Planaxidae
Planaxidae, commonly called planaxids or clusterwinks, are a taxonomic family of small and minute sea snails, pantropical marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cerithioidea. They live on rocky shores in the littoral zone of the tropics and subtropics.
Characteristics
Planaxids are known as clusterwinks because of their habit of clustering together in concealed, moist locations when the tide is out. They have conical shells resembling periwinkles, except for the wide, shallow anterior canals. They brood their embryos in a chamber behind their heads, releasing them into the sea as veliger larvae to form part of the plankton.Subfamilies
The following two subfamilies are recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):- Planaxinae Gray, 1850
- Fossarinae A. Adams, 1860 - previously in a family of its own, named Fossaridae
Genera
The family Planaxidae comprises the following genera:The following genera are recognised:
Planaxinae
- † Cabania Lozouet & Senut, 1985 Fissilabia Macgillivray, 1836Halotapada Iredale, 1936Hinea Gray, 1847Holcostoma H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853
- † Leioplanaxis Lozouet & Maestrati, 1994
- † Orthochilus Cossmann, 1889 Planaxis Lamarck, 1822Simulathena Houbrick, 1992Supplanaxis Thiele, 1929
FossarinaeAnafossarus Iredale, 1936Chilkaia Preston, 1915Fossarus Philippi, 1841Larinopsis J. H. Gatliff & C. J. Gabriel, 1916
- † Medoriopsis Cossmann, 1888
- † Vouastia Raspail, 1909