Ellobiidae

Ellobiidae, common name the hollow-shelled snails, is a family of small air-breathing land, marine, and brackish snails; pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the clade Eupulmonata. Ellobiidae is the only family in the superfamily Ellobioidea, according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

Anatomy

In this family, the number of haploid chromosomes lies between 16 and 20.
They have a distinctive mode of locomotion arising due to a split sole. The front part of the sole adheres to the substrate and then the rear part of the sole is drawn up to the front part.

Taxonomy

Species are traditionally classified into five taxonomic groups, the Pythiidae, the Laemodontidae, the Melampodidae, the Ellobiidae and the Carychiidae. These taxa have been recognized either as families within Ellobioidea or as sub-families within the family Ellobiidae.
The family Ellobiidae consists of the following subfamilies :

subfamily Ellobiinae Pfeiffer, 1854
subfamily Carychiinae Jeffreys, 1830
subfamily Melampinae Stimpson, 1851
subfamily Pedipedinae P. Fischer & Crosse, 1880
subfamily Pythiinae Odhner, 1925
† subfamily Zaptychiinae Wenz, 1938

The high degree of homoplasy in morphological characters and frequent low variability has led to the description of approximately 800 species names available in the literature, of which 250 are likely to be valid.
A molecular study by Dayrat at al. for the Ellobioidea suggests a monophyletic origin of the entire group.

Genera

Genera within the family Ellobiidae include:
subfamily EllobiinaeBlauneria Shuttleworth, 1854Ellobium Röding, 1798
subfamily CarychiinaeCarychium O. F. Müller, 1773Zospeum Bourguignat, 1856
subfamily MelampinaeMelampus Montfort, 1810
subfamily PedipedinaeCreedonia Martins, 1996Leuconopsis Hutton, 1884Marinula King & Broderip, 1832Microtralia Dall, 1894Pedipes Férussac, 1821Pseudomelampus Pallary, 1900Sarnia H. Adams & A. Adams, 1855
subfamily Pythiinae Odhner, 1925Allochroa Ancey, 1887Auriculastra Martens, 1880Cassidula Gray, 1847

Laemodonta Philippi, 1846
Myosotella Monterosato, 1906Ophicardelus Beck, 1838Ovatella Bivona, 1832Pleuroloba Hyman, Rouse & Ponder, 2005Pythia Röding, 1798 - type genus of the subfamily Pythiinae.

† subfamily Zaptychiinae

† Zaptychius Walcott, 1883 - type genus of the subfamily

subfamily ?Auriculinella Tausch, 1886Auriculodes Strand, 1928Blauneria Shuttleworth, 1854Detracia Gray in Turton, 1840Tralia Gray, 1840
;Genera brought into synonymy:Alexia Leach in Gray, 1847: synonym of Myosotella Monterosato, 1906Auricula Lamarck, 1799: synonym of Ellobium Röding, 1798Cremnobates Swainson, 1855: synonym of Marinula King & Broderip, 1832Jaminia T. Brown, 1827: synonym of Myosotella Monterosato, 1906Kochia Pallary, 1900: synonym of Myosotella Monterosato, 1906Laimodonta H. Adams & A. Adams, 1855: synonym of Laemodonta Philippi, 1846Leuconia Gray, 1840: synonym of Auriculinella Tausch, 1886Leucopepla Peile, 1926: synonym of Auriculinella Tausch, 1886

Leucophytia Winckworth, 1949: synonym of Auriculinella Tausch, 1886Monica H. Adams & A. Adams, 1855: synonym of Ovatella Bivona-Bernardi, 1832Nealexia Wenz, 1920: synonym of Myosotella Monterosato, 1906Phytia: synonym of Pythia Röding, 1798Pira H. & A. Adams, 1855: synonym of Melampus Montfort, 1810Plecotrema H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854: synonym of Laemodonta Philippi, 1846Rangitotoa Powell, 1933: synonym of Microtralia Dall, 1894

;Taxonomic note:
Genus Sarnia H. Adams & A. Adams, 1855

Ecology

The taxon Ellobioidea comprises a group of morphologically and ecologically highly diverse snails, known to have successfully invaded the marine, brackish water and terrestrial habitats.
These are mostly snails that live in salt marshes and similar maritime habitats, and thus have a tolerance for saline conditions.