Urocyclidae is a

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

of air-breathing land snails,

semi-slug Semi-slugs, also spelled semislugs, are land gastropods whose shells are too small for them to retract into, but not quite vestigial. The shell of some semi-slugs may not be easily visible on casual inspection, because the shell may be covered ...

s and

land slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a smal ...

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

pulmonate gastropod

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

Helicarionoidea Helicarionoidea is a superfamily of air-breathing land snails and semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the infraorder Limacoidei. Families There are three families within the superfamily Helicarionoidea: * Helicarionidae ...

, (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). Some species within this family make and use

love darts A love dart (also known as a gypsobelum, shooting darts, or just as darts) is a sharp, calcareous or chitinous dart which some hermaphroditic land snails and slugs create. Love darts are both formed and stored internally in a dart sac. These ...

before mating.

Distribution

The Urocyclidae are distributed in the Afrotropical realm, including

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, the

Comores The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. I ...

and the islands of the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in ...

Taxonomy

The family Urocyclidae consists of 3 subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), that follows classification of Urocyclinae by Van Goethem (1977):Van Goethem J. (1977). "Révision systématique des Urocyclinae (Mollusca, Pulmonata, Urocyclidae)". ''Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale , Annales, Sciences zoologiques'' 218: 355 pp., 4 plates. * subfamily Rhysotininae Schileyko, 2002 * subfamily Sheldoniinae Connolly, 1925 (1912) - synonyms: Peltatinae Godwin-Austen, 1912; Trochonanininae Connolly, 1912; Trochozonitinae Iredale, 1914; Ledoulxiinae Pilsbry, 1919; Gymnarionidae Von Mol, 1970;Van Mol J. J. (1970). "Révision des Urocyclidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Pulmonata). Anatomie - systématique - zoogéographie". ''Annales Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Sciences Zoologiques'' 180: 1-231. Rhysotinidae Schileyko, 2002; Zonitarionini Schileyko, 2002; Acantharionini Schileyko, 2002 * subfamily Urocyclinae Simroth, 1889 ** tribe Urocyclini Simroth, 1889 - synonyms: Atoxonini Schileyko, 2002; Buettneriini Schileyko, 2002 ** tribe Dendrolimacini Van Goethem, 1977 ** tribe Leptichnini Van Goethem, 1977 ** tribe Upembellini Van Goethem, 1977

Genera

Genera within the family Urocyclidae include: ; unsorted: * † '' Koruella'' Pickford, 2009 ;Subfamily Rhysotininae Schileyko, 2002 * '' Rhysotina'' Ancey, 1887 * ''Thomeonanina'' Germain, 1909 : synonym of Rhysotina Ancey, 1887 (objective synonym) ;Subfamily Sheldoniinae * '' Acantharion'' Binder & Tillier, 1985 * '' Africarion'' Godwin-Austen, 1883 * '' Amatarion'' Van Mol, 1970 * '' Angustivestis'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Aspidelus'' Morelet, 1884 * '' Aspidotomium'' Degner, 1932 * '' Belonarion'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Bloyetia'' Bourguignat, 1890 * '' Camerunarion'' Van Mol, 1970 * '' Carinazingis'' van Bruggen & de Winter, 1990 * '' Centrafricarion'' Van Mol, 1970 * '' Chlamydarion'' Van Mol, 1968 * '' Colparion'' Laidlaw, 1938 * '' Degneria'' Verdcourt, 1956 * '' Entagaricus'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Estria'' Poirier, 1887 * '' Falloonella'' Preston, 1914 * '' Fuellebornia'' Verdcourt, 1998 * '' Granularion'' Germain, 1912 * ''

Gymnarion ''Gymnarion'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks ...

'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Hamya'' Bourguignat, 1885 † * '' Kerkophorus'' Godwin-Austen, 1912 * '' Lacrimarion'' Connolly, 1939 * '' Malagarion'' Tillier, 1979 * '' Mesafricarion'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Microkerkus'' Godwin-Austen, 1912 * '' Montanobloyetia'' Verdcourt, 1961 * '' Morrumbalia'' Verdcourt, 1998 * '' Paragranularion'' Van Mol, 1970 * '' Percivalia'' Preston, 1914 * '' Plicatonanina'' Verdcourt, 1961 * '' Principicochlea'' D. Holyoak & G. Holyoak, 2020 * '' Principitrochoidea'' D. Holyoak & G. Holyoak, 2020 * '' Ptilototheca'' Herbert, 2016 * '' Rhopalogonium'' Degner, 1932 * '' Selatodryas'' Herbert, 2017 * '' Senegalarion'' Van Mol, 1970 * '' Sheldonia'' Ancey, 1887 - the type genus of the subfamily Sheldoniinae * '' Sjostedtina'' Verdcourt, 1961 * '' Sylvarion'' Van Mol, 1970 * '' Thapsia'' Albers, 1860 * '' Thielarion'' Van Mol, 1970 * '' Thomithapsia'' D. Holyoak & G. Holyoak, 2020 * '' Thomitrochoidea'' D. Holyoak & G. Holyoak, 2020 * '' Tresia'' Van Goethem, 1975 * '' Trochonanina'' Mousson, 1869 * ''

Trochozonites ''Trochozonites'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the family Urocyclidae.MolluscaBase (2018). Trochozonites Pfeffer, 1883. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://marinespecies. ...

'' Pfeffer, 1883 * '' Tropidocochlion'' Verdcourt, 1998 * '' Verdcourtia'' Van Mol, 1970 * '' Verrucarion'' Van Mol, 1970 * '' Zingis'' E. von Martens, 1878 * '' Zonitarion'' Pfeffer, 1883 * '' Ledoulxia'' Bourguignat, 1885: synonym of '' Trochonanina'' Mousson, 1869 * '' Peltatus'' Godwin-Austen, 1908: synonym of '' Sheldonia'' Ancey, 1887 ; Subfamily Urocyclinae Tribe Dendrolimacini * '' Dendrolimax'' Heynemann, 1868 - the type genus of the tribe Dendrolimacini Tribe Leptichnini * ''

Leptichnus ''Leptichnus'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails or semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Urocyclidae. ''Leptichnus'' is the type genus of the tribe Leptichnini. Species Species within the genus ''Leptich ...

'' Simroth, 1896 - the type genus of the tribe Leptichnini Tribe Upembellini * '' Leptichnoides'' Van Goethem, 1975 * '' Upembella'' Van Goethem, 1969 - the type genus of the tribe Upembellini tribe Urocyclini * '' Anisotoxon'' Van Goethem, 1975 * '' Atoxon'' Simroth, 1888 * '' Atoxonoides'' Van Goethem, 1973 * '' Atrichotoxon'' Simroth, 1910 * '' Buettneria'' Simroth, 1910Simroth H. (1910). In: Voeltzkow ''Reise O.-Afr., Wiss. Ergebn.'' 2(5): 611. * '' Bukobia'' Simroth, 1896 * '' Elisolimax'' Cockerell, 1893 * '' Emphysetes'' Verdcourt, 2003 * '' Microcyclus'' Simroth, 1896 * '' Nupnus'' Van Goethem, 1975 * '' Pembatoxon'' Van Goethem, 1975 * '' Phaneroporus'' Simroth, 1888 * '' Polytoxon'' Simroth, 1897 * '' Pseudatoxon'' Van Goethem, 1975 * '' Tanzalimax'' Rowson, Paustian & Van Goethem, 2017 * '' Trichotoxon'' Simroth, 1888 * '' Udzungwalimax'' Rowson, Paustian & Van Goethem, 2017 * '' Urocyclus'' Gray, 1864 - the type genus of the family Urocyclidae

Cladogram

The following

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ...

shows the

phylogenic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

relationship of this family to other families in the

limacoid clade The Limacoidei is a taxonomic infraorder of air-breathing land snails, semislugs and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the suborder Helicina Distribution The original ancestral area of limacoid families is thought to b ...

:Hausdorf B. (2000). "Biogeography of the Limacoidea sensu lato (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora): Vicariance Events and Long-Distance Dispersal". '' Journal of Biogeography'' 27(2): 379-390.
JSTOR

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7900811