Sphincterochilidae Explained

Sphincterochilidae is a taxonomic family of medium-sized air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

In the fossil record, Sphincterochilidae are known from the upper Eocene to the Holocene.^[1]

Distribution

The distribution of Sphincterochilidae includes the western-Palearctic zone.^[2]

Taxonomy

The following two subfamilies have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):

• subfamily Sphincterochilinae Zilch, 1960 (1910) - synonyms: Calcarinidae Pallary, 1909^[3] (inv.); Albeidae Pallary, 1910.^[4] Sphincterochilidae is a conserved name to take the priority of Leucochroidae Westerlund, 1886.^{[5] [6]}
• subfamily † Pseudoleptaxinae H. Nordsieck, 1986^[7]

Genera

Genera within the family Sphincterochilidae include:

Sphincterochilinae

• † Asensidea Calzada, 2003
• Sphincterochila Ancey, 1887 - type genus of the family Sphincterochilidae

† Pseudoleptaxinae

• † Dentellocaracolus Oppenheim, 1890
• † Fridolinia Pilsbry, 1895 †
• † Pseudoleptaxis Pilsbry, 1895^[8] - type genus o the subfamily Pseudoleptaxinae
• † Wenzia Pfeffer, 1930

Ecology

Sphincterochilidae land snails are xerothermophilous, i.e. they are well adapted to hot, arid places.^[1]

References

• Bank, R. A. (2017). Classification of the Recent terrestrial Gastropoda of the World. Last update: July 16, 2017.

Notes and References

1. http://www.animalbase.uni-goettingen.de/zooweb/servlet/AnimalBase/home/family?id=43 "Family summary for Sphincterochilidae"
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. [Paul Maurice Pallary|Pallary P. M.]
4. Pallary P. M. (1910). "Catalogue de la faune malacologique de l'Egypte. Additions et corrections". Mémoires présentés à l'Institut Égyptien 6(2): 177-182. page 178.
5. Bouchet P. & Rocroi J. P. (2004). "Thebini Wenz, 1923, Monachainae Wenz, 1930 (1904), and Sphincterochilidae Zilch, 1960 (1910): proposed conservation (Mollusca, Gastropoda)". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 61(3): 154-161.
6. [International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature|ICZN]
7. Nordsieck H. (1986). "Das System der tertiären Helicoidea Mittel- und Westeuropas (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora)". Heldia 1(4): 109-120, plates 15-17. page 116.
8. Tryon G. W. & Pilsbry H. A. (1894). Manual of Conchology (2)9: 294.