Family ENIDAE Woodward, 1903

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Introduction

The Enidae are chiely a Northern Hemisphere group. The family name adopted here follows Mordan (1984) and Zilch (1959) rather than using Buliminidae after Burch (1976).

Most species are semi-arboreal and climb rocks, low vegetation and tree trunks. They are herbivores and are often gregarious, sometimes occurring in large numbers. Enids are generally associated with rocky outcrops, particularly limestone and range from semi-arid shrublands and woodlands to tropical forests.
Enids range across Eurasia, the Middle East and north Africa, and as far south as Timor. Major radiations occur in Europe, Asia Minor and China. A single introduced species, Chondrula (Mastus) pupa (Linnaeus, 1758), has been recorded from eastern Australia and apparently represented a brief, accidental introduction from a Mediterranean country.

Diagnosis

Enids are small to large-sized snails (shell generally less than 50 mm in height) with conical, elongate, pupiform or subcylindrical shells. Shells are dextral or sinistral and vary in thickness from relatively solid and opaque to thin and translucent. Sculpture varies from relatively smooth to malleated or with growth lines or radial ridges; sometimes spiral lines are present. Whorls may be strongly or slightly angled in juveniles but rounded in adults. Sutures are slightly, moderately or strongly impressed. Most species have thickened or reflected lips and oval apertures, sometimes with one or several denticles within the aperture. The columella is medium to wide and strongly reflected often with a columellar fold. Shells are imperforate; an umbilicus when present is narrow or reduced to a tiny chink. Shell colour varies from white to dark brown with some species being densely patterned with radial bands and streaks.

Diagnosis References

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. [116]

General References

Burch, J.B. 1976. Outline of classification of Australian terrestrial molluscs (native and introduced). Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia 3: 127-156

Giusti, F., Manganelli, G. & Schembri, P.J. 1995. Monographie XV. The non-marine molluscs of the Maltese Islands. Torino : Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali 607 pp.

Mordan, P.B. 1984. Taxonomy and biogeography of southern Arabian Enidae (sensu lato) (Pulmonata : Pupillacea). pp. 124-133 in Solem, A. & Van Bruggen, A.C. (eds). World-Wide Snails. Biogeographical Studies on Non-Marine Mollusca. Leiden : Brill.

Stanisic, J. 1998. Family Enidae. pp. 1085-1086 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.

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. [116]

Zilch, A. 1959. Gastropoda. Teil 2. Euthyneura. In, Schindewolf, O.H. (ed.). Handbuch der Paläozoologie. Berlin-Zehlendorf : Bornträger Vol. 6(2)(2) xii 834 pp.

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