Thiaridae Explained

Thiaridae, common name thiarids or trumpet snails, is a family of tropical freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cerithioidea.^[1]

Taxonomy

Many species of freshwater snails that are characterized by a turreted shell were originally placed within the genus Melania Lamarck, 1799. This genus as delimited by authors of the late 19th and early 20th century contained hundreds of species, and was successively split into different groupings.^[2] Over time, infrageneric groups (subgenera) were elevated to the rank of independent genera and the genus Melania was elevated to the rank of a family, Melanidae.^[3]

However, the genus name Melania Lamarck, 1799 was demonstrated to be a junior synonym of the genus name Thiara Röding, 1798. Consequently, the family had to be renamed Thiaridae. Moreover, the Melanidae as traditionally circumscribed were found to be polyphyletic, containing species from many different groups, which were successively recognized as distinct families, such as the Pachychilidae, Semisulcospiridae, Pleuroceridae, Melanopsidae, and Paludomidae. Therefore, the Thiaridae as currently circumscribed contain fewer species than the Melaniidae.^[4]

Distribution

This family of snails is found worldwide, and are particularly diverse in the tropics and subtropics.

Ecology

These snails are freshwater inhabitants of temperate and warm zones.

Thiaridae are partly viviparous, partly ovoviviparous.Many, but not all species are parthenogenetic.^[4]

Genera

Genera in the family Thiaridae include:

Subfamily Thiarinae Gill, 1871 (1823)

• Balanocochlis Fischer, 1885 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=445494&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock
  • Balanocochlis glandiformis
  • Balanocochlis glans
• Culenmelania Z.-X. Qian, J. Yang, Y. Lu & J. He, 2012
• † Kumania Ota, 1960
• Melanoides Olivier, 1804
• Mieniplotia Low & Tan, 2014
• Neoradina Brandt, 1974
• † Pachymelania E. A. Smith, 1893: synonym of † Pachychiloides Wenz, 1939 (junior homonym of Pachymelania E. A. Smith, 1893; Pachychiloides Wenz, 1939 is a replacement name)
• Plotia Röding, 1798: synonym of Pyramidella Lamarck, 1799
• Plotiopsis Brot, 1874^[5] - Plotiopsis balonnensis (Conrad, 1850)
• Ripalania Iredale, 1943
• Sermyla Adams, 1854
• Stenomelania Fischer, 1885 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Tree&id=145875&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock
• Tarebia H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854
• Thiara Röding, 1798 - type genus of the family Thiaridae, synonym: Melania Lamarck, 1799

Not assigned to a subfamily:

• † Brotiopsis K. Suzuki, 1943
• † Coptostylus F. Sandberger, 1872
• † Cornetia Munier-Chalmas in Fischer et al., 1885
• † Ellinoria Van Damme & Pickford, 2003
• Fijidoma Morrison, 1952
• † Hannatoma Olsson, 1931
• † Heynderycxia Van Damme & Pickford, 2003
• † Juramelanatria Bandel, 1991
• † Juramelanoides Bandel, 1991
• Longiverena Pilsbry & Olsson, 1935
• † Melabrina Stache, 1880
• † Melanotarebia Bandel & Kowalke, 1997^[6]
• † Pseudopyrgula Wenz, 1928
• † Ptychomelania Sacco, 1895
• † Sengoeria Harzhauser, Mandic, Büyükmeriç, Neubauer, Kadolsky & Landau, 2016
• † Sinomelania Yen, 1936
• † Siragimelania Suzuki, 1940
• † Tianjinospira Youluo, 1978
• Verena H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854
• † Yoshimonia Ota, 1960

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference^[7]

Further reading

• Glaubrecht M., Brinkmann N. & Pöppe J. (2009). "Diversity and disparity down under: Systematics, biogeography and reproductive modes of the marsupial freshwater Thiaridae (Caenogastropoda, Cerithioidea) in Australia". Zoosystematics and Evolution 85(2): 199–275.

Notes and References

1. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Thiaridae Gill, 1871 (1823). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=196287 on 2021-07-28
2. Brot A. (1874-79). Die Melaniaceen (Melanidae) in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen. Nürnberg, Bauer & Raspe.
3. Thiele J. (1929). Teil 1. Loricata; Gastropoda: Prosobranchia. Handbuch der Systematischen Weichtierkunde. Jena, Gustav Fischer Verlag. 1: 1-376.
4. Glaubrecht M. (1996). Evolutionsökologie und Systematik am Beispiel von Süß- und Brackwasserschnecken (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Cerithioidea): Ontogenese-Strategien, paläontologische Befunde und historische Zoogeographie. Leiden, Backhuys.
5. Bouchet, P. (2016). Plotiopsis Brot, 1874. In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=818487 on 2017-11-20
6. Bandel K. & Kowalke T. (1997). "Eocene Melanotarebia n.g. and its relation among modern Thiaridae (Caenogastropoda: Cerithioidea)". N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Mh., Stuttgart 11: 683-695, 10 figs. abstract .
7. http://www.animalbase.uni-goettingen.de/zooweb/servlet/AnimalBase/home/family?id=93 "Family summary for Thiaridae"