Potamididae

Cerithidea decollata

Potamididae are a family of marine snails, which comprises 29 extant species in six genera and numerous fossil taxa. Snails in this family include not only various kinds of other families, such as the Batillariidae, Neritidae, Littorinidae, Ellobiidae and Amphiboloidea to the typical mangrove snails.

Taxonomy and systematics

Currently the Potamididae be on a comprehensive systematic revision based bounded using molecular and morphological characters and not further broken down into sub-families. However, in particular fossil taxa from the family Batillariidae were erroneously also assigned the Potamididae In the traditional system.

Ecology and distribution

Most species are closely associated with mangroves. The Potamididae are widespread in warm temperate and tropical coastal areas of the Mediterranean, the Pacific and the Atlantic, and can be found in suitable habitats, usually in high population densities. They inhabit the tidal area, and living mainly on muddy or sandy substrates. Some species also climb on mangrove trees.

Fossil findings

The evolution of Potamididae is closely linked to the evolution of the mangrove. First fossils that can be assigned to Potamididae sure ( Potamides ) have survived from the Paleocene of Europe. From here, the group has probably spread along with the encroachment of mangroves along the coasts of the Tethys. The modern members of the family, as Terebralia, Cerithideopsis, appeared in the Middle Eocene, together with the first mangroves. It is believed that the Potamididae subsequently became extinct clothes of Tethys in the Mediterranean after the closing ẞ. In the Pliocene to Pleistocene of the Mediterranean from the Indo- West Pacific was again by ancestors of today's species occurring there Cerithideopsilla conica populated. This settlement was made possible by the presence of a planktotrophic Veligerlarve in this group.

Genera

Six extant and fossil genera are currently a number considered to be valid:

Recent genera:

• Cerithidea Swainson, 1840
• Cerithideopsis Thiele, 1929
• Cerithideopsilla Thiele, 1929
• Telescopium Montfort, 1810
• Terebralia Swainson, 1840
• Tympanotonos Schumacher, 1817

Fossil genera:

• † Bitti Scala Finlay & Marwick, 1937
• † Canaliscala Cossmann, 1888
• † Exechestoma Cossmann, 1899
• † Gantechinobathra Kowalke, 2001
• † Harrisianella Olson, 1929
• † Potamides Brongniart, 1810 ( type genus of the family)
• † Vicarya Vicarya d' Archiac & Haimes, 1854
• † Vicaryella Yabe & Hatai, 1938

Note: The assignment of fossil groups within the Cerithioidea is problematic because it is based solely on (usually incompletely preserved ) shells. Some groups that were formerly assigned to the Potamididae be, recently attributed to Batillariidae.