View source for Biology:Athoracophoridae

{{Short description|Family of gastropods}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| taxon = Athoracophoridae
| image = Triboniophorus graeffei - Chatswood West.jpg
| image_caption = Two individuals of ''Triboniophorus graeffei''
| image_alt = Two individuals of Triboniophorus graeffei
| parent_authority = P. Fischer, 1883<ref name="Fischer 1883">{{in lang|fr}} Fischer P. (21 February 1883). ''Manuel de conchlyliologie et de paléontologie conchlyliologique'' (5): 417-512. Savy, Paris. [https://archive.org/stream/manueldeconchyli00fisc#page/492/mode/1up page 492].</ref> (1860)
| authority = P. Fischer, 1883<ref name="Fischer 1883"/> (1860)
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
| subdivision =
* [[Biology:Athoracophorinae|Athoracophorinae]] <small>P. Fischer, 1883 (1860)</small>
* Aneitinae <small>Gray, 1860</small>
}}

'''Athoracophoridae''', [[Biology:Common name|common name]] the '''leaf-veined slugs''', are a family of air-breathing land [[Biology:Slug|slug]]s, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the infraorder [[Biology:Stylommatophora|Stylommatophora]], the stalk-eyed snails and slugs. Many of the species have an attractive pattern on their dorsal surface which resembles the veins in a [[Biology:Leaf|leaf]], hence the common name.

Athoracophoridae is the only family in the superfamily '''Athoracophoroidea'''.<ref name="Bouchet 2005">{{Bouchet 2005}}</ref>

Leaf-veined slugs live on the various land masses and islands in the south-west Pacific area. In te reo Māori, leaf-veined slugs are known as '''putoko ropiropi.'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ryan |first=Paddy |date=24 Sep 2007 |title=Snails and slugs - Flax snails, giant snails and veined slugs |url=http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/snails-and-slugs/page-2 |access-date=5 January 2024 |website=Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand}}</ref>

The scientific name Athoracophoridae is derived from prefix "a-", that means "without" and from a [[Social:Greek language|Greek]] word "{{lang|el|θωραχοφὁρος}}" ({{transliteration|el|thorachoforos}}), that means "[[Engineering:Breastplate|breastplate]]".<ref name="Fischer 1883"/> This is a reference to the fact that the [[Biology:Mantle (mollusc)|mantle]] in these slugs is small and not well delineated; it does not have the obvious, saddle-shaped or breast-plate-shaped appearance that it does in most other land slug groups.

==Anatomy==
In the family Athoracophoridae (in subfamily Aneitinae and in subfamily [[Biology:Athoracophorinae|Athoracophorinae]]), the number of [[Biology:Haploid|haploid]] [[Biology:Chromosome|chromosome]]s lies between 36 and 45 (according to the values in this table).<ref name="Barker">Barker G. M.: Gastropods on Land: ''Phylogeny, Diversity and Adaptive Morphology''. in Barker G. M. (ed.): ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=WlvX-9Wt0toC&hl The biology of terrestrial molluscs]''. CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, 2001, {{ISBN|0-85199-318-4}}. 1-146, cited pages: 139 and 142.</ref> While they belong to the pulmonate snails, they lack a true [[Medicine:Lung|lung]]. The vascularized mantle cavity is reduced, and a series of blind tubules radiate from it, being surrounded blood vessels. This allows for a more compact lung structure in these generally flat animals.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Burton|first=W.D.|title=How to be sluggish|journal=Tuatara|date=1982|volume=25|issue=2|pages=48–63|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio25Tuat02-t1-body-d2.html|access-date=8 May 2014}}</ref>

==Distribution==
Species in this family are found in eastern {{wipe|Australia}}, [[Earth:New Zealand|New Zealand]] including its sub-Antarctic islands, Bismarck Archipelago, the Admiralty Islands, the New Hebrides, [[Earth:New Caledonia|New Caledonia]],<ref name="Burton 1982"/> as well as on the [[Place:Melanesia|Melanesia]]n islands north to [[Earth:New Caledonia|New Caledonia]] and New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

==Taxonomy==
The following two subfamilies have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005),<ref name="Bouchet 2005"/> that follows classification after Grimpe & Hoffmann (1925):<ref>{{in lang|de}} Grimpe G. & Hoffmann (1925). "Die Nacktschnecken von Neu-Caledonien, den Loyalty-Inseln und den Neuen-Hebriden." In: Sarasin F. & Roux J. (eds.) ''Nova Caledonia'', A (Zoologie), Band 3, Heft 1-3: 337-476, plates 5-6.</ref>
* Athoracophorinae <small>P. Fischer, 1883 (1860)</small> - synonym: Janellidae Gray, 1853 (inv.) - a subantarctic subfamily<ref name="Burton 1982">Burton D. W. (1982). [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio25Tuat02-t1-body-d2.html "How to be sluggish."] ''Tuatara'' '''25'''(2): 48-63. [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio25Tuat02-t1-body-d2.html#n18 page 55].</ref>
* Aneitinae <small>Gray, 1860</small> - a northern subfamily<ref name="Burton 1982"/>

The name Athoracophoridae has precedence over the name Aneitidae, because Athoracophoridae is in prevailing usage.<ref name="Bouchet 2005"/>

===Genera===
Genera within the family Athoracophoridae include:<ref>Powell A. W. B. (1979). ''New Zealand Mollusca'', William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand, {{ISBN|0-00-216906-1}}</ref>
* ''Aneitea'' Gray, 1860
** ''Aneitea sarasini''
* ''[[Biology:Athoracophorus|Athoracophorus]]'' Gould, 1852 - the type genus, 3 species
* ''Palliopodex'' Burton, 1963 - with the only species ''[[Biology:Palliopodex verrucosus|Palliopodex verrucosus]]'' (Simroth, 1889) 
* ''[[Biology:Pseudaneitea|Pseudaneitea]]'' Cockerell, 1891
* ''[[Biology:Reflectopallium|Reflectopallium]]'' Burton, 1963
* ''[[Biology:Triboniophorus|Triboniophorus]]'' Humbert, 1863

==See also==
* ''[[Biology:Alaninema ngata|Alaninema ngata]]'', a nematode which is an intestinal parasite in slugs of this family

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Burch J. B. (1968). "Tentacle retraction in Tracheopulmonata". ''Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia'' '''1'''(11): 62-67.
* Burch J. B. & Patterson C. M. (1969). "Systematic position of the Athoracophoridae (Gastropoda : Euthyneura)". ''Malacologia'' '''9''': 259-260.
* Burton D. W. (1962). [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio09Tuat03-t1-body-d1.html "New Zealand land slugs — Part 1"]. ''Tuatara'' '''9'''(8): 87-97.
* Burton D. W. (1963). [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio11Tuat02-t1-body-d7.html "New Zealand Land Slugs — Part 2"]. ''Tuatara'' '''11'''(2): 90-96.
* Burton D. W. (1980). "Anatomical studies on Australian, New Zealand and sub-antarctic Athoracophoridae (Gastropoda : Pulmonata)". ''New Zealand Journal of Zoology'' '''7''': 173-198.
* Burton D. W. (1981). "Pallial systems in the Athoracophoridae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata)". ''New Zealand Journal of Zoology'' '''8''': 391-402.
* Forcart L. (1973). "Notes on Veronicellidae and Athoracophoridae in Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago". ''Nautilus'' '''87''': 25-27.
* Grimpe G. & Hoffmann H. (1924). "Diagnosen neuer Athoracophoriden (Gastropoda, Pulmonata)". ''Zoologischer Anzeiger'' '''58''': 171-177.
* Oberzeller E. (1970). "Ergebnisse der Österreichischen Neukaledonien-Expedition 1965. Terrestrische Gastropoda II: Veronicellidae und Athoracophoridae." ''Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien'' '''74''': 325-341. [http://www.biologiezentrum.at/pdf_frei_remote/ANNA_74_0325-0341.pdf PDF].
* Plate L. H. (1898). "Beitrage zur Anatomie und Systematik der Janelliden". ''Zoologische Jahrbucher. Abtheilung fur Anatomie und Ontogenie der Thiere'' (Jena) XI: 193-269.
* Suter H. (1897). "A revision of New Zealand Athoracophoridae". ''Journal of Molluscan Studies'' '''2'''(6): 245-257. [https://archive.today/20130415151803/http://mollus.oxfordjournals.org/content/2/6/245.extract abstract].
* Suter H. (1913). ''Manual of the New Zealand Mollusca''. (Athoracophoridae, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/manualofnewzeala00sute#page/788/mode/2up 789]-808, pl. [https://archive.org/stream/manualofnewzeala00suter#page/n131/mode/2up 31], figs. 3-13.)
* Stanisic J. (1998). "Family Athoracophoridae". pp.&nbsp;1109-1110. In: Beesley P. L., Ross G. J. B. & Wells A. (eds). ''Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia''. Melbourne, CSIRO Publishing Vol. 5, Part B, pp. vi-viii, 565-1234.

==External links==
* [http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/ATHORACOPHORIDAE "Athoracophoridae"]. Australian Government.
* [http://research.amnh.org/invertzoo/types_db/list_types.php?taxa_id=8889 AMNH]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q146753|from2=Q19789333}}

[[Category:Athoracophoridae| ]]

{{Sourceattribution|Athoracophoridae}}