Thiaridae, common name thiarids or trumpet snails, 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 ...

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs ...

s with an operculum, aquatic

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 ...

mollusk 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 e ...

s in the

superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...

Cerithioidea. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Thiaridae Gill, 1871 (1823). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=196287 on 2021-07-28

Taxonomy

Many species of freshwater snails that are characterized by a turreted shell were originally placed within the genus ''Melania'' Lamarck, 1799. This genus as delimited by authors of the late 19th and early 20th century contained hundreds of species, and was successively split into different groupings. Over time, infrageneric groups (

subgenera In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

) were elevated to the rank of independent

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

and the genus ''Melania'' was elevated to the rank of a family, Melanidae. However, the genus name ''Melania'' Lamarck, 1799 was demonstrated to be a junior synonym of the genus name ''Thiara'' Röding, 1798. Consequently, the family had to be renamed Thiaridae. Moreover, the Melanidae as traditionally circumscribed were found to be

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

, containing species from many different groups, which were successively recognized as distinct families, such as the

Pachychilidae Pachychilidae, common name pachychilids, is a taxonomic family of freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha.Gofas, S. (2014). Pachychilidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecie ...

Semisulcospiridae Semisulcospiridae, common name semisulcospirids, is a family of freshwater snails, aquatic gilled gastropod mollusks with an operculum, in the superfamily Cerithioidea. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Semisulcospiridae J. P. E. Morri ...

Pleuroceridae Pleuroceridae, common name pleurocerids, is a family of small to medium-sized freshwater snails, aquatic gilled gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cerithioidea.These snails have an operculum and typically a robust high-spired shell. Reprodu ...

Melanopsidae Melanopsidae, common name melanopsids, is a family of freshwater gastropods in the clade Sorbeoconcha. Species in this family are native to southern and eastern Europe, northern Africa, parts of the Middle East, New Zealand, and freshwater strea ...

, and

Paludomidae Paludomidae, common name paludomids, is a family of freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha. Distribution The distribution of the Paludomidae includes Asia and Africa. Taxonomy The following three subfamilies h ...

. Therefore, the Thiaridae as currently circumscribed contain fewer species than the Melaniidae.Glaubrecht M. (1996). ''Evolutionsökologie und Systematik am Beispiel von Süß- und Brackwasserschnecken (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Cerithioidea): Ontogenese-Strategien, paläontologische Befunde und historische Zoogeographie''. Leiden, Backhuys.

Distribution

This family of snails is found worldwide, and are particularly diverse in the tropics and subtropics.

Ecology

These snails are freshwater inhabitants of temperate and warm zones. Thiaridae are partly

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the m ...

, partly

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

. Many, but not all species are

parthenogenetic Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development ...

Genera

Genera in the family Thiaridae include: ;Subfamily Thiarinae Gill, 1871 (1823) * '' Balanocochlis'' Fischer, 1885
** '' Balanocochlis glandiformis'' ** '' Balanocochlis glans'' * '' Culenmelania'' Z.-X. Qian, J. Yang, Y. Lu & J. He, 2012 * † '' Kumania'' Ota, 1960 * ''

Melanoides ''Melanoides'' is a genus of freshwater snail with an operculum (gastropod), operculum, an Aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Thiarinae of the family Thiaridae.Bouchet, P. (2014). Melanoides Olivier, 1804. Accessed through ...

'' Olivier, 1804 * '' Mieniplotia'' Low & Tan, 2014 * '' Neoradina'' Brandt, 1974 * † ''

Pachymelania ''Pachymelania'' is a genus of freshwater snails, gastropod mollusks in the family Hemisinidae Hemisinidae is a family of snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terre ...

'' E. A. Smith, 1893: synonym of † '' Pachychiloides'' Wenz, 1939 (junior homonym of Pachymelania E. A. Smith, 1893; Pachychiloides Wenz, 1939 is a replacement name) * '' Plotia'' Röding, 1798: synonym of '' Pyramidella'' Lamarck, 1799 * '' Plotiopsis'' Brot, 1874Bouchet, P. (2016). ''Plotiopsis'' Brot, 1874. In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=818487 on 2017-11-20 - ''

Plotiopsis balonnensis ''Plotiopsis balonnensis'' is a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod mollusk in the family Thiaridae Thiaridae, common name thiarids or trumpet snails, is a family of tropical freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mo ...

'' (Conrad, 1850) * '' Ripalania'' Iredale, 1943 * '' Sermyla'' Adams, 1854 * ''

Stenomelania ''Stenomelania'' is a genus of freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or ...

'' Fischer, 1885
* ''

Tarebia ''Tarebia'' is a genus of freshwater snails, gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Thiarinae of the family Thiaridae. Species Species within the genus ''Tarebia'' include: * † '' Tarebia acuta'' (J. Sowerby, 1822) * † '' Tarebia bojolalien ...

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854 * ''

Thiara ''Thiara'' is a genus of freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Thiarinae of the family Thiaridae. Species Species with accepted names within the genus ''Thiara'' include: * † '' Thiara aldrichi'' Palmer, 1944 * ' ...

'' Röding, 1798 - type genus of the family Thiaridae, synonym: ''Melania'' Lamarck, 1799 ;Not assigned to a subfamily: * † '' Brotiopsis'' K. Suzuki, 1943 * † '' Coptostylus'' F. Sandberger, 1872 * † '' Cornetia'' Munier-Chalmas in Fischer et al., 1885 * † '' Ellinoria'' Van Damme & Pickford, 2003 * '' Fijidoma'' Morrison, 1952 * † '' Hannatoma'' Olsson, 1931 * † '' Heynderycxia'' Van Damme & Pickford, 2003 * † '' Juramelanatria'' Bandel, 1991 * † '' Juramelanoides'' Bandel, 1991 * '' Longiverena'' Pilsbry & Olsson, 1935 * † '' Melabrina'' Stache, 1880 * † '' Melanotarebia'' Bandel & Kowalke, 1997Bandel K. & Kowalke T. (1997). "Eocene ''Melanotarebia'' n.g. and its relation among modern Thiaridae (Caenogastropoda: Cerithioidea)". ''N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Mh.'', Stuttgart 11: 683-695, 10 figs
abstract
. * † '' Pseudopyrgula'' Wenz, 1928 * † '' Ptychomelania'' Sacco, 1895 * † '' Sengoeria'' Harzhauser, Mandic, Büyükmeriç, Neubauer, Kadolsky & Landau, 2016 * † '' Sinomelania'' Yen, 1936 * † '' Siragimelania'' Suzuki, 1940 * † '' Tianjinospira'' Youluo, 1978 *

Verena Verena of Zurzach, mostly just called ''Saint Verena'' (c. 260 – c. 320) is an early Christian consecrated virgin and hermit. She is especially venerated in Switzerland, where her cult is attested in Bad Zurzach, the reported place of he ...

H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854 * † '' Yoshimonia'' Ota, 1960

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference"Family summary for Thiaridae"

AnimalBase AnimalBase is a project brought to life in 2004 and is maintained by the University of Göttingen, Germany. The goal of the AnimalBase project is to digitize early zoological literature, provide copyright-free open access to zoological works, and pr ...

, last modified 5 September 2006, accessed 14 April 2011.

External links