Barleeiidae (often also spelled Barleeidae) is a family of minute sea snails, micromollusks in the clade Littorinimorpha.[1]
| Barleeiidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| shell of Barleeia rubra | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: | Rissooidea |
| Family: | Barleeiidae Gray, 1857 |
| Genera | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
These snails are very abundant and live in sublittoral and intertidal waters on rocky substrates.
The shells are conical to high-spired. Their inner shell layer is chitinous. They are further characterized by a foot with sometimes a posterior mucous gland. Their olfactory organ, the osphradium is enlarged. In some species there are oesophageal pouches present. Their penis is sometimes provided with prostatic tissue. Their oviduct glands show a simple histology.[2]
Few malacologists are currently working on micromollusks. Since they are so small (only a few millimeters in size), they are difficult to study and classify. Therefore, these small mollusks are less well known than the larger ones.
Genera edit
Genera in the family Baleeiidae include:
- Ansola Slavoschevskaya, 1975
- Barleeia Clark, 1853 - Barleysnails
- Caelatura Conrad, 1853
- Fictonoba Ponder, 1967
- Ketosia Dos Santos & Absalao, 2006[3]
- Lirobarleeia Ponder, 1983
- Protobarleeia Ponder, 1983
- Pseudodiala Ponder, 1967
- Tropidorissoia Tomlin & Shackleford, 1915
References edit
- ^ Gofas S. (1995). A remarkable species richness of the Barleeidae (Gastropoda: Rissoacea) in the Eastern Atlantic. The Nautilus 109(1): 14-37
- ^ Ponder W. F. (1983). Review of the genera of the Barleeidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Rissoacea)". Records of the Australian Museum 35: 231-281.
- ^ WoRMS (2009). Ketosia. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=391637 on 2010-09-16
- Ponder W. F. (1983). Review of the genera of the Barleeidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Rissoacea). Records of the Australian Museum 35: 231-281
- Vaught, K.C. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). ISBN 0-915826-22-4. XII, 195 pp.
- Gofas S. (1995). A remarkable species richness of the Barleeidae (Gastropoda: Rissoacea) in the Eastern Atlantic. The Nautilus 109(1): 14-37
External links edit
