Pulmonata

Pulmonata
Fossil range: Carboniferous–recent
Various examples of Pulmonata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia

informal group Pulmonata
Taxonomic subdivisions
  • informal group Basommatophora
  • clade Eupulmonata

The Pulmonata, or "pulmonates," are an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includes many land and freshwater families, and several marine families.

Pulmonata are known from the Carboniferous to the recent periods.[1]

Pulmonates have a single auricle and kidney, and a concentrated, symmetrical, nervous system. The mantle cavity is located on the right side of the body, and lacks gills, instead being converted into a vascularised lung. Most species have a shell, but no operculum, although the group does also include several shell-less slugs. Pulmonates are hermaphroditic, and some groups possess love darts.[2]

Contents

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of this group according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005) is as follows:

Informal Group Pulmonata

Contains the informal group Basommatophora and the clade Eupulmonata

Informal Group Basommatophora

Contains the clade Hygrophila

Clade Hygrophila

Clade Eupulmonata

Contains the clades Systellommatophora and Stylommatophora

Clade Systellommatophora ( = Gymnomorpha)
Clade Stylommatophora

Contains the subclades Elasmognatha, Orthurethra and the informal group Sigmurethra

Subclade Elasmognatha
Subclade Orthurethra
Informal Group Sigmurethra
limacoid clade
other Sigmurethra

Two two superfamilies belongs to clade Sigmurethra, but they are not in the limacoid clade.

Previous taxonomy

The previous taxonomy of this group according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Ponder & Lindberg, 1997) was as follows:

Order Pulmonata Cuvier in Blainville, 1814 - pulmonates

Shells of pulmonate styllomatophoran snails in a museum collection
Various pulmonates

References

  1. ↑ (in Czech) Pek I., Vašíček Z., Roček Z., Hajn. V. & Mikuláš R. 1996. Základy zoopaleontologie. Olomouc, 264 pp., ISBN 80-7067-599-3.
  2. ↑ Barnes, Robert D. (1982). Invertebrate Zoology. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. p. 377. ISBN 0-03-056747-5. 

Further reading

External links