Pyramidellidae
| Pyramidellidae | |
|---|---|
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| Apertural view of a shell of Pyramidella acus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Clade: | Heterobranchia |
| Clade: | Euthyneura |
| Clade: | Panpulmonata |
| Superfamily: | Pyramidelloidea |
| Family: |
Pyramidellidae J. E. Gray, 1840 |
| Subfamilies | |
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See text |
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See text
Pyramidellidae, common name the pyram family, or pyramid shells, is a voluminous taxonomic family of mostly small and minute ectoparasitic sea snails, marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs. The great majority of species of pyrams are micromolluscs.
The pyram family is distributed worldwide with more than 6,000 named species in more than 350 nominal genera and subgenera.
This family of micromollusks has been little studied and the phylogenetic relationships within the family are not well worked out. There is an absence of a general consensus which species belong to a specific genus or subgenus, contributing to much confusion. Schander (1999) names more than 300 supraspecific names. As there has been no serious generic revision of the genera worldwide, generic polyphyly can be expected to be rampant throughout the family. However, the family itself is deemed monophyletic.
The family is currently divided into 11 subfamilies (Ponder & Lindberg 1997). An alternative interpretation is that the family Pyramidellidae is but one of six families within the superfamily Pyramidelloidea (Schander, van Aartsen & Corgan 1999). Many species are rare or infrequently recorded.
Subfamilies included within the family Pyramidellidae vary according to the taxonomy consulted. The currently leading taxonomy is the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005).
Taxonomy of Pyramidellidae by Ponder & Lindberg (1997):
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