Family ASSIMINEIDAE Adams & Adams, 1856

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Introduction

This family of small-sized, globose to conical operculates are typically smooth or sometimes have spiral sculpture. Two subfamilies are recognised: Assimineinae and Omphalotropidinae. The former is a cosmopolitan group of snails that live in either fresh or brackish aquatic habitats or in supralittoral salt-marsh areas of both tropical and temperate regions. In Australia members of the Assimineinae are found in salt-marsh habitats across southern Australia (Ponder & Keyzer 1998) with one species found in freshwater seepages in south-western Australia (Fukuda & Ponder 2003). The Omphalotropidinae contains snails that live mainly in terrestrial habitats in litter and it is confined to islands in the Indian Ocean, Asia and the south-west Pacific. Terrestrial members of the Omphalotropidinae are found in litter in woodland areas on Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands but are not found on the mainland or in Tasmania. One freshwater omphalotropidin is found in SW Australia (Solem et al. 1982; Fukuda & Ponder 2003). Fukuda & Ponder (2003) have reviewed the genera included in the family. There has been no recent revision of the Australasian terrestrial Omphalotropidinae. Köhler et al. (2012: 24) record a new undescribed genus and species from Middle Osborn Island on the west Kimberley coast.

General References

Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds) 1998. Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 5(Part B) pp. vi–viii, 565–1234. [756-758]

Bouchet, P. & Rocroi, J.-P. 2005. Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families. Malacologia 47: 1–397 [251]

Fukuda, H. & Ponder, W.F. 2003. Australian freshwater assimineids, with a synopsis of the Recent genus-group of the Assimineidae (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Rissooidea). Journal of Natural History 37: 1977-2032

Fukuda, H. & Ponder, W.F. 2005. A revision of the Australian taxa previously attributed to Assiminea buccinoides (Quoy & Gaimard) and Assiminea tasmanica Tenison-Woods (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Assimineidae). Invertebrate Systematics 19(4): 325-360 [325-326]

Köhler, F., Kessner, V. & Whisson, C. 2012. New records of non-marine, non-camaenid gastropods (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from islands off the Kimberley coast, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 27: 21-39

Ponder, W.F. & Keyzer, R.G. de 1998. Family Assimineidae. pp. 756-758 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. [756]

Stanisic, J., Shea, M., Potter, D. & Griffiths, O. 2010. Australian Land Snails. A field guide to eastern Australian species. Mauritius : Bioculture Press Vol. 1 595 pp. [80]

Wilke, T., Haase, M., Hershler, R., Liu, H.-P., Misof, B. & Ponder, W. 2013. Pushing short DNA fragments to the limit: Phylogenetic relationships of ‘hydrobioid’ gastropods (Caenogastropoda: Rissooidea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66(3): 715-736 [721]

Wilson, B. 1993. Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods. Kallaroo, Western Australia : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 1 408 pp. [150]

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