Heterobranchia
The Heterobranchs are a large group of snails and slugs. The group includes marine, aquatic and terrestrial gastropod molluscs.
| Heterobranchia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Four examples of Heterobranchia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia J.E. Gray, 1840 |
| Taxonomic subcategories | |
|
informal group Lower Heterobranchia | |
Heterobranchia is one of the main clades of gastropods. It has three informal groups: [1] The details are extremely complicated, and not yet quite worked out. Experts say they have "poorly resolved phylogenetic relationships".[2]
- Lower Heterobranchia: a group of rather specialized, highly evolved sea slugs and sea snails.
- Opisthobranchia: almost all are marine species, some shelled and some not. They are a group of slugs and snails with grinding gizzard plates.
- Pulmonata. This is a group which is familiar to most people. It includes most land snails and slugs, many freshwater snails and a few marine species. They breathe air, are hermaphrodite, and usually have no operculum.[3]
References
- Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (eds) 2005. Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families. Malacologia: International Journal of Malacology. 47(1-2).
- Dinapoli A. & Klussmann-Kolb A. 2010. The long way to diversity – phylogeny and evolution of the Heterobranchia (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55 (1): 60–76.
- The operculum is the hard section on the foot which closes up the shell so the animal is safe inside.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.