Spiraxidae

Spiraxidae is a family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the superfamily Testacelloidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

Spiraxidae
A live individual of Euglandina rosea
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Superfamily:	Oleacinoidea
Family:	Spiraxidae H. B. Baker, 1939
Type genus
Spiraxis
Genera
See text
Diversity[1]
over 260 species in Central America + some more in South America

Distribution

The distribution of this family is Neotropical.^[1]

Taxonomy

2005 taxonomy

The family Spiraxidae is classified within the informal group Sigmurethra, itself belonging to the clade Stylommatophora within the clade Eupulmonata (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).^[2]

The family Spiraxidae consists of the following subfamilies:

• Spiraxinae H. B. Baker, 1939
• Micromeninae Schileyko, 2000

2010 taxonomy

Thompson (2010)^[1] 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.^[3]

Genera

Genera in the family Spiraxidae include:

Subfamily Spiraxinae include seven^[1] genera:

• Mayaxis Thompson, 1995^[1]
• Micromena H. B. Baker, 1939^[1] - this was the type genus of the subfamily Micromeninae
• Miraradula Baker, 1939^[1]
• Pseudosubulina Strebel & Pfeffer, 1882^[1]
• Rectaxis Baker, 1926^[1]
• Spiraxis C. B. Adams, 1850^[1] - type genus of family Spiraxidae
• Volutaxis Strebel & Pfeffer, 1882^[1]

Subfamily Euglandininae

• Euglandina Crosse & P. Fischer, 1870 - type genus of the subfamily Euglandininae^[2]
• Guillarmodia H. B. Baker, 1941^[4]
• Pittieria von Martens, 1901^[4]
• Poiretia Fischer, 1883^[3]
• Varicoglandina Pilsbry, 1908^[4]
• Varicoturris Pilsbry, 1907^[4]

Subfamily Streptostylinae

• Myxastyla Thompson, 1995^[4]
• Oryzosoma Pilsbry, 1891^[4]
• Salasiella Strebel, 1877^[4]
• Strebelia Crosse & Fischer, 1868^[4]
• Streptostyla Shuttleworth, 1852^[4] - type genus of the subfamily Streptostylinae

Ecology

These land snails are carnivorous and predatory.^[1]

References

1. Thompson, F. G. (2010). "Four species of land snails from Costa Rica and Panama (Pulmonata: Spiraxidae)". Revista de Biología Tropical. 58 (1): 195–202. doi:10.15517/rbt.v58i1.5204. PMID 20411717., PDF Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine.
2. Bouchet, Philippe; Rocroi, Jean-Pierre; Frýda, Jiri; Hausdorf, Bernard; Ponder, Winston; Valdés, Ángel & Warén, Anders (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". Malacologia. 47 (1–2). Hackenheim, Germany: ConchBooks: 1–397. ISBN 3-925919-72-4. ISSN 0076-2997.
3. "Poiretia P. Fischer 1883". Fauna Europaea, accessed 17 January 2011.
4. Thompson F. G. (16 June 2008). "AN ANNOTATED CHECKLIST AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE LAND AND FRESHWATER SNAILS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA". "PART 4 PULMONATA (ACHATINOIDEA-SAGDOIDEA)". accessed 14 January 2011.