeju Island. In 2007 and 2011 specimens of this species were obtained from two separate localities on the south coast of the island. Comparisons were made with von Martens' original description, specimens from the Korean mainland, and illustrations and descriptions in the literature. Although there were some differences in color and markings, and slight differences in morphology, the specimens from Jeju Island compare well with those from the mainland and in the literature. The shells of this species become more ovate and more eroded with age. In one locality, a small river, specimens of the pleurocerid Semisulcospira libertina (Gould, 1859), were found adjacent to, and coexisting with, a population of C. retropictus, an association that often occurs. The occurrence of Clithon retropictus represents a range extension to Jeju Island.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.127-140
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• 2021

At the estuaries of Bonggang and Miryong streams in the Korean southern coast, the spatiotemporal distribution and habitat environment of a nerite snail, Clithon retropictum (Gastropoda: Neritidae), which has been assigned as a legally protected species of Korea, were explored. Physicochemical environmental factors such as water temperature, salinity, tidal level distribution as well as biotic environments (chlorophyll-a concentration and epilithic microalgae composition) were monitored every month. The relationships between the environmental factors and spatiotemporal distribution of the nerite snail population were analyzed. Water temperature, salinity, and water level varied by season and lunar tidal rhythm. The spatiotemporal distribution of the nerite snail was mostly related to water salinity. Among epilithic algae which were the priority prey of snails, blue-green algae and green algae dominated in summer and autumn, while diatoms predominated during winter and spring. Chlorophyll-a concentration was highly and positively correlated with the population density of the nerite snail. The correlation coefficients were different depending on the taxon (Family) of epilithic algae. The mean population density was 302.2 inds m^-2 and 271.8 inds m^-2 in Bonggang Stream and Miryong Stream, respectively. The egg capsules of the nerite snail in the two habitats were observed from March (in Bonggang Stream) or April (in Miryong Stream) to August, and newly hatched juveniles recruited in the habitats from August were assessed with regard to frequency distributions of shell width. The occurrence of large-sized snails in upper stream reaches of both Bonggang and Miryong indicated the movement of spats from the mouth to the upper reaches during the whole life cycle.