Camaenidae [SEP] parent taxon
Camaenidae
Camaenidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea, the typical snails and their allies. This is one of the most diverse families in the clade Stylommatophora.
These snails occur in a wide variety of habitats in the tropics of Eastern Asia and Australasia.
A large American group, which is mainly represented by species from the Caribbean, has, until recently, also been subsumed under the Camaenidae. However, latest molecular phylogenetic studies showed that these species represent
species often have rather flat shells. The shells of some taxa can be vividly coloured, showing banding or other conspicuous patterns, but others are plain and uniform.
This family is defined by a missing diverticulum and a missing stimulatory organ. It is suggested that the family Camaenidae as currently delimited is a polyphyletic taxon. There are no synapomorphies uniting this diverse family. The American group is closely related to the families Helicidae and Helminthoglyptidae, while the Australasian group is a closely related to the Bradybaenidae.
In order to retain