AMPHIBOLIDAE Gray, 1840

Golding, Rosemary E., Ponder, Winston F. & Byrne, Maria, 2007, Taxonomy and anatomy of Amphiboloidea (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Archaeopulmonata), Zootaxa 1476, pp. 1-50 : 6

Family AMPHIBOLIDAE Gray, 1840

Diagnosis: Shell globose with enlarged last whorl, diameter to 35 mm; shell thickness, shell patterning, shape of shoulder, spire dimensions, umbilical width and presence of umbilical folds variable; aperture lip with raised sinus or flattened indent corresponding with position of pneumostome. Operculum corneous, of variable thickness, with paucispiral striae around eccentric or basal marginal nucleus, interior surface with slightly raised projections around nucleus in some taxa, white fan-shaped deposit adjacent to nucleus in Lactiforis gen. nov.. Head and foot either grey, white or red in formalin-preserved and fresh specimens; black or dark grey pigment forming species-specific patterns on head; foot with simple opercular lobe. Cephalic tentacles short, triangular, eyes at central base. Mantle cavity with opposed ciliary tracts either running full length of cavity or restricted to exhalant canal; hypobranchial gland variable. Radula with elongate, narrow marginal teeth, lateral teeth and central tooth present in most taxa; central tooth of radula, if present, with enlarged mesocone, multiple smaller cusps; lateral teeth single, double or absent. Central nervous system euthyneurous, cerebral and pleural ganglia fused in some taxa; subcerebral and parapedal commissures confirmed present in some taxa; concentration of visceral loop and presence of accessory ganglion variable. Reproductive system monaulic, with undivided spermoviduct leading to spermovipositor at genital aperture; ovotestis intertwined with digestive gland. Seminal vesicle form variable, either convolution of upper hermaphrodite duct or diverticulum; seminal receptacle single, either black or unpigmented in formalin-preserved specimens, with short duct connecting to carrefour. Spermovipositor retractile into spermovipositor sheath; sheath forming pouches in some taxa. Prostatic gland blind-ending, coiled tube, attaching to spermoviduct at proximal spermovipositor; bound by thin external layer of connective tissue, inner wall lined by tall, narrow cells with basal nuclei, secretory vesicles. Egg mass either thick, semi-circular shaped collar impregnated with sand or thin, cylindrical strand deposited in loop on surface of sand.

Remarks: Amphibolidae currently contains two genera, Amphibola and Salinator . Members of this family are readily distinguished from other amphiboloideans by their simple paucispiral operculum which lacks a hollow keel (see summary in Table 4). The reproductive system has a single-lobed seminal receptacle at the carrefour, undivided spermoviduct and a spermovipositor with a coiled, blind-ending, tubular prostatic gland.