Urocyclidae Explained

Urocyclidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, semi-slugs and land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicarionoidea.^[1]

Some species within this family make and use love darts before mating.

Distribution

The Urocyclidae are distributed in the Afrotropical realm, including Madagascar, the Comores and the islands of the Gulf of Guinea.^[2]

Taxonomy

The family Urocyclidae consists of 3 subfamilies:

• subfamily Rhysotininae Schileyko, 2002
• subfamily Sheldoniinae Connolly, 1925 (1912)^[3] - synonyms: Peltatinae Godwin-Austen, 1912;^[4] Trochonanininae Connolly, 1912;^[5] Trochozonitinae Iredale, 1914;^[6] Ledoulxiinae Pilsbry, 1919;^[7] Gymnarionidae Von Mol, 1970;^[8] Rhysotinidae Schileyko, 2002; Zonitarionini Schileyko, 2002; Acantharionini Schileyko, 2002
• subfamily Urocyclinae Simroth, 1889
  • tribe Urocyclini Simroth, 1889 - synonyms: Atoxonini Schileyko, 2002; Buettneriini Schileyko, 2002
  • tribe Dendrolimacini Van Goethem, 1977^[9]
  • tribe Leptichnini Van Goethem, 1977
  • tribe Upembellini Van Goethem, 1977

Genera

The following genera are recognised in the family Urocyclidae:

unsorted

• † Koruella Pickford, 2009

Subfamily Rhysotininae

• Rhysotina Ancey, 1887

Subfamily Sheldoniinae

• Acantharion Binder & Tillier, 1985
• Africarion Godwin-Austen, 1883
• Amatarion Van Mol, 1970
• Angustivestis Pilsbry, 1919
• Aspidelus Morelet, 1884
• Aspidotomium Degner, 1932
• Belonarion Pilsbry, 1919
• Bloyetia Bourguignat, 1890
• Camerunarion Van Mol, 1970
• Carinazingis van Bruggen & de Winter, 1990
• Centrafricarion Van Mol, 1970^[8]
• Chlamydarion Van Mol, 1968
• Colparion Laidlaw, 1938
• Degneria Verdcourt, 1956
• Entagaricus Pilsbry, 1919
• Estria Poirier, 1887
• Falloonella Preston, 1914
• Fuellebornia Verdcourt, 1998
• Granularion Germain, 1912
• Gymnarion Pilsbry, 1919
• †Hamya Bourguignat, 1885
• Kerkophorus Godwin-Austen, 1912
• Lacrimarion Connolly, 1939
• Malagarion Tillier, 1979
• Mesafricarion Pilsbry, 1919
• Microkerkus Godwin-Austen, 1912
• Montanobloyetia Verdcourt, 1961
• Morrumbalia Verdcourt, 1998
• Paragranularion Van Mol, 1970
• Percivalia Preston, 1914
• Plicatonanina Verdcourt, 1961
• Principicochlea D. Holyoak & G. Holyoak, 2020
• Principitrochoidea D. Holyoak & G. Holyoak, 2020
• Ptilototheca Herbert, 2016
• Rhopalogonium Degner, 1932
• Selatodryas Herbert, 2017
• Senegalarion Van Mol, 1970
• Sheldonia Ancey, 1887 - the type genus of the subfamily Sheldoniinae^[10]
• Sjostedtina Verdcourt, 1961
• Sylvarion Van Mol, 1970
• Thapsia Albers, 1860
• Thielarion Van Mol, 1970
• Thomithapsia D. Holyoak & G. Holyoak, 2020
• Thomitrochoidea D. Holyoak & G. Holyoak, 2020
• Tresia Van Goethem, 1975
• Trochonanina Mousson, 1869
• Trochozonites Pfeffer, 1883
• Tropidocochlion Verdcourt, 1998
• Verdcourtia Van Mol, 1970
• Verrucarion Van Mol, 1970^[11]
• Zingis E. von Martens, 1878
• Zonitarion Pfeffer, 1883

Subfamily UrocyclinaeTribe Dendrolimacini

• Dendrolimax Heynemann, 1868 - the type genus of the tribe Dendrolimacini

Tribe Leptichnini

• Leptichnus Simroth, 1896 - the type genus of the tribe Leptichnini

Tribe Upembellini

• Leptichnoides Van Goethem, 1975
• Upembella Van Goethem, 1969 - the type genus of the tribe Upembellini

tribe Urocyclini

• Anisotoxon Van Goethem, 1975
• Atoxon Simroth, 1888
• Atoxonoides Van Goethem, 1973
• Atrichotoxon Simroth, 1910
• Buettneria Simroth, 1910^[12]
• Bukobia Simroth, 1896
• Elisolimax Cockerell, 1893
• Emphysetes Verdcourt, 2003
• Microcyclus Simroth, 1896
• Nupnus Van Goethem, 1975
• Pembatoxon Van Goethem, 1975
• Phaneroporus Simroth, 1888
• Polytoxon Simroth, 1897
• Pseudatoxon Van Goethem, 1975
• Tanzalimax Rowson, Paustian & Van Goethem, 2017
• Trichotoxon Simroth, 1888
• Udzungwalimax Rowson, Paustian & Van Goethem, 2017
• Urocyclus Gray, 1864 - the type genus of the family Urocyclidae

Cladogram

The following cladogram shows the phylogenic relationship of this family to other families in the limacoid clade:^[13]

Notes and References

1. Web site: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Urocyclidae Simroth, 1889 . 2024-08-19 . www.marinespecies.org.
2. Book: Herbert, Dai. Field guide to the land snails and slugs of eastern south Africa. 2004. Natal Museum. Pietermaritzburg :Natal Museum. 0-620-32415-5. 1st. Kilburn, Dick .
3. Connolly (1925). Annals and Magazine of Natural History (9)15: 467.
4. Godwin-Austen H. H. (1912). "A review of South-African Land-Mollusca belonging to the Family Zonitidae". Annals and Magazine of Natural History (8)9: 122-139. Plate 1-7. p. 124.
5. Connolly (1912). Annals of the South African Museum 11(3): 101.
6. Iredale (1914). Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 11(2): 122.
7. Pilsbry H. A. (1919). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 40: 245.
8. Van Mol J. J. (1970). "Révision des Urocyclidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Pulmonata). Anatomie - systématique - zoogéographie". Annales Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Sciences Zoologiques 180: 1-231.
9. Van Goethem J. (1977). "Révision systématique des Urocyclinae (Mollusca, Pulmonata, Urocyclidae)". Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Annales, Sciences zoologiques 218: 355 pp., 4 plates.
10. Herbert D. G. (2004). Sheldonia puzeyi. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 7 August 2007.
11. de Winter A. J. (1987). "Verrucarion demeryi, a new semi-slug from Sierra Leone (Mollusca: Pulmonata: Urocyclidae)". Basteria 51(4-6): 87-93. abstract.
12. Simroth H. (1910). In: Voeltzkow Reise O.-Afr., Wiss. Ergebn. 2(5): 611.
13. 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.