Haminoeidae
Encyclopedia
Haminoeidae, commonly known as the haminoeid bubble snail family, is a taxonomic family
of sea snails, marine
opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Haminoeoidea
.
The name of this family has long been controversial, and used to be Atyidae or Atydidae. Another, but incorrect, spelling was Haminaeidae (See (ICZN) 2000. Opinion 1942).
A number of genera have been proposed for this family, but the species are hard to identify (or sometimes impossible to identify) by looking only at the external characteristics. Until the internal anatomy
of 'wet' specimens has been fully described, the status of many of the genera listed here is uncertain.
Their large cephalic shield is rounded at the front, but deeply lobed behind. The mantle
protrudes behind the shell. The shell is partially or completely enfolded by lateral parapodial (= fleshy winglike outgrowths) lobes.
varies in size according to the species, from 3 mm to 30 mm.
The shell is ovoid, thin and translucent. It may be smooth or have spiral grooves (striae). The umbilical apex
is sunken or enclosed and no longer visible. Large body whorl
with fine spiral striations. Smooth columella. The thin outer lip of the aperture
extends beyond the apex
of the shell and is thus longer than the body whorl. The aperture narrows posteriorly and is wider anteriorly.
. Their diet consists of various kinds of green algae. They can survive in brackish water.
They are hermophroditic. Their egg
s are deposited in round or oval jellylike strings, attached to eelgrass
or sand.
Atys naucum
and Atys cylindricum are known to show biological fluorescence
.
Since most of these bubble snails were named on the basis of the shell alone, the occurrence of synonyms among the following species is quite possible.
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
of sea snails, marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Haminoeoidea
Haminoeoidea
Haminoeoidea is a taxonomic superfamily of small sea snails or bubble shells, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the clade Cephalaspidea, the headshield slugs and bubble snails....
.
The name of this family has long been controversial, and used to be Atyidae or Atydidae. Another, but incorrect, spelling was Haminaeidae (See (ICZN) 2000. Opinion 1942).
A number of genera have been proposed for this family, but the species are hard to identify (or sometimes impossible to identify) by looking only at the external characteristics. Until the internal anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
of 'wet' specimens has been fully described, the status of many of the genera listed here is uncertain.
Habitat
These are sand dwellers or they live on muddy bottoms, in bays, estuaries, and close to the shore in tidepools.Description of the live animal
These are colorful snails, that can partially take the color of the sea floor.Their large cephalic shield is rounded at the front, but deeply lobed behind. The mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
protrudes behind the shell. The shell is partially or completely enfolded by lateral parapodial (= fleshy winglike outgrowths) lobes.
Shell description
Their shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
varies in size according to the species, from 3 mm to 30 mm.
The shell is ovoid, thin and translucent. It may be smooth or have spiral grooves (striae). The umbilical apex
Apex (mollusc)
Apex is an anatomical term for the tip of the mollusc shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod mollusc.-Gastropods:The word "apex" is most often used to mean the tip of the spire of the shell of a gastropod...
is sunken or enclosed and no longer visible. Large body whorl
Body whorl
Body whorl is part of the morphology of a coiled gastropod mollusk.- In gastropods :In gastropods, the body whorl, or last whorl, is the most recently-formed and largest whorl of a spiral or helical shell, terminating in the aperture...
with fine spiral striations. Smooth columella. The thin outer lip of the aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
extends beyond the apex
Apex (mollusc)
Apex is an anatomical term for the tip of the mollusc shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod mollusc.-Gastropods:The word "apex" is most often used to mean the tip of the spire of the shell of a gastropod...
of the shell and is thus longer than the body whorl. The aperture narrows posteriorly and is wider anteriorly.
Ecology
These snails are herbivorousHerbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
. Their diet consists of various kinds of green algae. They can survive in brackish water.
They are hermophroditic. Their egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s are deposited in round or oval jellylike strings, attached to eelgrass
Zostera
Zostera is a small genus of widely distributed seagrass, commonly called marine eelgrass or simply eelgrass . The genus Zostera contains sixteen species.-Ecology:Zostera is found on sandy substrates or in estuaries submerged or partially floating...
or sand.
Atys naucum
Atys naucum
Atys naucum, common names the "white nut sheath bubble'" and the "Pacific nut sheath bubble", is a species of small tropical sea snail, a bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Haminoeidae, the haminoea bubble snails....
and Atys cylindricum are known to show biological fluorescence
Fluorescence
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation of a different wavelength. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore lower energy, than the absorbed radiation...
.
Genera and species
Genera within the family Haminoeidae include:- AliculastrumAliculastrumAliculastrum is a genus of small sea snails or bubble snails, marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs in the family Haminoeidae.This genus was originally considered to be a subgenus of Atys.-Species:Species in the genus Aliculastrum include:...
- Atys
- Bullacta Bergh, 1901 - with the only species: Bullacta exarataBullacta exarataBullacta exarata, common name the Korean mud snail, is a species of a sea snail or bubble snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Haminoeidae, the bubble snails....
(Philippi, 1849) - Cylichnium W. H. Dall, 1908
- Cylichnium africanum
- Cylichnium domitum Dall, 1908 - Distribution: Caribbean
- Cylichnium matsumotoi (Habe, 1955) - Distribution: Japan
- Diniatys Iredale, 1936
- Haloa
- HaminoeaHaminoeaHaminoea is a genus of medium-sized sea snails or bubble snails, marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs in the family Haminoeidae, the haminoea bubble snails, part of the clade Cephalaspidea, the headshield slugs and bubble snails....
Turton & Kingston in Carrington, 1830 - Hamineobulla
- Liloa
- Limulatys
- Micratys
- Mimatys
- Nipponatys
- Sericohaminoea
- Sphaeratys
- Ventomnestia
- Weinkauffia
- Genus Diniatys
- Diniatys dentifer A. Adams, 1850 - Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Length : 10 mm, Description : this herbivore is found on the bluegreen algae Lyngbya majuscula, Schizothrix and Hormothamnion. There is a pointed projection on the columella. The color varies between green and various shades of brown. The two black eyes are on the back of the cephalic shield.
- Diniatys monodonta A. Adams, 1850
- Distribution: Japan
- Genus Haloa
- Haloa binotata (H. A. Pilsbry, 1895)
- Distribution : Indo Pacific
- Haloa constricta A. Adams, 1850
- Distribution : Japan
- Haloa crocata W. H. Pease, 1860
- Distribution : Hawaii
- Haloa flavescens (A. Adams, 1850)
- Distribution : Indo Pacific
- Haloa fusca W. H. Pease, 1863
- Distribution : Indo Pacific
- Haloa japonica H. A. Pilsbry, 1895 Japanese Paper-bubble
- Distribution : Indo Pacific, Japan
- Length : 10 mm
- Description : species with beautiful colors : glassy white background with tiny white spots and dark patches with orange dots.
- Haloa kawamurai T. Habe, 1950
- Distribution : Indo Pacific
- Haloa margaritoides T. Kuroda & T. Habe, 1971
- Distribution : Japan
- Length : 7 mm
- Description : intertidal among seaweeds
- Haloa nigripunctata W. H. Pease, 1868
- Distribution : Japan
- Haloa rotundata A. Adams, 1850
- Distribution : Japan
- Haloa vitrea (A. Adams, 1850)
- Distribution : Japan
- Haloa yamaguchii T. Habe, 1952
- Distribution : Indo Pacific
- Haloa binotata (H. A. Pilsbry, 1895)
- Genus Hamineobulla Habe, 1950 (incertae sedis; may be belong to the family Bullidae)
- Hamineobulla kawamurai Habe, 1950
- Distribution : Okinawa
- Length : 6 mm
- Description : brown animal with short cephalic shield; on the shell there are a few transverse rows with brighter dots
- Hamineobulla kawamurai Habe, 1950
- Genus Liloa Pilsbry, 1921
Since most of these bubble snails were named on the basis of the shell alone, the occurrence of synonyms among the following species is quite possible.
-
- Liloa brevis (QuoyJean René Constant QuoyJean René Constant Quoy was a French zoologist.Along with Joseph Paul Gaimard he served as naturalist aboard La Coquille under Louis Isidore Duperrey during its circumnavigation of the globe , and the Astrolabe under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville...
& GaimardJoseph Paul GaimardJoseph Paul Gaimard was a French naval surgeon and naturalist.Along with Jean René Constant Quoy he served as naturalist on the ships L'Uranie under Louis de Freycinet 1817-1820, and L'Astrolabe under Jules Dumont d'Urville 1826-1829...
, 1833)- Distribution : Australia
- Description : elongate body; parapodial flpas cover only the front of the thin, fragile shell
- Liloa curta (A. Adams, 1850)
- Distribution : Western Pacific
- Description : elongate body; the color can vary from a few dark spots on a translucent body, to almost completely dark.
- Liloa incisula Yokoyama, 1928
- Distribution : Japan
- Liloa laeta A. A. Gould, 1859
- Distribution : Indo Pacific
- Liloa nipponensis Nomura & Hatai, 1940
- Distribution : Japan
- Liloa porcellana A. A. Gould, 1859
- Distribution : Japan
- Liloa tomaculum H. A. Pilsbry, 1951
- Distribution : Hawaiian Islands
- Liloa translucens A. Adams, 1862
- Distribution : Japan
- Liloa brevis (Quoy
- Genus Limulatys IredaleTom IredaleTom Iredale was an English-born ornithologist and malacologist who had a long association with Australia, where he lived for most of his life. He was an autodidact who never went to university and lacked formal training...
, 1936- Limulatys constrictus T. Habe, 1952
- Distribution : Indo Pacific
- Length : 16 mm
- Limulatys crassilabris (J. ThieleJohannes ThieleJohannes Thiele, full name Karl Hermann Johannes Thiele was a German zoologist specialized in malacology. His Handbuch der systematischen Weichtierkunde is a standard work...
, 1925)- Distribution : S.E. Asia, Thailand
- Length : 8 mm
- Limulatys fusiformis T. Habe, 1952
- Distribution : Japan
- Limulatys muscarius A. A. Gould, 1859
- Distribution : Indo Pacific, Philippines
- Limulatys okamotoi T. Habe, 1952
- Distribution : Indo Pacific
- Limulatys ooformis T. Habe, 1964 Egg-shaped Bubble
- Distribution : Indo Pacific, Philippines, Thailand
- Length : 20 mm
- Limulatys okamotoi Habe, 1952
- Distribution : Philippines
- Length : 9 mm
- Limulatys reliquus IredaleTom IredaleTom Iredale was an English-born ornithologist and malacologist who had a long association with Australia, where he lived for most of his life. He was an autodidact who never went to university and lacked formal training...
, 1936- Distribution : New Zealand
- Limulatys scobriculatus A. Adams, 1862
- Distribution : Japan
- Limulatys tortuosus A. Adams, 1850
- Distribution : Japan
- Limulatys constrictus T. Habe, 1952
- Genus Micratys Habe, 1952
- Micratys ovum T. Habe, 1952
- Distribution : Japan, Philippines
- Length : 2 mm
- Micratys ovum T. Habe, 1952
- Genus Mimatys Habe, 1952
- Mimatys fukuokaensis T. Habe, 1952
- Distribution : Japan, Philippines
- Length : 2.5 mm
- Mimatys fukuokaensis T. Habe, 1952
- Genus Nipponatys Kurida & Habe, 1952
- Nipponatys amakusaensis T. Habe & Kikuchi, 1960
- Distribution : Japan
- Nipponatys oshimai T. Habe & Kikuchi, 1960
- Nipponatys volvulina A. Adams, 1862
- Distribution : Japan
- Nipponatys amakusaensis T. Habe & Kikuchi, 1960
- Genus Sericohaminoea Habe, 1952
- Genus Sphaeratys F. Nordsieck, 1972 (?)
- Genus Ventomnestia
- Ventomnestia bizona (A. Adams, 1850)
- Ventomnestia colorata IredaleTom IredaleTom Iredale was an English-born ornithologist and malacologist who had a long association with Australia, where he lived for most of his life. He was an autodidact who never went to university and lacked formal training...
, 1936 - Ventomnestia villica (Gould, 1859) (may be a synonym of Ventomnestia bizona)
- Distribution : Guam
- Length : 5.5 mm
- Description : a bubble snail with a great variation in color, from white to brown, but always with a characteristic pattern; heavy shell; radulaRadulaThe radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
formula : 2.1.2;
- Genus Weinkauffia A. Adams, 1858
- Weinkauffia diaphana A. Aradas & Maggiore, 1839
- Distribution : West Africa
- Description : has similar gizzard plates as Atys multistriatus
- Weinkauffia turgidula Forbes, 1844
- Distribution : Adriatic Sea, Malta, Turkey
- Length : 5 mm
- Description : fossils of this species have been found in sediments of PliocenePlioceneThe Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
age in Italy.
- Weinkauffia diaphana A. Aradas & Maggiore, 1839