Family VALLONIIDAE Morse, 1864
Grass-snails
Compiler and date details
March 2012 - Dr John Stanisic
1992 - Brian J. Smith, Museum Victoria, Melbourne
Introduction
Valloniids range from North America across Europe and north Africa into northern Asia. One or two species of Vallonia have been introduced into countries outside their native range where climatic conditions are favourable. A single introduced species, Vallonia excentrica, occurs in urbanised areas of temperate southern Australia.
Valloniids are herbivores and the species can reach very large numbers in dense mats of grass and under ground cover plants. They can also reach considerable population densities in greenhouses and plant nurseries.
Diagnosis
Valloniids have very small (diameter less than 5 mm) discoidal to turbinate shells. The subfamily Valloniinae (to which the Australian introduction belongs) is characterised by discoidal shells with flattened to slightly raised spires, strongly impressed sutures, either smooth or radially ribbed sculpture, rounded whorls, a medium to wide umbilicus, circular aperture and thickened reflected lips. Shells are translucent to transparent and of a silky lustre and colour varies from white to corneous. The animal is pale in colour (cream) with relatively short club-like ocular tentacles.
Diagnosis References
Stanisic, J. 1998. Family Valloniidae. pp. 1084-1085 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.
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
Shea, M. 1984. Sydney Valloniidae. Part 1. Australian Shell News 48: 4
Smith, B.J. 1989. Travelling snails. Journal of Medicine and Applied Malacology 1: 195-204
Smith, B.J. 1992. Non-Marine Mollusca. In, Houston, W.W.K. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Non-marine Mollusca. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 8 xii 408 pp. [315]
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
Stanisic, J. 1998. Family Valloniidae. pp. 1084-1085 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) |
---|---|---|---|---|
24-Jul-2012 | 24-Jul-2012 | MODIFIED | ||
27-Jun-2012 | 27-Jun-2012 | MODIFIED | ||
12-Feb-2010 | (import) |