Family ATHORACOPHORIDAE Fischer, 1883

Museums

Regional Maps

• Athoracophoridae Fischer, P. 1883. Manuel de Conchyliologie et de Paléontologie Conchyliologique ou Histoire Naturelle des Mollusques Vivants et Fossiles, 1880–1887. Paris : F. Savy vol. 5 pp. 417-512. [492].

Introduction

Slugs of the family Athoracophoridae are found only in eastern Australia, New Zealand and the islands of the southwestern Pacific. The family is described as tracheopulmonate and shows two characteristics unique amongst land molluscs. One is the possession of trachea-like diverticulae arising from the small pulmonary cavity or lung, which appear to have a respiratory function. The other is the possession of a single pair of eye-bearing tentacles, which are retracted but not inverted, as in most land molluscs (Burch 1968). Recent studies of the family were carried out by Burton (1980).

The family is characterized by the small triangular mantle area with the pneumopore placed almost mid-dorsally, and by the single pair of retractable tentacles.

General References

Barker, G.M. 2018. Nomenclatural and type catalogue of Athoracophoridae (Mollusca: Eupulmonata: Succineoidea): a synopsis of the first 185 years of biodiscovery in the South West Pacific region. Zootaxa 4434(2): 201–249

Burch, J.B. 1968. Tentacle retraction in Tracheopulmonata. Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia 1(11): 62-67

Burch, J.B. & Patterson, C.M. 1969. Systematic position of the Athoracophoridae (Gastropoda : Euthyneura). Malacologia 9: 259-260

Burton, D.W. 1980. Anatomical studies on Australian, New Zealand and sub-antarctic Athoracophoridae (Gastropoda : Pulmonata). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 7: 173-198

Stanisic, J. 1998. Family Athoracophoridae. pp. 1109-1110 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.

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