Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as ...

s, terrestrial

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

s in the superfamily

Testacelloidea The Testacelloidea are a superfamily of air-breathing land snails and slugs, terrestrial gastropod mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as mollusc ...

(according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

Distribution

The distribution of this family is Neotropical.

Taxonomy

2005 taxonomy

The family Spiraxidae is classified within the informal group

Sigmurethra Sigmurethra is a taxonomic category of air-breathing land snails and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. This is an informal group which includes most land snails and slugs. The two strong synapomorphies of Sigmurethra are a long p ...

, itself belonging to the

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

Stylommatophora Stylommatophora is an orderPhilippe Bouchet, Jean-Pierre Rocroi, Bernhard Hausdorf, Andrzej Kaim, Yasunori Kano, Alexander Nützel, Pavel Parkhaev, Michael Schrödl and Ellen E. Strong. 2017. Revised Classification, Nomenclator and Typification ...

within the clade

Eupulmonata Eupulmonata is a taxonomic clade of air-breathing snails. The great majority of this group are land snails and slugs, but some are marine and some are saltmarsh snails that can tolerate salty conditions. Linnean taxonomy *Suborder Eupulmonata H ...

(according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). The family Spiraxidae consists of the following subfamilies: * Spiraxinae H. B. Baker, 1939 * Micromeninae Schileyko, 2000

2010 taxonomy

Thompson (2010)
PDF
. redefined subfamilies in the Spiraxidae, moving Euglandininae and Streptostylinae to become subfamilies of Spiraxidae. According to their work, there are three subfamilies within the Spiraxidae: * Spiraxinae H. B. Baker, 1939 - including ''Micromena'' * Euglandininae H. B. Baker, 1941 * Streptostylinae H. B. Baker, 1941 Apparently this system of classification is not universally accepted, as Fauna Europaea uses different systematics for the subfamily Euglandininae, still placing it within the family Oleacinidae."''Poiretia'' P. Fischer 1883"
Fauna Europaea, accessed 17 January 2011.

Genera

Genera in the family Spiraxidae include: Subfamily Spiraxinae include seven genera: * ''

Mayaxis ''Mayaxis'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the superfam ...

'' Thompson, 1995 * ''

Micromena ''Micromena'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the superf ...

'' H. B. Baker, 1939 - this was the type genus of the subfamily Micromeninae * ''

Miraradula ''Miraradula'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the super ...

'' Baker, 1939 * ''

Pseudosubulina ''Pseudosubulina'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the s ...

'' Strebel & Pfeffer, 1882 * ''

Rectaxis ''Rectaxis'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae. Distribution The distribution of the genus ''Rectaxis'' is an area that reaches from Venezuela to Mexico ...

'' Baker, 1926 * ''

Spiraxis ''Spiraxis'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae.

'' C. B. Adams, 1850 - type genus of family Spiraxidae * ''

Volutaxis ''Volutaxis'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae. Distribution The distribution of the genus ''Volutaxis'' includes Mexico, Central America, and the Greater Anti ...

'' Strebel & Pfeffer, 1882 Subfamily Euglandininae * '' Euglandina'' Crosse & P. Fischer, 1870 - type genus of the subfamily Euglandininae * ''

Guillarmodia ''Guillarmodia'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae. Distribution The distribution of the genus ''Guillarmodia'' includes Mexico and Costa Rica Co ...

'' H. B. Baker, 1941Thompson F. G. (16 June 2008)
"AN ANNOTATED CHECKLIST AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE LAND AND FRESHWATER SNAILS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA"
accessed 14 January 2011. * ''

Pittieria ''Pittieria'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae. Distribution The distribution of the genus ''Pittieria'' extends from Central Mexico to northern Panama. ...

'' von Martens, 1901 * '' Poiretia'' Fischer, 1883 * ''

Varicoglandina ''Varicoglandina'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae. Distribution The distribution of the genus ''Varicoglandina'' includes Mexico and Guatemala G ...

'' Pilsbry, 1908 * ''

Varicoturris ''Varicoturris'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae. Distribution The distribution of the genus ''Varicoturris'' includes Mexico and Guatemala Guate ...

'' Pilsbry, 1907 Subfamily Streptostylinae * ''

Myxastyla ''Myxastyla'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the superf ...

'' Thompson, 1995 * ''

Oryzosoma ''Oryzosoma'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the superf ...

'' Pilsbry, 1891 * ''

Salasiella ''Salasiella'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the superf ...

'' Strebel, 1877 * ''

Strebelia ''Strebelia'' is a genus of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Spiraxidae Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the super ...

'' Crosse & Fischer, 1868 * ''

Streptostyla ''Streptostyla'' is a genus of predatory, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial animal, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Streptostylinae of the family Spiraxidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Streptostyla Shutt ...

'' Shuttleworth, 1852 - type genus of the subfamily Streptostylinae

Ecology

These land snails are

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

and predatory.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3073064