Haminoeidae, commonly known as the haminoeid bubble snail family, is a taxonomic family of sea snails, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Haminoeoidea.
The name of this family has long been controversial, and used to be Atyidae or Atydidae. Another, but incorrect, spelling was Haminaeidae (See (ICZN) 2000. Opinion 1942).
A number of genera have been proposed for this family, but the species are hard to identify (or sometimes impossible to identify) by looking only at the external characteristics. Until the internal anatomy of 'wet' specimens has been fully described, the status of many of the genera listed here is uncertain.
Distribution These bubble snails occur in all warm or temperate seas.
Habitat These are sand dwellers or they live on muddy bottoms, in bays, estuaries, and close to the shore in tidepools.
Description of the live animal These are colorful snails, that can partially take the color of the sea floor.
Their large cephalic shield is rounded at the front, but deeply lobed behind. The mantle protrudes behind the shell. The shell is partially or completely enfolded by lateral parapodial (=fleshy winglike outgrowths) lobes.
Shell description Their shell varies in size according to the species, from 3 mm to 30 mm.
The shell is ovoid, thin and translucent. It may be smooth or have spiral grooves (striae). The umbilical apex is sunken or enclosed and no longer visible. Large body whorl with fine spiral striations. Smooth columella. The thin outer lip of the aperture extends beyond the apex of the shell and is thus longer than the body whorl. The aperture narrows posteriorly and is wider anteriorly.
Ecology These snails are herbivorous. Their diet consists of various kinds of green algae. They can survive in brackish water.
They are hermaphrodites. Their eggs are deposited in round or oval jellylike strings, attached to eelgrass or sand.
Atys naucum and Atys cylindricum are known to show biological fluorescence.
Genera and species Genera within the family Haminoeidae include: Aliculastrum Pilsbry, 1896 Atys Montfort, 1810 Bakawan Oskars & Malaquias, 2019 Bullacta Bergh, 1901 - with the only species: Bullacta exarata (Philippi, 1849) Confettiella Oskars, 2024 Cylichnatys Kuroda & Habe, 1952 Diniatys Iredale, 1936 Haloa Pilsbry, 1921 Haminella Thiele, 1925 Haminoea Turton & Kingston in Carrington, 1830 Lamprohaminoea Habe, 1952 Liloa Pilsbry, 1921 Papawera Oskars & Malaquias, 2019 Phanerophthalmus A. Adams, 1850 Roxaniella Monterosato, 1884 Sericohaminoea Habe, 1952: synonym of Haloa Pilsbry, 1921 Smaragdinella A. Adams, 1848 Vellicolla Oskars, Too, Rees, P. M. Mikkelsen, Willassen & Malaquias, 2019 Weinkauffia Monterosato, 1884
Genera brought into synonymy Alicula Ehrenberg, 1831: synonym of Aliculastrum Pilsbry, 1896 (invalid: junior homonym of Alicula Eichwald, 1830; Aliculastrum is a replacement name) Atyscaphander Annandale, 1924: synonym of Bullacta Bergh, 1901 Austrocylichna Burn, 1974: synonym of Roxaniella Monterosato, 1884 Cryptophthalmus Ehrenberg, 1828: synonym of Phanerophthalmus A. Adams, 1850 (invalid: junior homonym of Cryptophthalmus Rafinesque, 1814 [Crustacea]; Lathophthalmus is a replacement name) Dinia H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854: synonym of Diniatys Iredale, 1936 Glauconella Gray, 1850: synonym of Smaragdinella A. Adams, 1848 Haminaea Gray, 1847: synonym of Haminoea Turton & Kingston in Carrington, 1830 Haminoeatys Is. Taki, 1951: synonym of Liloa Pilsbry, 1921 (unavailable name: nomen nudum) Lathophthalmus Pruvot-Fol, 1932: synonym of Phanerophthalmus A. Adams, 1850 Limulatys Iredale, 1936: synonym of Weinkauffia Weinkauff, 1873 Linteria A. Adams, 1850: synonym of Smaragdinella A. Adams, 1848 Micraenigma S. S. Berry, 1953: synonym of Diniatys Iredale, 1936 Naucum Schumacher, 1817: synonym of Atys Montfort, 1810 (objective synonym) Nipponatys Habe, 1952; synonym of Aliculastrum Pilsbry, 1896 Parahaminoea Kuroda & Habe, 1952: synonym of Haloa Pilsbry, 1921 (unavailable name: no diagnosis) Penthominea Iredale, 1929: synonym of Haloa Pilsbry, 1921 Sao H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854: synonym of Pyrunculus Pilsbry, 1895 Sinohaminea Tchang, 1933: synonym of Bullacta Bergh, 1901 Tepidatys Iredale, 1936: synonym of Weinkauffia Weinkauff, 1873 Sphaeratys F. Nordsieck, 1972: synonym of Oxygyrus Benson, 1835 Vitreohaminoea T. Habe, 1952: synonym of Haloa Pilsbry, 1921 (junior subjective synonym) Xanthonella Gray, 1850: synonym of Phanerophthalmus A. Adams, 1850
Brought to another family Micratys Habe, 1952: belongs to the family [unassigned] Cephalaspidea Mimatys Habe, 1952: belongs to the family Alacuppidae. Mnestia H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854; belongs to the family Mnestiidae
Genus Diniatys Diniatys dentifer A. Adams, 1850 - Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Length : 10 mm, Description : this herbivore is found on the bluegreen algae Lyngbya majuscula, Schizothrix and Hormothamnion. There is a pointed projection on the columella. The color varies between green and various shades of brown. The two black eyes are on the back of the cephalic shield. Diniatys monodonta A. Adams, 1850 Distribution: Japan Genus Haloa Haloa binotata (H. A. Pilsbry, 1895) Distribution : Indo Pacific Haloa constricta A. Adams, 1850 Distribution : Japan Haloa crocata W. H. Pease, 1860 Distribution : Hawaii Haloa flavescens (A. Adams, 1850) Distribution : Indo Pacific Haloa fusca W. H. Pease, 1863 Distribution : Indo Pacific Haloa japonica H. A. Pilsbry, 1895 Japanese paper-bubble Distribution : Indo Pacific, Japan Length : 10 mm Description : species with beautiful colors : glassy white background with tiny white spots and dark patches with orange dots. Haloa kawamurai T. Habe, 1950 Distribution : Indo Pacific Haloa margaritoides T. Kuroda & T. Habe, 1971 Distribution : Japan Length : 7 mm Description : intertidal among seaweeds Haloa nigripunctata W. H. Pease, 1868 Distribution : Japan Haloa rotundata A. Adams, 1850 Distribution : Japan Haloa vitrea (A. Adams, 1850) Distribution : Japan Haloa yamaguchii T. Habe, 1952 Distribution : Indo Pacific Genus Hamineobulla Habe, 1950 (incertae sedis; may be belong to the family Bullidae) Hamineobulla kawamurai Habe, 1950 Distribution : Okinawa Length : 6 mm Description : brown animal with short cephalic shield; on the shell there are a few transverse rows with brighter dots Genus Liloa Pilsbry, 1921 Since most of these bubble snails were named on the basis of the shell alone, the occurrence of synonyms among the following species is quite possible. Liloa brevis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833) Distribution : Australia Description : elongate body; parapodial flaps cover only the front of the thin, fragile shell Liloa curta (A. Adams, 1850) Distribution : Western Pacific Description : elongate body; the color can vary from a few dark spots on a translucent body, to almost completely dark. Liloa incisula Yokoyama, 1928 Distribution : Japan Liloa laeta A. A. Gould, 1859 Distribution : Indo Pacific Liloa nipponensis Nomura & Hatai, 1940 Distribution : Japan Liloa porcellana A. A. Gould, 1859 Distribution : Japan Liloa tomaculum H. A. Pilsbry, 1951 Distribution : Hawaiian Islands Liloa translucens A. Adams, 1862 Distribution : Japan Genus Limulatys Iredale, 1936 Limulatys constrictus T. Habe, 1952 Distribution : Indo Pacific Length : 16 mm Limulatys crassilabris (J. Thiele, 1925) Distribution : S.E. Asia, Thailand Length : 8 mm Limulatys fusiformis T. Habe, 1952 Distribution : Japan Limulatys muscarius A. A. Gould, 1859 Distribution : Indo Pacific, Philippines Limulatys okamotoi T. Habe, 1952 Distribution : Indo Pacific Limulatys ooformis T. Habe, 1964 Egg-shaped Bubble Distribution : Indo Pacific, Philippines, Thailand Length : 20 mm Limulatys okamotoi Habe, 1952 Distribution : Philippines Length : 9 mm Limulatys reliquus Iredale, 1936 Distribution : New Zealand Limulatys scobriculatus A. Adams, 1862 Distribution : Japan Limulatys tortuosus A. Adams, 1850 Distribution : Japan Genus Micratys Habe, 1952 Micratys ovum T. Habe, 1952 Distribution : Japan, Philippines Length : 2 mm Genus Mimatys Habe, 1952 Mimatys fukuokaensis T. Habe, 1952 Distribution : Japan, Philippines Length : 2.5 mm Genus Nipponatys Kurida & Habe, 1952 Nipponatys amakusaensis T. Habe & Kikuchi, 1960 Distribution : Japan Nipponatys oshimai T. Habe & Kikuchi, 1960 Nipponatys volvulina A. Adams, 1862 Distribution : Japan Genus Sericohaminoea Habe, 1952 Genus Sphaeratys F. Nordsieck, 1972 (?) Genus Ventomnestia Ventomnestia bizona (A. Adams, 1850) Ventomnestia colorata Iredale, 1936 Ventomnestia villica (Gould, 1859) (may be a synonym of Ventomnestia bizona) Distribution : Guam Length : 5.5 mm Description : a bubble snail with a great variation in color, from white to brown, but always with a characteristic pattern; heavy shell; radula formula : 2.1.2; Genus Weinkauffia A. Adams, 1858 Weinkauffia diaphana A. Aradas & Maggiore, 1839 Distribution : West Africa Description : has similar gizzard plates as Atys multistriatus Weinkauffia turgidula Forbes, 1844 Distribution : Adriatic Sea, Malta, Turkey Length : 5 mm Description : fossils of this species have been found in sediments of Pliocene age in Italy.
References
Vaught, K.C. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). . XII, 195 pp