Family CHAROPIDAE Hutton, 1884
Introduction
This large family is centred on New Zealand, Australia and the islands of the southern Pacific. The shells are typically flattened to turbinate with radial protoconch sculpture and often with complex adult sculpture of intricate patterns of ribs and riblets with reticulated cross ribbing. It is one of the two most diverse and abundant families of land snails in Australia and there are probably many species still to be described. They are usually found in litter, under logs or in shelter in damp situations and probably feed mainly on decaying vegetable matter or fungi.
Revisionary work on Australian charopids was carried out by Hedley (1892), Gabriel (1930, 1947), Kershaw (1955, 1956) and Stanisic (1987, 1990). Stanisic is currently revising the eastern Australian fauna. Climo (1981) examined charopids of New Zealand and Solem (1976, 1983) those of the Pacific Islands. The charopid faunas of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands are in particular in need of revision; the relationships of the many available names erected by Preston (1913) and Iredale (1944, 1945) are unknown. Smith (1992) listed 156 species, including 29 from Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
The family is characterized by the mainly small to medium-sized shell which is usually tightly coiled with a flattened spire and complex sculpture and pattern.
General References
Climo, F.M. 1981. Classification of New Zealand Arionacea. National Museum of New Zealand, Records 2: 9-15
Gabriel, C.J. 1930. Catalogue of the land shells of Victoria. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria ns 43: 62-88 [11 Sept. 1930]
Gabriel, C.J. 1947. Additions to and alterations in the catalogue of the land shells of Victoria (including descriptions of new species). Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne 15: 109-125
Hedley, C. 1892. Observations on the Charopidae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 7: 157-169 [1 Sept. 1892]
Iredale, T. 1944. The land Mollusca of Lord Howe Island. The Australian Zoologist 10: 299-334 [10 May 1944]
Iredale, T. 1945. The land Mollusca of Norfolk Island. The Australian Zoologist 11: 46-71
Kershaw, R.C. 1955. Studies on Australian Charopidae. Part 2. Some genera. Victorian Naturalist 72: 28-30
Kershaw, R.C. 1956. Studies on Australian Charopidae. Part 3. Planate genera. Victorian Naturalist 72: 137-143
Preston, H.B. 1913. Characters of new genera and species of terrestrial Mollusca from Norfolk Island. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 12: 522-538 [1 Dec. 1913]
Stanisic, J. 1987. Studies on the Charopidae of tropical and subtropical Australia. 1. Oreokera : A primitive genus from the high mountains of North Queensland (Mollusca : Pulmonata : Charopidae). Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia 8: 1-21
Stanisic, J. 1990. Systematics and biogeography of eastern Australian Charopidae (Mollusca, Pulmonata) from subtropical rainforests. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 30: 1-241
Stanisic, J. 1998. Family Charopidae. pp. 1097-1099 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.
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |