Bulimulidae Tryon, 1867

Herbert, D. G., 2007, Revision of the genus Prestonella (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Orthalicoidea: Bulimulidae s. l.), a distinctive component of the African land snail fauna, African Invertebrates 48 (2), pp. 1-19 : 4

Family Bulimulidae Tryon, 1867

If the Bulimulinae and Orthalicinae are taken to belong to the same family, then Orthalicidae Albers, 1860 has precedence ( Bouchet & Rocroi 2005). However, the Bulimulidae and Orthalicidae are frequently considered to be distinct at family level ( Zilch 1959 –60; Schileyko 1999), and there is in general considerable uncertainty regarding the relative ranking of supraspecific taxa within the Orthalicoidea —a problem that cannot be resolved until we have a clearer understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of the taxa concerned. Following Herbert and Mitchell (in press), I employ the commonly used name Bulimulidae for a broadly interpreted assemblage of orthalicoid taxa not belonging to the Orthalicidae or Amphibulimidae . At the same time I note that the Odontostominae is also frequently considered a separate family ( Zilch 1959 –60; Vaught 1989) and, furthermore, that some recent authors have elected also to treat placostyline taxa as a separate family ( Neubert & Janssen 2004; Bouchet & Rocroi 2005).