Kingdom Animalia Scientific name Helminthoglyptidae Higher classification Helicoidea | Superfamily Helicoidea Phylum Mollusca Rank Family | |
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Lower classifications Polymita, Sonorella, Franklin Mountain, Helminthoglypta, Eremarionta | ||
The Helminthoglyptidae are a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea.
Contents
This is a large and diverse group of new world snails, ranging in distribution from Alaska through North America to the West Indies, Central America, and as far south as Argentina.
The shells are typically of medium to large size, with no apertural teeth but usually with a reflected apertural lip.
Anatomy
In the species in this family, the diverticulum may be present or absent. They possess a single dart appartus with one stylophore (dart sac) and two mucus glands. These snails use the love dart as part of their mating behavior.
In this family, the number of haploid chromosomes lies between 26 and 30 (according to the values in this table).
Taxonomy
The basic nomenclature and taxonomy of this large and complex family of land snails has been the subject of many modifications, and the list of genera given here is applicable only when the family is broadly interpreted. Many of these snail genera have been placed by various authors in more restrictively defined families, such as: Cepolidae, Epiphragmophoridae, Humboldtianidae, Monadeniidae, and Xanthonychidae.
Subfamilies in the family Helminthoglyptidae include (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005):
Subfamily Helminthoglyptinae Pilsbry, 1939
Subfamily Sonorellinae Pilsbry, 1939: the diverticulum and the dart apparatus are absent.
Genera
Genera within the family Helminthoglyptidae include:
Helminthoglyptinae
tribe Helminthoglyptini, subtribe Helminthoglyptina
tribe Helminthoglyptini, subtribe Micrariontina
tribe Sonorelicini
Sonorellinae
subfamily ?