Helicellinae

Helicellinae
White heather snail ( Xerolenta obvia )
Systematics
Superordinate : Lung snails (Eupulmonata) Order : Land snails (Stylommatophora) Subordination : Helicina Superfamily : Helicoidea Family : Geomitridae Subfamily : Helicellinae
Scientific name
Helicellinae
Ihering , 1909

The Helicellinae are a subfamily , formerly also tribe , from the suborder of the land snails (Stylommatophora). The scope of the taxon has been greatly reduced in recent years and still contains 9 genera today.

features

The cases are medium in size and spherical or flattened. The skin is usually thick and white in color. There are also often bands and spots, but they are usually very variable. Only two types are hairy and brown in color. In more recent studies, the subfamily is defined exclusively in terms of molecular genetics.

Geographical distribution, occurrence and way of life

The main focus of the distribution is in the Mediterranean area . However, many species have now been introduced to Central and Western Europe.

The species of the Helicellinae live predominantly in dry and open habitats such as dunes, open meadows and rocky slopes, which can often have very high temperatures in summer. The animals therefore take drying breaks during dry, hot periods. They don't look for hiding places, but attach themselves to plants and stones. The mouth is closed with a chalky diaphragm. Only two species occur in wetter habitats.

Systematics

The Helicellinae are treated by Bouchet and Rocroi as a tribe (of the subfamily Hygromiinae), other authors place them in the hierarchical rank of a subfamily. Kerney et al. treat them as a subfamily. The following tribe and genera are currently (2020) counted among the Helicellinae:

• Subfamily Helicellinae
  • Tribus Cernuellini Schileyko, 1991
    • Genus Alteniella Clerx & Gittenberger, 1977
    • Genus Cernuella Schlueter, 1838
      • Wasteland heather snail ( Cernuella cisalpina (Rossmässler, 1837))
      • Red-mouthed heather snail ( Cernuella neglecta (Draparnaud, 1805))
      • Mediterranean heather snail ( Cernuella virgata (da Costa, 1778))
    • Genus Microxeromagna Ortiz de Zárate López, 1950
    • Genus Xeroplana Monterosato, 1892
    • Genus Xerosecta Monterosato, 1892
  • Tribus Helicellini Ihering, 1909
    • Backeljaia Chueca, Gómez-Moliner, Madeira & Pfenninger, 2018
      • Light heather snail ( Backeljaia gigaxii (Pfeiffer, 1850))
    • Candidula Kobelt, 1871
      • Quill snail ( Candidula unifasciata (Poiret, 1801))
    • Helicella Férussac, 1821
      • Globular heather snail ( Helicella bolenensis (Locard, 1882))
      • Common heather snail ( Helicella itala (Linné, 1758))
    • Orexana Chueca, Gómez-Moliner, Madeira & Pfenninger, 2018
    • Xerogyra Monterosato, 1892
    • Xeroleuca Kobelt, 1877
    • Xeroplexa Monterosato, 1892
      • Spotted heather snail ( Xeroplexa intersecta (Poiret, 1801))
    • Xerotricha Monterosato, 1892
      • Hairy heather snail ( Xerotricha conspurcata (Draparnaud, 1801))
    • Zarateana Chueca, Gómez-Moliner, Madeira & Pfenninger, 2018
  • Tribus Helicopsini H. Nordsieck, 1987
    • Genus Helicopsis Fitzinger, 1833
    • Genus Pseudoxerophila Westerlund, 1879
    • Genus Xerolenta Monterosato, 1892
      • White heather snail ( Xerolenta obvia (Menke, 1828)),
    • Genus Xeromunda Monterosato, 1892
    • Genus Xeropicta Monterosato, 1892
  • Tribus Plentuisini Razkin, Gómez-Moliner, Prieto, Martínez-Ortí, Arrébola, Muñoz, Chueca & Madeira, 2015
    • Genus Plentuisa Puente & Prieto, 1992
  • Tribus Trochoideini H. Nordsieck, 1987
    • Genus Trochoidea T. Brown, 1827
    • Genus Xerocrassa Monterosato, 1892
      • Dwarf heather snail ( Xerocrassa geyeri (Soós, 1926))
    • Genus Peridotitea Torres Alba, Holyoak, DT, Holyoak, GA, Vázquez Toro & Ripoll, 2018

literature

• Rosina Fechter and Gerhard Falkner: molluscs. 287 pp., Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1990 (Steinbach's Nature Guide 10), ISBN 3-570-03414-3
• Jürgen H. Jungbluth and Dietrich von Knorre: Common names of land and freshwater mollusks in Germany (Gastropoda et Bivalvia). Mollusca, 26 (1): 105-156, Dresden 2008 ISSN  1864-5127 PDF
• Michael P. Kerney, RAD Cameron & Jürgen H. Jungbluth: The land snails of Northern and Central Europe. 384 pp., Paul Parey, Hamburg & Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-490-17918-8

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} MolluscaBase: Helicellinae Ihering, 1909
2. ↑ Dirk Steinke, Christian Albrecht and Markus Pfenninger: Molecular phylogeny and character evolution in the Western Palaearctic Helicidae sl (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 32: 724-734, San Diego 2004, ISSN  1055-7903