Aporrhaidae is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

s commonly called the "pelican's foot snails." The taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Frýda J., Hausdorf B., Ponder W., Valdes A. & Warén A. 2005. ''Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families''. Malacologia: International Journal of Malacology, 47(1-2). ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany. . ISSN 0076-2997. 397 pp. http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/imis2/ref.php?refid=78278 categorizes Aporrhaidae as marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusks Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The num ...

in the clade

Littorinimorpha Littorinimorpha is a large order of snails, gastropods, consisting primarily of sea snails ( marine species), but also including some freshwater snails ( limnic species) and land snails ( terrestrial species).Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Fr� ...

. Aporrhaids are commercially important, especially in traditional fisheries.

Description

Aporrhaids have a large lip with finger-like extensions, and a small operculum. They do not have movable eyes. Instead, their eyes are fixed at the base of each tentacle. The mollusk has one narrow foot, which renders its motion interrupted as the foot must raise the shell a tiny bit in each single movement, simultaneously pushing it forward. The motion must be repeated again and again for the mollusk to travel.

Habitat

Aporrhaidae live on muddy and sandy bottoms, sometimes in very large populations.

Subfamilies

Subfamilies in the family Aporrhaidae include: * Aporrhainae Gray, 1850 - synonym: Chenopidae Deshayes, 1865 * Arrhoginae Popenoe, 1983 - synonyms: Alariidae Koken, 1889 (inv.); Dicrolomatidae Korotkov, 1992 * † Harpagonidae Pchelintsev, 1963 * † Perissopterinae Korotkov, 1992 - synonym: Struthiopterinae Zinsmeister & Griffin, 1995 * † Spinigerinae Korotkov, 1992 (inv.) Aporrhais from Pliocene

Genera

There are only two Recent genera: * ''

Aporrhais ''Aporrhais'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Aporrhaidae and the superfamily Stromboidea.Arrhoges'' Gabb, 1868 * † '' Dicroloma'' Gabb, 1868 * † '' Drepanocheilus'' Meek, 1864 * † '' Hemichenopus'' Steinmann & Wilckens, 1908 * † '' Struthioptera'' Finlay & Marwick, 1937 Fossil genera within the family Aporrhaidae include: * '' Alarimella'' Saul, 1998 * '' Anchura'' Conrad, 1860 * '' Antarctohoges'' Stilwell & Zinsmeister, 1992 * '' Araeodactylus'' Harris & Burrows, 1891 * '' Auriala'' Hacobjan, 1976 * '' Austroaporrhais'' Zinsmeister & Griffin, 1995 * '' Bicorempterus'' Gründel, 2001 * '' Ceratosiphon'' Gill, 1870 * '' Cultrigera'' Böhm, 1885 * '' Cuphosolenus'' Piette, 1876 * '' Cuphotifer'' Piette, 1876 * '' Cyclomolops'' Gabb, 1868 * '' Diarthema'' Piette, 1864 * '' Digitolabrum'' Cossmann, 1904 * '' Dimorphosoma'' Gardner, 1875 * '' Graciliala'' Sohl, 1960 * '' Goniocheila'' Gabb, 1868 * '' Helicaulax'' Gabb, 1868 * '' Kangilioptera'' Rosenkrantz, 1970 * '' Kaunhowenia'' Abdel Gawad, 1986 * '' Latiala'' Sohl, 1960 * '' Lispodesthes'' White, 1875 * '' Maussenetia'' Cossmann, 1904 * '' Mexopus'' Kiel & Perrilliat, 2001 * '' Monocuphus'' Piette, 1876 * '' Perissopter'' Tate, 1865 * '' Peruchilus'' Olsson, 1931 * '' Pietteia'' Cossmann, 1904 * '' Platyoptera'' Conrad, 1855 * '' Pseudanchura'' Kollmann, 2005 * '' Pterocerella'' Meek, 1864 * '' Pugioptera'' Pchelincev, 1953 * '' Strombopugnellus'' Koch, 1911 * '' Struthiochenopus'' Zinsmeister & Griffin, 1995 * '' Teneposita'' Loch, 1989 * '' Tessarolax'' Gabb, 1864 * '' Tibiaporrhais'' Elder, 1990 * '' Toarctocera'' Gründel, Nützel & Schulbert, 2009Gründel, J., Nützel A. & Schulbert C. (24 July) 2009
''Toarctocera (Gastropoda, Aporrhaidae): a new genus from the Jurassic (Toarcian/Aalenian) of South Germany and the early evolutionary history of the family Aporrhaidae''

Paläontologische Zeitschrift ''PalZ'' (formerly ''Paläontologische Zeitschrift'') is an international, peer-reviewed periodical focused on palaeontology and published by the palaeontological society of Germany ( Paläontologische Gesellschaft). The first issue was released in ...

(online)
PDF
/ref> - type species: ''Rostellaria subpunctata'' - '' Toarctocera subpunctata'' (von Munster in Goldfuss, 1826–1844) * '' Trilemma'' Blagovetshenskiy & Shumilkin, 2006 * '' Tulochilus'' Finlay & Marwick, 1937 * '' Tundora'' Stephenson, 1941 * '' Ueckeritzella'' Gründel, 1998 * '' Wateletia'' Cossmann, 1889

References

* Vaught, K.C. (1989). ''A classification of the living Mollusca''. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). . XII, 195 pp.

External links

* *
Gastropoda Stromboidea - Ulrich Wieneke and Han Stoutjesdijk
{{Taxonbar, from=Q619733 Stromboidea Taxa named by John Edward Gray