Neritidae

Neritidae
An oblique left side view of a live Theodoxus fluviatilis
Two shells of the freshwater nerite Theodoxus danubialis, scale bar in mm
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Neritimorpha clade Cycloneritimorpha
Superfamily:	Neritoidea
Family:	Neritidae Rafinesque, 1815
Diversity[1]
About 110 freshwater species, some brackish water species, and some fully marine species

Neritidae, common name the nerites, is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized saltwater and freshwater snails which have a gill and a distinctive operculum, marine, brackish water and freshwater gastropod mollusks in the order Neritoida.

The family Neritidae includes marine genera such as Nerita, marine and freshwater genera such as Neritina, and freshwater and brackish water genera such as Theodoxus.

A dish of cooked nerites from the Rajang River, Sarawak, Malaysia

Meat extracted from freshwater nerites in the Punjab prior to cooking

The common name "nerite" as well as the family name Neritidae and the genus name Nerita, are derived from the name of Nerites, who was a sea god in Greek mythology.

Distribution

Neritidae live primarily in the southern hemisphere, but there are some exceptions, such as a genus Theodoxus^[2] or Bathynerita naticoidea.

Taxonomy

This family consists of the five following subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005):

• Neritinae Rafinesque, 1815 - synonyms: Neritellinae Gray, 1847; Proto neritidae Kittl, 1899
• † Neritariinae Wenz, 1938
• Neritininae Poey, 1852
  • tribe Neritinini Poey, 1852 - synonyms: Catilinae Gray, 1868; Orthopomatini Gray, 1868; Stenopomatini Gray, 1868; Septariini Jousseaume, 1894
  • tribe Theodoxini Bandel, 2001^[3]
• Smaragdiinae H. B. Baker, 1923
• † Velatinae Bandel, 2001^[3]

Genera

Genera, subgenera and species within the family Neritidae include:^[4]

Subfamily Neritinae

• Genus Bathynerita Clarke, 1989
• Genus Nerita Linnaeus, 1758 - type genus
  • Subgenus Adenerita
  • Subgenus Amphinerita
  • Subgenus Cymostyla
  • Subgenus Heminerita
  • Subgenus Ilynerita
  • Subgenus Linnerita
  • Subgenus Melanerita Martens, 1889
    • Species Nerita atramentosa Reeve, 1855
    • Species Nerita melanotragus Smith, E. A., 1884
  • Subgenus Mienerita
  • Subgenus Nerita
  • Subgenus Ritena
  • Subgenus Theliostyla

Subfamily † Neritariinae

• † Neritaria Koken, 1892

Subfamily Neritininae
tribe Neritinini

• Genus Neritina Rafinesque, 1815
  • Subgenus Dostia
  • Subgenus Neritina
  • Subgenus Vittina
• Genus Turrita Wagner, 1897
  • • Species Turrita vittata
• Genus Vitta Mörch, 1852
  • • Species Vitta luteofasciatus
• Genus Septaria Férussac, 1807^[5]

tribe Theodoxini

• Genus Clithon Montfort, 1810
• Genus Clypeolum Récluz, 1842
  • Species Clypeolum auriculatum
  • Species Clypeolum granosum
  • Species Clypeolum latissimum
• Genus Fluvinerita Pilsbry, 1932^[3]
  • Species Fluvinerita tenebricosa
• Genus Neripteron Lesson, 1831
  • Species Neripteron granosus
  • Species Neripteron guerinii

Two shells of Neritodryas cornea

• Genus Neritodryas Martens, 1869
  • Species Neritodryas cornea
  • Species Neritodryas dubia
  • Species Neritodryas subsulcata
• Genus Puperita Gray, 1857^[6]
• Genus Theodoxus Montfort, 1810

Subfamily Smaragdiinae

• Genus Gaillardotia Bourguignat, 1877
• Genus Magadis Melvill & Standen, 1899
• Genus Pisulina Nevill, 1869
  • Species Pisulina adamsiana
• Genus Smaragdella Baker, 1923
• Genus Smaragdia Issel, 1869^[7]
• Genus Smaragoista

Subfamily † Velatinae

• † Velates Montfort, 1810

References

1. Strong E. E., Gargominy O., Ponder W. F. & Bouchet P. (2008). "Global Diversity of Gastropods (Gastropoda; Mollusca) in Freshwater". Hydrobiologia 595: 149-166. hdl:10088/7390 doi:10.1007/s10750-007-9012-6.
2. Bunje P. M. & Lindberg D. R. (2007). "Lineage divergence of a freshwater snail clade associated with post-Tethys marine basin development". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42(2): 373–387. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.06.026.
3. Bandel K. (2001). "The history of Theodoxus and Neritina connected with description and systematic evaluation of related Neritimorpha (Gastropoda)". Mittelungen aus dem Geologisch-Palaontologischen Institut Universitat Hamburg 85: 65-164. abstract.
4. Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
5. WoRMS (2009). Septaria. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=206410 on 2010-05-03
6. WoRMS (2009). Puperita Gray, 1857. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=205488 on 2010-05-03
7. WoRMS (2009). Smaragdia Issel, 1869. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2009) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138255 on 2010-05-03

External links

• "Neritidae". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
• Bourne G. C. (1908). "Contributions to the morphology of the group Neritacea of aspidobranch gastropods. I. The Neritidae." Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1908: 810-887.