The family Pomatiidae is a taxonomic family of small operculate land snails, terrestrial gastropod mollusks that can be found over the warmer parts of the Old World. In the older literature, this family is designated as Pomatiasidae.
This family is a lineage closely related to the Littorinidae (periwinkles) common in coastal habitat. They have adapted to terrestrial life and are thus sometimes called "land winkles".Journal of Molluscan Studies, GENETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN THE LAND WINKLE POMATIAS ELEGANS (MÜLLER) (CAENOGASTROPODA: POMATIASIDAE) Volume 67, Issue 2, pp 145–152 (http://mollus.oxfordjournals.org/content/67/2/145.abstract) Accessed 2014-9-2
They are defined by a chalky operculum at the rear end of the body, the shape of their thick shell and their mouth and a characteristic spiral sculpture. The sexes are separate and can sometimes be recognised because the female shell is slightly larger than the male shell.
Taxonomy
According to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), the family Pomatiidae consisted of two subfamilies: subfamily Pomatiinae Newton, 1891 (1828) - synonyms: Cyclostomatidae Menke, 1828; Cyclotopsinae Kobelt & Möllendorff, 1898; Ericiidae Wenz, 1915 subfamily Annulariinae Henderson & Bartsch, 1941, 1920:Henderson J. B. Jr. & Bartsch P. (1920). "A classification of the American operculate land mollusks of the family Annulariidae". Proceedings of the United States National Museum 58: 49-82. page 54. this subfamily has been raised to the rank of family Annulariidae.
Genera Genera within the family Pomatiidae include: † Anapomatias Hrubesch, 1965 † Bauxia Caziot, 1891 † Bembridgia P. Fischer, 1885 Bermudezia Torre & Bartsch, 1941 Chondrothyrella Torre and Bartsch, 1938 Cinnabarica Neubert, 2009 Clatripoma Neubert, 2009 Cyclostoma Lamarck, 1899 Cyclotopsis Blanford, 1864 Dioscopoma Neubert, 2009 † Dissostoma Cossmann, 1888 Ericia Partiot, 1848: synonym of Pomatias S. Studer, 1789 Georgia Bourguignat, 1882:Georgia in GBIF synonym of Socotora Pallary, 1925 Guillainia Crosse, 1884Guillainia in Bionames.org, accessed 12 december 2015. Leonia Gray, 1850"Genus summary for Leonia". AnimalBase, accessed 28 march 2011. Lithidion Gray, 1850Lithidion in GBIF † Omanitopsis Harzhauser & Neubauer, 2016 † Palaeocyclotus P. Fischer, 1885 Platypoma Neubert, 2009 Pomatias Studer, 1789 - type genus of the family Pomatiidae † Procyclotopsis Wenz, 1924 Rochebrunia Bourguignat, 1881 Socotora Pallary, 1925 Tropidophora Troschel, 1847KENNETH C. EMBERTON Cryptic, genetically extremely divergent, polytypic, convergent, and polymorphic taxa in Madagascan Tropidophora (Gastropoda: Pomatiasidae) Biological Journal of the Linnean Society - Volume 55, Issue 3, pages 183–208, July 1995 Tudorella Fischer, 1885"Genus summary for Tudorella". AnimalBase, accessed 28 march 2011.
References
Further reading Bartsch P. (1946). "The operculate land mollusks of the family Annulariidae of the Island of Hispaniola and the Bahama Archipelago". United States National Museum Bulletin No. 192, 264 pp., 38 pls.
Watters G. T. (2006). The Caribbean Land Snail Family Annulariidae: A revision of the higher taxa and a catalog of the species. 1-557, figs 1-10, map 1-56, Appendix A: 1-3. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.
External links