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 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: | Rissooidea |
| Family: | Barleeiidae Gray, 1857 |
| Genera | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
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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
editGenera 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
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