Polygyridae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea.
The Polygyridae make up a significant proportion of the land snail fauna of eastern North America, and are also found in western North America, northern Central America, and are present on some Caribbean islands. The definitive reference to the group is Henry Pilsbry's 1940 monograph.
Anatomy
This snail family is distinguished from other gastropods on the basis of several anatomical features: They have no dart apparatus (see love dart), the muscles which allow the eyes and pharynx to be retracted are united into a single band, and the jaws are ribbed.
In this family, the number of haploid chromosomes lies between 26 and 35 (according to the values in this table).
Taxonomy
According to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005) this family consists of the following subfamilies and tribes: Subfamily Polygyrinae Pilsbry, 1895 tribe Allogonini Emberton, 1995 tribe Ashmunellini Webb, 1954 tribe Polygyrini Pilsbry, 1895 subtribe Mesodontina Tryon, 1866 subtribe Polygyrina Pilsbry, 1895 subtribe Stenotrematina Emberton, 1995 Subfamily Triodopsinae Pilsbry, 1940
Genera
This family is defined by an absent diverticulum and absent stimulatory organ. The two subfamilies, Polygyrinae and Triodopsinae, are distinguished on the basis of reproductive anatomy. As some species in the subfamily Polygirinae show a penial appendage. This family is monophyletic.
Pilsbry uses the generic names Allogona, Ashmunella, Giffordius, Mesodon, Polygyra, Praticolella, Stenotrema, Trilobopsis, Triodopsis, and Vespericola. The remaining names listed here have either been elevated from Pilsbry's subgenera since 1940, or newly created.
Subfamily Polygyrinae: Appalachina Daedalochila Euchemotrema Fumonelix Giffordius Hochbergellus Inflectarius Linisa Lobosculum Mesodon Millerelix Patera Polygyra Praticolella Stenotrema Trilobopsis
Shells of species within the Polygyrinae
Subfamily Triodopsinae: Allogona Ashmunella Cryptomastix Neohelix Triodopsis Vespericola Webbhelix Xolotrema