Sigmurethra Temporal range:
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Various examples of Sigmurethra | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
Order: | Stylommatophora |
Informal group: | Sigmurethra |
Superfamilies | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Sigmurethra is a taxonomic category of air-breathing land snails and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. This is an informal group which includes most land snails and slugs.
The two strong synapomorphies of Sigmurethra are a long pedal gland placed beneath a membrane and retractile tentacles.[2]
Several families in this group contain species of snails and slugs that create love darts.
Sigmurethra are known from the Cretaceous to the Recent periods.[3]
In the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005, Sigmurethra is an "Informal Group", a subsection of the Stylommatophora.[4] It consists of the following families:
Two superfamilies belongs to clade Sigmurethra, but they are not in the limacoid clade.
(Families that are exclusively fossil are indicated with a dagger †)
After excluding groups not related, the informal group Sigmurethra becomes suborder Helicina, with the following nine infraorders and a collection of families with no superfamily:[6]