Sphincterochilidae is a taxonomic family of medium-sized air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).
In the fossil record, Sphincterochilidae are known from the upper Eocene to the Holocene."Family summary for Sphincterochilidae". AnimalBase, last modified 27 August 2005, accessed 10 April 2009.
Distribution The distribution of Sphincterochilidae includes the western-Palearctic zone.Hausdorf B. (2000). "Biogeography of the Limacoidea sensu lato (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora): Vicariance Events and Long-Distance Dispersal". Journal of Biogeography 27(2): 379-390. , JSTOR.
Taxonomy The following two subfamilies have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005): subfamily Sphincterochilinae Zilch, 1960 (1910) - synonyms: Calcarinidae Pallary, 1909Pallary P. M. (1909). "Catalogue de la faune malacologique de l'Egypte". Mémoires présentés à l'Institut Égyptien 6(1): 1-92, plates 1-5. page 12. (inv.); Albeidae Pallary, 1910.Pallary P. M. (1910). "Catalogue de la faune malacologique de l'Egypte. Additions et corrections". Mémoires présentés à l'Institut Égyptien 6(2): 177-182. page 178. Sphincterochilidae is a conserved name to take the priority of Leucochroidae Westerlund, 1886.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J. P. (2004). "Thebini Wenz, 1923, Monachainae Wenz, 1930 (1904), and Sphincterochilidae Zilch, 1960 (1910): proposed conservation (Mollusca, Gastropoda)". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 61(3): 154-161.ICZN (2006). "OPINION 2135 (Case 3261) THEBINI Wenz, 1923, MONACHAINAE/MONACHAINI Wenz, 1930 (1904), and SPHINCTEROCHILIDAE Zilch, 1960 (1910) (Mollusca, Gastropoda): conserved". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 63(1): 56-58. abstract. subfamily † Pseudoleptaxinae H. Nordsieck, 1986Nordsieck H. (1986). "Das System der tertiären Helicoidea Mittel- und Westeuropas (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora)". Heldia 1(4): 109-120, plates 15-17. page 116.
Genera Genera within the family Sphincterochilidae include:
Sphincterochilinae † Asensidea Calzada, 2003 Sphincterochila Ancey, 1887 - type genus of the family Sphincterochilidae
† Pseudoleptaxinae † Dentellocaracolus Oppenheim, 1890 † Fridolinia Pilsbry, 1895 † † Pseudoleptaxis Pilsbry, 1895Tryon G. W. & Pilsbry H. A. (1894). Manual of Conchology (2)9: 294. - type genus o the subfamily Pseudoleptaxinae † Wenzia Pfeffer, 1930
Ecology Sphincterochilidae land snails are xerothermophilous, i.e. they are well adapted to hot, arid places.
References
Bank, R. A. (2017). Classification of the Recent terrestrial Gastropoda of the World. Last update: July 16, 2017.