About 110 freshwater species, some brackish water species, and some fully marine species
Neritidae, common name the nerites, is a taxonomicfamily of small to medium-sized saltwater and freshwater snails which have a gill and a distinctive operculum.[2]
The family Neritidae includes marine genera such as Nerita, marine and freshwater genera such as Neritina, and freshwater and brackish water genera such as Theodoxus.
The common name "nerite" as well as the family name Neritidae and the genus name Nerita, are derived from the name of Nerites, who was a sea god in Greek mythology.
Distribution
Neritidae live primarily in the southern hemisphere, but there are some exceptions, such as a genus Theodoxus which can be found in Europe and Northern Africa [3] or Bathynerita naticoidea.
Red racer nerites, Vittina waigiensis, from the Philippines. These are popular in the aquarium trade for their extremely variable shell patternsThe zebra nerite, Vittina natalensis, from East Africa. A common nerite snail in the aquarium trade and one of several species known as "zebra nerites"Two shells of Neritodryas cornea
Genera, subgenera and species within the family Neritidae include:[5]
^ abcBandel K. (2001). "The history of Theodoxus and Neritina connected with description and systematic evaluation of related Neritimorpha (Gastropoda)". Mittelungen aus dem Geologisch-Palaontologischen Institut Universitat Hamburg85: 65-164. abstractArchived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine.
^WoRMS (2009). Smaragdia Issel, 1869. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2009) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138255 on 2010-05-03
Starobogatov, Y. I. (1970). Fauna Molliuskov i Zoogeograficheskoe Raionirovanie Kontinental'nykh Vodoemov Zemnogo Shara [The Molluscan Fauna and Zoogeographical Zoning of the Continental Water Bodies of the World]. Nauka. Leningrad. 372 p., 12 tables
