Kingdom Animalia Scientific name Vertiginidae Rank Family | Superfamily Pupilloidea Phylum Mollusca | |
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Lower classifications Vertigo, Desmoulin's whorl snail, Vertigo angustior, Vertigo ovata, Vertigo ventricosa | ||
Vertiginidae, common name the whorl snails, is a family of minute, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs or micromollusks in the superfamily Pupilloidea.
Contents
Distribution
The distribution of the Vertiginidae is in the Northern Hemisphere: North America (60 species), Eurasia (30 species), North and central Africa (3-5 species). That gives a total of approximately 93-95 species.
Ecology
Snails in this family inhabit habitats ranging from forests to semi-open and open habitats with various different kinds of substrate cover, vegetation and humidity. They feed on microflora - bacteria and fungi - growing on dead and living plants.
Taxonomy
The following three subfamilies were recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):
Genera
Genera in the family Vertiginidae include:
Subfamily Vertigininae
Tribe Vertiginini
Tribe Truncatellinini
Subfamily Gastrocoptinae
Subfamily Nesopupinae
Subfamily ?