Aporrhaidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

s commonly called the "pelican's foot snails." The taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005Bouchet 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. . ISSN 0076-2997. 397 pp. http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/imis2/ref.php?refid=78278 categorizes Aporrhaidae as

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

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 ...

mollusks Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

in the clade

Littorinimorpha Littorinimorpha is a large order of snails, gastropods, consisting primarily of sea snails ( marine species), but also including some freshwater snails ( aquatic species) and land snails (terrestrial species).Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Fr� ...

. Aporrhaids are commercially important, especially in traditional fisheries.

Description

Aporrhaids have a large lip with finger-like extensions, and a small operculum. They do not have movable eyes. Instead, their eyes are fixed at the base of each tentacle. The mollusk has one narrow foot, which renders its motion interrupted as the foot must raise the shell a tiny bit in each single movement, simultaneously pushing it forward. The motion must be repeated again and again for the mollusk to travel.

Habitat

Aporrhaidae live on muddy and sandy bottoms, sometimes in very large populations.

Subfamilies

Subfamilies in the family Aporrhaidae include: * Aporrhainae Gray, 1850 - synonym: Chenopidae Deshayes, 1865 * Arrhoginae Popenoe, 1983 - synonyms: Alariidae Koken, 1889 (inv.); Dicrolomatidae Korotkov, 1992 * † Harpagonidae Pchelintsev, 1963 * † Perissopterinae Korotkov, 1992 - synonym: Struthiopterinae Zinsmeister & Griffin, 1995 * † Spinigerinae Korotkov, 1992 (inv.) Aporrhais from Pliocene

Genera

There are only two Recent genera: * ''

Aporrhais ''Aporrhais'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Aporrhaidae and the superfamily Stromboidea.Arrhoges'' Gabb, 1868 * † '' Dicroloma'' Gabb, 1868 * † '' Drepanocheilus'' Meek, 1864 * † '' Hemichenopus'' Steinmann & Wilckens, 1908 * † '' Struthioptera'' Finlay & Marwick, 1937 Fossil genera within the family Aporrhaidae include: * '' Alarimella'' Saul, 1998 * '' Anchura'' Conrad, 1860 * '' Antarctohoges'' Stilwell & Zinsmeister, 1992 * '' Araeodactylus'' Harris & Burrows, 1891 * '' Auriala'' Hacobjan, 1976 * '' Austroaporrhais'' Zinsmeister & Griffin, 1995 * '' Bicorempterus'' Gründel, 2001 * '' Ceratosiphon'' Gill, 1870 * '' Cultrigera'' Böhm, 1885 * ''

Cuphosolenus ''Cuphosolenus'' is a genus of extinct small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Aporrhaidae and the superfamily Stromboidea, known from the Jurassic and lower Cretaceous periods. ''Cuphosolenus'' was named by Edo ...

'' Piette, 1876 * '' Cuphotifer'' Piette, 1876 * '' Cyclomolops'' Gabb, 1868 * '' Diarthema'' Piette, 1864 * '' Digitolabrum'' Cossmann, 1904 * '' Dimorphosoma'' Gardner, 1875 * '' Graciliala'' Sohl, 1960 * '' Goniocheila'' Gabb, 1868 * '' Helicaulax'' Gabb, 1868 * '' Kangilioptera'' Rosenkrantz, 1970 * '' Kaunhowenia'' Abdel Gawad, 1986 * '' Latiala'' Sohl, 1960 * '' Lispodesthes'' White, 1875 * '' Maussenetia'' Cossmann, 1904 * '' Mexopus'' Kiel & Perrilliat, 2001 * '' Monocuphus'' Piette, 1876 * '' Perissopter'' Tate, 1865 * '' Peruchilus'' Olsson, 1931 * '' Pietteia'' Cossmann, 1904 * '' Platyoptera'' Conrad, 1855 * '' Pseudanchura'' Kollmann, 2005 * '' Pterocerella'' Meek, 1864 * '' Pugioptera'' Pchelincev, 1953 * '' Strombopugnellus'' Koch, 1911 * '' Struthiochenopus'' Zinsmeister & Griffin, 1995 * '' Teneposita'' Loch, 1989 * ''

Tessarolax ''Tessarolax'' is an extinct genus of fossil sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Aporrhaidae. The fossil shells of these snails are found in Cretaceous to Paleocene deposits in Europe, North America, and Madagascar.Ludvigsen, Rolf ...

'' Gabb, 1864 * '' Tibiaporrhais'' Elder, 1990 * '' Toarctocera'' Gründel, Nützel & Schulbert, 2009Gründel, J., Nützel A. & Schulbert C. (24 July) 2009
''Toarctocera (Gastropoda, Aporrhaidae): a new genus from the Jurassic (Toarcian/Aalenian) of South Germany and the early evolutionary history of the family Aporrhaidae''
Paläontologische Zeitschrift (online)
PDF
/ref> - type species: ''Rostellaria subpunctata'' - '' Toarctocera subpunctata'' (von Munster in Goldfuss, 1826–1844) * ''

Trilemma A trilemma is a difficult choice from three options, each of which is (or appears) unacceptable or unfavourable. There are two logically equivalent ways in which to express a trilemma: it can be expressed as a choice among three unfavourable option ...

'' Blagovetshenskiy & Shumilkin, 2006 * '' Tulochilus'' Finlay & Marwick, 1937 * '' Tundora'' Stephenson, 1941 * '' Ueckeritzella'' Gründel, 1998 * '' Wateletia'' Cossmann, 1889

References

* Vaught, K.C. (1989). ''A classification of the living Mollusca''. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). . XII, 195 pp.

External links

* *
Gastropoda Stromboidea - Ulrich Wieneke and Han Stoutjesdijk
{{Taxonbar, from=Q619733 Stromboidea Taxa named by John Edward Gray