Family AMPHIBOLIDAE Gray, 1840

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Introduction

The species of this family inhabit the upper-littoral zone in estuaries. This small family is confined to the central and southern Indo-Pacific area, Australia and New Zealand. They are found in sheltered areas between the mid-littoral and the lower edge of the supra-littoral zones in muddy sea-grass flats, mangroves and salt-marsh. The family is only one of two pulmonate families with an operculum. Until recently there were only two genera listed in Amphibolidae, Salinator and Amphibola (found only in New Zealand). However, a comprehensive study by Golding, Ponder & Byrne (2007) described two new genera — Lactiforis and Naranjia. The Australian Amphibolidae fauna now comprises five species in the genera Salinator (4 species) and Lactiforis (1 species).

Previous studies of the Amphibolidae recognised only one (Hubendick 1945) or two (Woolacott 1945; Smythe 1975) Australian species in the single Australian genus (Salinator). The two species Salinator fragilis (Lamarck, 1822) and Salinator solida (Martens, 1878) were commonly reported from mangrove habitats in Australia. Following the study by Golding et. al. (2007), however, Salinator solida (Martens, 1878) is now placed in the new family Phallomedusidae and is now known as Phallomedusa solida (Martens, 1878).

The family is characterized by the small sized, globose shell, the round, horny operculum and its marginal marine habitat.

General References

Fraeme, M.E. 1940. Estuarine shell and egg girdle. Victorian Naturalist 56(11): 178

Golding, R.E., Ponder, W.F. & Byrne, M. 2007. Taxonomy and anatomy of Amphiboloidea (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Archaeopulmonata). Zootaxa 1476: 1-50

Hubendick, B. 1945. On the family Amphibolidae. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 26: 103-110

Laws, H.M. 1967. The cytology of Salinator solida (von Martens) (Mollusca : Amphibolidae). Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 15: 495-496

Smith, B.J. & Kershaw, R.C. 1979. Field Guide to the Non-marine Molluscs of South-eastern Australia. Canberra : A.N.U. Press 285 pp.

Smythe, K.R. 1975. Salinator fragilis (Lamarck) – habitat and behaviour. Journal of Conchology 28: 339-342

Smythe, K.R. 1975. On the occurence of Salinator fragilis (Lamarck) in the Arabian Gulf. Journal of Conchology 28: 335-338

Stanisic, J. 1998. Family Amphibolidae. 1067 in Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds). Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 5(Part B) pp. vi–viii, 565–1234.

Woolacott, L. 1945. The establishment of Salinator fragilis Lamarck and Salinator solida von Martens as two distinct species in Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 1944–1945: 35-38

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