Littorinimorpha

Littorinimorpha
A group of shells of species of cowries, family Cypraeidae, anterior ends towards the top of the image.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Caenogastropoda
Clade: Hypsogastropoda
Clade: Littorinimorpha
Golikov & Starobogatov, 1975
Superfamilies

See text

Littorinimorpha is a large order of snails, gastropods within the Subclass Orthogastropoda, consisting primarily of sea snails (marine species), and also in addition some freshwater snails (aquatic species) and land snails (terrestrial species).[1]

Previously, the Linnaean taxonomy used in the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Ponder & Lindberg (1997) ranked like this: subclass Orthogastropoda, superorder Caenogastropoda, order Sorbeoconcha, suborder Hypsogastropoda, infraorder Littorinimorpha.

The order Littorinimorpha contains many gastropoda families that were formerly placed in the order Mesogastropoda, as introduced by J. Thiele in his work from 1921.[2] Evidence for this group being monophyletic is scanty. In 2003, E. E. Strong[3] suggested using only Neogastropoda as a clade within the clade Hypsogastropoda, and to include the unresolved superfamilies of the Hypsogastropoda within the Littorinimorpha.[4]

Superfamilies and families

The superfamilies grouped in this clade include a few families that are well-known based on their shells:

(Extinct taxa indicated by a dagger, †.)

Families brought into synonymy

References

  1. Bouchet 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. ISBN 3-925919-72-4. Issn = 0076-2997. 397 pp. http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/imis2/ref.php?refid=78278
  2. Thiele, J., 1929-1935. Handbuch der Systematischen Weichtierkunde. 2 vols. 1154 p., 584 figs
  3. Strong, E.E. (2003). "Refining molluscan characters : morphology, character coding and a phylogeny of the Caenogastropoda". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 137: 447–554. doi:10.1046/j.1096-3642.2003.00058.x.
  4. Gofas, S. (2010). Littorinimorpha. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=382213 on 2010-06-06
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