Helicarionidae Explained

Helicarionidae is a family of air-breathing land snails or semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicarionoidea.

Distribution

The distribution of Helicarionidae includes the eastern Palearctic, Malagasy, India, south-eastern Asia, Hawaii, and Australia.

Anatomy

Species of snails within this family make and use love darts made of chitin.

In this family, the number of haploid chromosomes lies between 21 and 30 (according to the values in this table).^[1]

Taxonomy

The family Helicarionidae is nested within the limacoid clade, as shown in the following cladogram :^[2]

Genera

The following genera are recognised in the family Helicarionidae:^[3]

Subfamily Helicarioninae

• Amenixesta
• Antiquarion
• Attenborougharion
• Bathia
• Brevisentis
• Burnettia
• Caldwellia
• Chalepotaxis
• Colmanarion
• Ctenoglypta
• Ctenophila
• Cucullarion
• Dancea
• Delinitesta
• Dendrolamellaria
• Dendronitor
• Dupontia
• Echonitor
• Eddiella
• Einasleighana
• Elatonitor
• Ellarion
• Epiglypta
• Erepta
• Eufretum
• Expocystis
• Fastosarion
• Fenestrarion
• Fijia
• Gudeoconcha
• Harmogenanina
• Helicarion
• Howearion
• Irenella
• Kalidos
• Laconia
• Laocaia
• Levidens
• Limpidarion
• Luinarion
• Mistarion
• Montanocystis
• Mysticarion
• Nesonanina
• Nitor
• Pachystyla
• Palmervillea
• Parmacochlea
• Parmavitrina
• Parmella
• Parmellops
• Peloparion
• Periclocystis
• Petalochlamys
• Plegma
• Pravonitor
• Pseudophasis
• Pseudosaphtia
• Pseudosesara
• Quirosella
• Saphtia
• Sheaia
• Sigaloeista
• Sitalarion
• Stanisicarion
• Tarocystis
• Thularion
• Torrecystis
• Tropicystis
• Urazirochlamys
• Vanmolia
• Westracystis
• Zagmena

Subfamily Durgellinae Godwin-Austen, 1888

• tribe Durgellini Godwin-Austen, 1888
  • Aenigmatoconcha C. Tumpeesuwan & S. Tumpeesuwan, 2017
  • Austenia G. Nevill, 1878
  • Cryptaustenia Cockerell, 1891
  • Durgella Blanford, 1863 - type genus of the subfamily Durgellinae
  • Eurychlamys Godwin-Austen, 1899
  • Holkeion Godwin-Austen, 1908
  • Ibycus Heynemann, 1863
  • Muangnua Solem, 1966
  • Nesaecia Gude, 1911
  • Pseudaustenia Cockerell, 1891
  • Rasama Laidlaw, 1932
  • Rhyssotopsis Ancey, 1887
  • Rotungia Godwin-Austen, 1918
  • Satiella W. T. Blanford & Godwin-Austen, 1908
  • Sitala H. Adams, 1865
  • Sivella W.T. Blanford, 1863
  • Sophina Benson, 1859
  • Teraia Solem, 1966
• tribe Girasiini
  • Girasia Gray, 1855 - type genus of the tribe Girasiini
• Burmochlamys Pholyotha & Panha, 2022

Unplaced genera

• Advena Gude, 1913
• Apothapsia D. T. Holyoak & G. A. Holyoak, 2020
• Kermarion Iredale, 1944
• Ovachlamys Habe, 1946
• Pittoconcha Preston, 1913
• Ubiquitarion Hyman, Lamborena & Köhler, 2017

External links

• Video of a Helicarionid in Sulawesi

Notes and References

1. Book: G. M. Barker. The Biology of Terrestrial Molluscs. 2001. CABI. 978-0-85199-318-8. 139 .
2. Hausdorf B. (2000). "Biogeography of the Limacoidea sensu lato (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora): Vicariance Events and Long-Distance Dispersal". Journal of Biogeography 27(2): 379-390., JSTOR.
3. Web site: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Helicarionidae Bourguignat, 1877 . 2022-10-12 . www.marinespecies.org.