Planaxidae


Planaxidae, common name planaxids or clusterwinks, are a taxonomic family of small and minute sea snails, pantropical marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cerithoidea. They are found on rocky shores in the littoral zone of the tropics and subtropics.

Characteristics

Members of the family Planaxidae are known as clusterwinks because of their habit of clustering together in concealed, moist locations when the tide is out. They have conical shells resembling periwinkles, except for the fact that the clusterwinks have wide, shallow anterior canals. Another characteristic is the fact that they brood their embryos in a brood chamber situated behind the head, and release them into the sea as veliger larvae to form part of the plankton.

Subfamilies

The following two subfamilies are recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi :
The family Planaxidae comprises the following recent genera:
The following genera are recognised:
Planaxinae
Fossarinae
;Genera brought into synonymy: