Physidae

Taxobox
name = Physidae


image_caption = "Physella acuta"
image_width = 225px
status =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Gastropoda
subclassis = Orthogastropoda
superordo = Heterobranchia
ordo = Pulmonata
superfamilia = Planorboidea
familia = Physidae
familia_authority = Fitzinger, 1833
subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies and genera
subdivision = See text.

Physidae, common name bladder snails, are a monophyletic taxonomic family of small freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs. This family belongs to the clade Hygrophila within the informal group Basommatophora.

Within this family, the shell is always sinistral, in other words it has left-handed coiling.

These snails eat algae, diatoms and other detritus.

hell description

These small snails are quite distinctive, because they have shells that are sinistral, which means that if you hold the shell such that the spire is pointing up, the aperture is on the left-hand side.

The shells of Physidae species have a long and large aperture, a pointed spire, and no operculum. The shells are thin and corneous and rather transparent.

ubfamilies and genera

According to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005) this family consists of the following subfamilies and tribes :
*subfamily Physinae Fitzinger, 1833
** tribe Haitiini D.W. Taylor, 2003
** tribe Physini Fitzinger, 1833
*** "Physa" Draparnaud, 1801
** tribe Physellini D.W. Taylor, 2003
*** "Physella" Haldemann, 1843
*subfamily Aplexinae Starobogatov, 1967
** tribe Aplexini Starobogatov, 1967
*** "Aplexa" Fleming, 1820 - aplexa
** tribe Amecanautini D.W. Taylor, 2003
** tribe Austrinautini D.W. Taylor, 2003
** tribe Stenophysini D.W. Taylor, 2003
*** "Stenophysa" von Martens, 1898

References

* Janus, Horst, 1965. ‘’The young specialist looks at land and freshwater molluscs’’, Burke, London

Recommended literature

* Amy R. Wethington and Charles Lydeard: "A molecular phylogeny of Physidae (Gastropoda: Basommatophora) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences". - Journal Molluscan Studies Advance Access published on September 18, 2007, J. Mollus. Stud. 2007 73: 241-257. doi:10.1093/mollus/eym021 ( [http://mollus.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/73/3/241 abstract] )

External links

* [http://members.aol.com/mkohl2/Physidae.html Physidae]