| Limacoidei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A live individual of Bielzia coerulans in the Limacidae | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Superorder: | Eupulmonata |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Suborder: | Helicina |
| Infraorder: | Limacoidei |
| Superfamilies | |
See text | |
The limacoidei is a taxonomic infraorder of air-breathing land snails, semislugs and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the suborder Helicina [1] [2]
The original ancestral area of limacoid families is thought to be the Palearctic region and south-eastern Asia. [3]
The word "limacoid" means "resembling a slug". [4]
In 1998, for the same taxon, Hausdorf [2] used the name Limacoidea sensu lato .
The name of this taxon, the limacoid clade, was written by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) [1] with quotation marks like this: "limacoid clade".
Other typographical variants are used by various other authors, for example capitalizing and restricting the use of the quote marks thus: "Limacoid" clade and "Limacoid clade".
The study of A. Schileyko in this group, published in parts 8–11 of his monograph between 2002 and 2003, did not discuss the system that Hausdorf had proposed. [5] However, Schileyko refers to the work of Hausdorf, where this system was proposed, [2] in part 10 (2003) on p. 1390. [5] So he was acquainted with this system before 2003.
Alternative taxonomy is as follows (subfamilies listed only for Helicarionidae and Zonitidae):
Moreover, after these groups, in the same infraorder Limacoinei, Schileyko listed six more superfamilies: Camaenoidea, Xanthonychoidea, Helicoidea, Polygyroidea, Hygromioidea and Arionoidea. [5]
For this particular group of families, Bouchet & Rocroi adapted the taxonomic approach which was originally published by German malacologist Bernhard Hausdorf in 1998 in the Journal of Molluscan Studies. [2] Bouchet & Rocroi clearly state, on p. 283: [1]
The "limacoid clade" includes the families Staffordioidea, Dyakioidea, Gastrodontoidea, Parmacelloidea, Zonitoidea, Helicarionoidea and Limacoidea. Contents and classification after Hausdorf (1998).
However, in their paper, Bouchet & Rocroi (apparently accidentally) failed to show, graphically or typographically, any coverage of the limacoid clade in the taxonomic section of their paper, on pp. 268–269.
Because of this omission, some authors have subsequently (mistakenly) included in the "limacoid clade" the two following superfamilies: Arionoidea and Helicoidea. This misunderstanding was copied by Poppe & Tagaro (2006) [6] who attempted to explain the changes within this taxonomy to the public. This same error is reproduced in various other internet sources.
The taxonomy of Bouchet and Rocroi [1] shows the "limacoid clade" as follows:
(Families that are exclusively fossil are indicated with a dagger †)
A cladogram showing phylogenic relations of families in the limacoid clade: [3]
| limacoid clade |
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As explained in the previous section, the superfamilies Arionoidea and Helicoidea do not belong to the limacoid clade. However, they are sometimes mistakenly included in this taxon.
Pulmonata, or "pulmonates", is an informal group of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includes many land and freshwater families, and several marine families.
Stylommatophora is an order of air-breathing land snails and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. This taxon includes the majority of land snails and slugs.
Eupulmonata is a taxonomic clade of air-breathing snails. The great majority of this group are land snails and slugs, but some are marine and some are saltmarsh snails that can tolerate salty conditions.
Limacoidea is a taxonomic superfamily of medium-sized to large, air-breathing land slugs and snails. They are terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the infraorder Stylommatophora.
Zonitidae, common name the true glass snails, are a family of mostly rather small, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Zonitoidea.
Parmacelloidea is a superfamily of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the clade Stylommatophora and the informal group Pulmonata. These are limacoid or keelback slugs.
Gastrodontoidea is a taxonomic superfamily of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the limacoid clade.
Limacidae, also known by their common name the keelback slugs, are a taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Limacoidea.
Parmacellidae is a family of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks within the superfamily Parmacelloidea.
Helicarionidae is a family of air-breathing land snails or semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicarionoidea.
The taxonomy of the Gastropoda as it was revised in 2005 by Philippe Bouchet and Jean-Pierre Rocroi is a system for the scientific classification of gastropod mollusks. The paper setting out this taxonomy was published in the journal Malacologia. The system encompasses both living and extinct groups, as well as some fossils whose classification as gastropods is uncertain.
Trigonochlamydidae is a family of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial gastropod molluscs in the clade Eupulmonata.
Milacidae is a family of air-breathing, keeled, land slugs. These are shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Parmacelloidea.
Ariophantidae is a taxonomic family of air-breathing land snails and semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicarionoidea.
Trochomorphidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Gastrodontoidea. Since 2017, its classification has been revised and it now belongs to the superfamily Trochomorphoidea
Gastrodontidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Gastrodontoidea.
Pristilomatidae is a taxonomic family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Gastrodontoidea.
Dyakiidae is a family of air-breathing land snails terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Trochomorphoidea.
Staffordiidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Trochomorphoidea.
Sigmurethra is a taxonomic category of air-breathing land snails and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. This is an informal group which includes the majority of land snails and slugs.