| Galeommatoidea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Waldo digitatus , a galeommatid | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Superorder: | Imparidentia |
| Order: | Galeommatida Lemer et al., 2019 |
| Superfamily: | Galeommatoidea Gray, 1840 |
| Families | |
Galeommatoidea is a superfamily of bivalves classified in the monotypic order Galeommatida.
Galeommatoids exhibit symbiotic relationships with many different groups of benthic and burrowing invertebrates. [1] An ectocommensal species, "Parabonia" squillina, has been found to be nearly mutually exclusive with burrow-wall commensal species of Lysiosquilla . [2] Galeommatoids are capable of active locomotion, crawling on their foot like a snail. [3]
Galeommatoidea is a member of the heterodont bivalve clade Imparidentia, but its precise placement within that clade is poorly resolved. [4] [5] As it falls outside of previously recognized imparidentian orders, it is classified in an order of its own, Galeommatida. [5] The monophyly of Galeommatoidea is strongly supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses. [1] [4] However, the internal classification of Galeommatoidea is controversial, and it has been divided into various poorly defined families that may not be monophyletic. [1] Over a dozen family names have been proposed within Galeommatoidea, [4] but as of 2024, only three families, Basterotiidae, Galeommatidae, and Lasaeidae, are listed as accepted in MolluscaBase. [6]
Galeommatoidea is a species-rich group. [4] As of 2010, it was estimated that Galeommatoidea contained approximately 500 species in 100 genera. [7]
