Littorinidae
The Littorinidae are a taxonomic family of over 200 species of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha, commonly known as periwinkles and found worldwide.
| Littorinidae | |
|---|---|
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| Two shells of the common periwinke Littorina littorea | |
| Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Mollusca | 
| Class: | Gastropoda | 
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda | 
| Order: | Littorinimorpha | 
| Superfamily: | Littorinoidea | 
| Family: | Littorinidae Children, 1834[1]  | 
| Subfamilies | |
  | |
| Diversity[2] | |
| Two freshwater species and numerous marine species. | |
Names
    
In English-speaking countries, gastropod molluscs from other families, such as the Neritidae, are sometimes also commonly known as "winkles" because they are small, round snails that occupy a similar ecological niche.
Taxonomy
    
These subfamilies have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):
- Subfamily Littorininae Children, 1834 – synonyms: Echinininae Rosewater, 1972; Tectariinae Rosewater, 1972; Melaraphidae Starobogatov & Sitnikova, 1983
 - Subfamily Lacuninae Gray, 1857 – synonyms: Risellidae Kesteven, 1903; Cremnoconchinae Preston, 1915; Bembiciidae Finlay, 1928.
 - Subfamily Laevilitorininae Reid, 1989
 
Genera within the family Littorinidae include:[3]
- Littorininae
 
- Afrolittorina Williams, Reid & Littlewood, 2003
 - Austrolittorina Rosewater, 1970
 - Cenchritis von Martens, 1900
 - Echinolittorina Habe, 1956 – synonyms: Amerolittorina Reid, 2009;[4] Fossarilittorina Rosewater, 1981; Granulilittorina Habe & Kosuge, 1966; Lineolittorina Reid, 2009[4]
 - Littoraria Griffith & Pidgeon, 1834 – 39 species
 - Littorina Férussac, 1822 – 18 species – type genus
 - Mainwaringia Nevill, 1885[5]
 - Melarhaphe Menke, 1828
 - Nodilittorina von Martens, 1897 – this genus proved to be polyphyletic and in 2003 was divided into:
- Echinolittorina – 59 species worldwide
 - Austrolittorina – five species
 - Afrolittorina – four species
 - Nodilittorina s.s. – the monotypic subgenus[6]
 
 - Peasiella - Nevill, 1885
 - Tectarius Valenciennes, 1833 – 11 species, its synonym or subgenus includes: Echininus Clench & Abbott, 1942.
 
- Lacuninae
 
- Bembicium Philippi, 1846
 - Cremnoconchus Blanford, 1869[5][7] – freshwater snails living in waterfalls.[2]
 - Lacuna Turton, 1827 – synonym: Aquilonaria Dall, 1886
 - Pellilitorina Pfeffer in Martens & Pfeffer, 1886
 - Risellopsis Kesteven, 1902
 
- Laevilitorininae
 
- Laevilacunaria Powell, 1951
 - Laevilitorina Pfeiffer, 1886
 
subfamily ?
- Synonyms
 
- Corneolitorina Powell, 1951: synonym of Laevilitorina (Laevilitorina) Pfeffer in Martens & Pfeffer, 1886 represented as Laevilitorina Pfeffer, 1886
 - Haloconcha Dall, 1886 is a synonym for Lacunaria Dall, 1885
 - Macquariella Finlay, 1926: synonym of Laevilitorina Pfeffer, 1886
 - Rissolittorina Ponder, 1966: synonym of Laevilitorina Pfeffer, 1886
 
References
    
- Children J. G. (1834). Synopsis of the contents of the British Museum. ed. 28: 110.
 - Strong E. E., Gargominy O., Ponder W. F. & Bouchet P. (2008). "Global Diversity of Gastropods (Gastropoda; Mollusca) in Freshwater". Hydrobiologia 595: 149–166. hdl:10088/7390 doi:10.1007/s10750-007-9012-6.
 - World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) : Littorinidae
 - Reid, D. G. (2009). "The genus Echinolittorina Habe, 1956 (Gastropoda: Littorinidae) in the western Atlantic Ocean" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2184: 1–103. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2184.1.1.
 - (file created 29 July 2010) FRESH WATER MOLLUSCAN SPECIES IN INDIA. 11 pp. accessed 31 July 2010.
 - S T Williams; D G Reid; D T J Littlewood (2003). "A molecular phylogeny of the Littorininae (Gastropoda: Littorinidae): unequal evolutionary rates, morphological parallelism, and biogeography of the Southern Ocean". Mol Phylogenet Evol. 28 (1): 60–86. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00038-1. PMID 12801472. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012.
 - Blanford W. T. (1869). "Notes on some Indian and Mascarene Land-Shells". Annals and Magazine of Natural History (4)3: 340-344. page 343.
 
- "Littorinidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
 - Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
 
Further reading
    
David G. Reid; Suzanne T. Williams (2004). "The subfamily Littorininae in the Temperate Southern Hemisphere: the genera Nodilittorina, Austrolittorina and Afrolittorina" (PDF). Records of the Australian Museum. 56: 75–122. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.56.2004.1393.
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