Family HYDROCENIDAE

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Introduction

This small family of operculate terrestrial neritopsines snails occur from the Mediterranean and Africa to south-eastern Asia and the Pacific Islands to eastern Australia and New Zealand. In Australia they are found in vine thickets, rainforests and limestone areas.

The family is characterised by the small-sized, globose to conical shells with calcareous operculum that bears a peg on its inner surface. Very little is known of the group and no modern revisionary work has been carried out. Scott & Kenny (1998) have summarised the available information on the family.

General References

Benthem Jutting, W.S.S. van 1948. Systematic studies on the non-marine Mollusca of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. I. Critical revision of the Javanese operculate land-shells of the families Hydrocenidae, Helicinidae, Cyclophoridae, Pupinidae and Cochlostomatidae. Treubia 19: 539-604

Iredale, T. 1937. A basic list of the land Mollusca of Australia. Pt II. The Australian Zoologist 9: 1-39 [12 Nov. 1937]

Iredale, T. 1944. The land Mollusca of Lord Howe Island. The Australian Zoologist 10: 299-334 [10 May 1944]

Scott, B.J. & Kenny, R. 1998. Family Hydrocenidae. 701 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.

Solem, A. 1989. Non-camaenid land snails of the Kimberley and Northern Territory, Australia. I. Systematics, affinities and ranges. Invertebrate Taxonomy 2(4): 455-604

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