The value of a single character: the Paleogene European land snail Ferussina Grateloup, 1827 is likely a cyclophorid (Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda)

By

Páll-Gergely, Barna
Neubauer, Thomas A.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

918

Pages

29--40

Subjects

character evolution , Eocene , Oligocene , parallel evolution , terrestrial Gastropoda , unique trait

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.918.50135

 

Abstract

FerussinaGrateloup, 1827 is a European Paleogene land snail genus, which is currently classified in its own family, the Ferussinidae Wenz, 1923 (1915), in the superfamily Cyclophoroidea. The shell of this genus is remarkable by its last quarter whorl turning towards the apex instead of away from it, which is an unusual trait in terrestrial snails. We show, however, that this trait has evolved at least nine times in terrestrial Eupulmonata and Caenogastropoda, and it does not justify distinction at the family level in any of the reported cases. This observation suggests the systematic position ofFerussinashould not be based on the apexward-turning last quarter whorl alone but instead on the general morphology of the shell. As a result, we re-evaluate the systematic position of the Ferussinidae and treat it as a subfamily of the Cyclophoridae.