Vertiginidae


Vertiginidae, common name the whorl snails, is a family of small, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs or micromollusks in the superfamily Pupilloidea.

Distribution

The distribution of the Vertiginidae is in the Northern Hemisphere: North America, Eurasia, North and central Africa. That gives a total of approximately 93-95 species.

Ecology

Snails in this family inhabit habitats ranging from forests to semi-open and open habitats with various different kinds of substrate cover, vegetation and humidity. They feed on microflora - bacteria and fungi - growing on dead and living plants.

Taxonomy

The following three subfamilies were recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi :
  • Subfamily Vertigininae Fitzinger, 1833
  • * Tribe Vertiginini Fitzinger, 1833
  • * Tribe Truncatellinini Steenberg, 1925 - synonyms: Truncatellininae; Columellinae Schileyko, 1998 - raised in 2016 to family level Truncatellinidae
  • Subfamily Gastrocoptinae Pilsbry, 1918 - synonyms: Hypselostomatinae Zilch, 1959; Aulacospirinae Zilch, 1959
  • Subfamily Nesopupinae Steenberg, 1925 - synonym: Cylindrovertillidae Iredale, 1940

    Genera

Genera in the family Vertiginidae include:
;Subfamily Vertigininae
Tribe Vertiginini
; Subfamily Nesopupinae
  • Bothriopupa Pilsbry, 1898
  • * Bothriopupa tenuidens
  • Costigo O. Boettger, 1891
  • Cylindrovertilla O. Boettger, 1881
  • Glandicula F. Sandberger, 1875 †
  • Helenopupa Pilsbry & C. M. Cooke, 1920
  • Indopupa Pilsbry & C. M. Cooke, 1920
  • Insulipupa Pilsbry & C. M. Cooke, 1920
  • Lyropupa Pilsbry, 1900
  • Minacilla H. Nordsieck, 2014 †
  • Negulopsis H. Nordsieck, 2014 †
  • Nesopupa Pilsbry, 1900 - the type genus of the subfamily Nesopupinae
  • Nesopuparia Pilsbry, 1926
  • Nesopupilla Pilsbry & C. M. Cooke, 1920
  • Nesoropupa Gargominy, 2008
  • Paracraticula Oppenheim, 1890 †
  • Pronesopupa Iredale, 1913
  • Trigonopupa H. Nordsieck, 2014 †
  • Staurodon Lowe, 1852: synonym of Vertigo O. F. Müller, 1773
; Subfamily ?
  • Acmopupa O. Boettger, 1889 †
  • Propupa Stworzewicz & Pokryszko, 2006 †
  • Pseudelix O. Boettger, 1889 †
  • Tetoripupa Isaji, 2010 †
  • Sterkia Pilsbry, 1898: synonym of Vertigo O. F. Müller, 1773