• DOI:10.3853/J.0067-1975.40.1988.151
• Corpus ID: 84287210

Classification of Australian buliniform planorbids (Mollusca: Pulmonata)

@article{Walker1988ClassificationOA,
  title={Classification of Australian buliniform planorbids (Mollusca: Pulmonata)},
  author={J. C. Walker},
  journal={Records of The Australian Museum},
  year={1988},
  volume={40},
  pages={61-89}
}

• J. Walker
• Published 26 May 1988
• Biology
• Records of The Australian Museum

The genera of Australian buliniform planorbids have been examined anatomically and their classifi~ation reviewed. The major conclusions reached are.: 1. Isidorella is not congeneric with Bulinus and is an endemic Australian genus; 2. Iredale's genera Lenameria, Tasmadora and Mutalena are synonyms of Physastra Tapparone-Canefri which, in turn, is a synonym of Glyptophysa Crosse. Glyptamoda Iredale is also a synonym of Glyptophysa; 3. Oppletora Iredale, synonymised with Bulinus by Hubendick, is actually related to Glyptophysa and is placed in a separate subgenus; 4. Ancylastrum Bourguignat has been examined and the results confirm Hubendick's opinion that this limpet-like genus is related to Glyptophysa. Two species can be separated by simple anatomical characters; 5. The genus Bayardella Burch includes two species, B. johni and B. cosmeta, the latter once considered to be a species of Glyptophysa; 6. Amerianna Strand includes species with either a terminal or lateral pore on a simple pendant penis; 7. A new genus Leichhardtia is erected for the northern species Bullinus sisurnius Hedley 1918. All these genera are placed in the planorbid subfamily Bulininae. WALKER, J.c. Classification of Australian buliniform planorbids (Mollusca: Pulmonata). Records of the Australian Museum 40(2): 61-89. 61 The African planorbid Bulinus Muller, 1781 has become one of the best known and most intensely studied of all molluscs because of its role in the transmission of the human trematode parasite Schistosoma haematobium (Bilharz, 1852). Several Australian freshwater molluscs are morphologically similar to Bulinus and, as a consequence, this generic name has frequently been applied to lymnaceans from this country. This has not only caused confusion for taxonomists but has also supported the belief that snails capable of transmitting human schistosomes are present in Australia (Anon, 1972). The name Bulinus was first used by Adanson in 1757 in a description of a small freshwater mollusc from Senegal. Since the original description was preLinnean, Adanson cannot be quoted as author and Miiller, who used the name in 1781, is now given authorship. In 1815, in a compilation of Muller's work, Oken emended the spelling to Bullinus and this form was subsequently widely adopted by authors until Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927) pointed out that Bullinus Oken is an unnecessary emendation for Bulinus Muller, and has no status in nomenclature. The classification of Australian buliniform planorbids has been confounded since its beginnings by a surfeit of species names and an ignorance of generic relationships. These problems have their origins in the traditional reliance of taxonomists on the molluscan shell as a major taxonomic character, an unfortunate choice in the light of the extreme variability of the freshwater Basommatophora. From 1826, with the description of Physa novaehollandiae by Blainville, until 1881 (Tate & Brazier, 1881), 54 species of Physa Draparnaud were named from Australia. Tate (1882) was convinced, however, that the sinistrally coiled Australian freshwater snails were not physids and stated" ... in no instance have I found those distinctions which characterise Physa as separable from Bulinus. The mantle margin is neither expanded nor digitate". Cooke (1889) also considered that the "So Called Physae of Australia" were related to Bulinus. He also