Pachychilidae, common name pachychilids, is a taxonomic family of freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha.Gofas, S. (2014). Pachychilidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=411651 on 2014-11-20

Distribution

Pachychilids are freshwater snails with a worldwide distribution in the tropics. Representatives are found in South and Central America, Africa, Madagascar, South and South-east Asia and tropical Australia (Queensland: Torres Strait Islands).

Description Pachychilids have an operculum, which is concentric and multispiral.

Ecology All species in the family inhabit freshwater except Faunus ater, which is a brackish water snail found in estuaries and other coastal habitats. Pachychilids are either oviparous (lay eggs), ovoviviparous or viviparous (retain developing eggs and youngs in special incubatory structures).

Notes on the taxonomy The name is derived from a combination of the words 'pachy' (Greek = thick) and the suffix '-chilus' (Greek = Lip), meaning 'thick lipped' - with respect to the thickened aperture of the shell in some species. Most 20th-century authors did not recognize Pachychilidae as an independent family, but affiliated species under different groups, such as Thiaridae and Pleuroceridae. However, recent revisions based on molecular and morphological evidence have proven their independent and distinct status from the former. This family has no subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

Genera

Genera within the family Pachychilidae include: † Bellatara Strand, 1928 - with only one species Bellatara janus (Mayer, 1870)Gofas, S. (2015). Pachychilidae P. Fischer & Crosse, 1892. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=411651 on 2015-10-09 Brotia H. Adams, 1866Köhler F. & Glaubrecht M. (2006). "A systematic revision of the Southeast Asian freshwater gastropod Brotia (Cerithioidea: Pachychilidae)." Malacologia 48: 159-251. Doryssa Swainson, 1840 † Eginea Pacaud & Harzhauser, 2012 Faunus de Montfort, 1810 Jagora Köhler & Glaubrecht, 2003Köhler F. & Glaubrecht M. (2003). "Morphology, reproductive biology and molecular genetics of ovoviviparous freshwater gastropods (Cerithioidea: Pachychilidae) from the Philippines, with description of the new genus Jagora". Zoologica Scripta 32(1): 35-59. . † Jponsia Pacaud & Harzhauser, 2012 Madagasikara Köhler & Glaubrecht, 2010 - synonym: Melanatria Bowdich, 1822 auctt.Köhler F. & Glaubrecht M. (2010). "Uncovering an overlooked radiation: molecular phylogeny and biogeography of Madagascar’s endemic river snails (Caenogastropoda: Pachychilidae: Madagasikara gen. nov.). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 99: 867-894. . † Nodifaunus Olsson, 1944 Pachychilus I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851 - type genus of the family Pachychilidae Paracrostoma Cossmann, 1900Köhler F. & Glaubrecht M. (2007). "Out of Asia and into India - On the molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the endemic freshwater gastropod Paracrostoma Cossmann, 1900 (Caenogastropoda: Pachychilidae)." Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 91: 627-651. . Potadoma Swainson, 1840 † Pseudobellardia Cox, 1931 Pseudopotamis Martens, 1894Glaubrecht M. & von Rintelen T. (2003). "Systematics, molecular genetics and historical zoogeography of the viviparous freshwater gastropod Pseudopotamis (Cerithioidea, Pachychilidae): a relic on the Torres Strait Islands, Australia". Zoologica Scripta 32(5): 415-435. . Sulcospira Troschel, 1858 - synonym: Adamietta Brandt, 1974Köhler F. & Dames C. (2009). "Phylogeny and systematics of the Pachychilidae of mainland Southeast Asia – novel insights from morphology and mitochondrial DNA (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda, Cerithioidea)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 157: 679-699. . † Tinnyea Hantken, 1887 Tylomelania Sarasin & Sarasin, 1897von Rintelen T. & Glaubrecht M. (2005). "Anatomy of an adaptive radiation: a unique reproductive strategy in the endemic freshwater gastropod Tylomelania (Cerithioidea: Pachychilidae) on Sulawesi, Indonesia and its biogeographical implications." Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 85: 513–542. . † Wingeastonia K. Martin, 1906 Genera brought into synonymy Acrostoma Brot, 1871: synonym of Paracrostoma Cossmann, 1900 Antimelania P. Fischer & Crosse, 1892: synonym of Brotia H. Adams, 1866 Brotella Rovereto, 1899: synonym of Paracrostoma Cossmann, 1900 Fauninae Cossmann, 1909 (subfamily) : synonym of Pachychilidae P. Fischer & Crosse, 1892 Melanatria Bowdich, 1822: synonym of Faunus Montfort, 1810 Oxymelania Crosse & P. Fischer, 1892: synonym of Pachychilus I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851 Pirena Lamarck, 1822: synonym of Faunus Montfort, 1810 Sphaeromelania Rovereto, 1899: synonym of Pachychilus I. Lea & H. C. Lea, 1851 Wanga Chen, 1943: synonym of Brotia H. Adams, 1866

Cladogram A cladogram based on sequences of mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA sequences showing phylogenic relations of Pachychilidae:

References

Further reading Köhler F., von Rintelen T., Meyer A. & Glaubrecht M. (2004). "Multiple origin of viviparity in southeast Asian gastropods (Cerithioidea: Pachychilidae) and its evolutionary implications". Evolution 58(10): 2215-2226. .

External links