Thiaridae, common name thiarids, is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of tropical freshwater snail

Freshwater snail

A freshwater snail is one kind of freshwater mollusc, the other kind being freshwater clams and mussels, i.e. freshwater bivalves. Specifically a freshwater snail is a gastropod that lives in a watery non-marine habitat. The majority of freshwater gastropods have a shell, with very few exceptions....

s with an operculum

Operculum (gastropod)

The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...

, aquatic

Aquatic animal

An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...

 gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cerithioidea

Cerithioidea

The Cerithioidea is a superfamily of marine, brackish water and freshwater gastropod containing more than 200 genera. The Cerithoidea are included in the clade Sorbeoconcha. The original name of this superfamily was Cerithiacea, in keeping with common superfamily endings at the time.- Ecology...

.

According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005)

Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005)

The taxonomy of the Gastropoda as it was revised by Philippe Bouchet and Jean-Pierre Rocroi is currently the most up-to-date overall system for classifying gastropod mollusks...

 the family Thiaridae has no subfamilies.

Taxonomy

Many species of freshwater snails that are characterized by a turreted shell were originally placed within the genus Melania Lamarck, 1799. This genus as delimited by authors of the late 19th and early 20th century contained hundreds of species and was successively split into different groupings.
Over time, infrageneric groups (subgenera

Subgenus

In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...

) were elevated to the rank of independent genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 and the genus Melania was elevated to the rank of a family, Melanidae.
However, the genus name Melania Lamarck, 1799 was demonstrated to be a junior synonym of the genus name Thiara Röding, 1798. Consequently, the family had to be renamed Thiaridae. Moreover, the Melanidae as traditionally circumscribed were found to be polyphyletic containing species from many different groups, which were successively recognized as distinct families, such as the Pachychilidae

Pachychilidae

Pachychilidae, common name pachychilids, is a taxonomic family of freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha.- Distribution :Pachychilids are freshwater snails with a worldwide distribution in the tropics...

, Semisulcospiridae

Semisulcospiridae

Semisulcospiridae, common name semisulcospirids, is a family of freshwater snails, aquatic gilled gastropod mollusks with an operculum, in the superfamily Cerithioidea....

, Pleuroceridae

Pleuroceridae

Pleuroceridae, common name pleurocerids, is a family of small to medium-sized freshwater snails, aquatic gilled gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cerithioidea.These snails have an operculum and typically a robust high-spired shell....

, Melanopsidae

Melanopsidae

Melanopsidae, common name melanopsids, is a family of freshwater gastropods in the clade Sorbeoconcha. Species in this family are native to southern and eastern Europe, northern Africa, parts of the Middle East, New Zealand, and freshwater streams of some large South Pacific islands.These snails...

, and Paludomidae

Paludomidae

Paludomidae, common name paludomids, is a family of freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha.- Taxonomy :The following three subfamilies have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi :...

.
Therefore, the Thiaridae as currently circumscribed contain fewer species than the Melaniidae.

Distribution

This family of snails is found worldwide and are particularly diverse in the tropics and subtropics.

Ecology

They are freshwater inhabitants of temperate and warm zones.

Thiaridae are partly viviparous, partly ovoviviparous.
Many, but not all species are parthenogenetic.

Genera

Genera in the family Thiaridae include:

• Aylacostoma
  Aylacostoma
  Aylacostoma is a genus of tropical freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod molluscs in the family Thiaridae.These snails are considered to be extinct in the wild.-Species:Species within genus Aylacostoma include:...
  
  Spix, 1827
• Balanocochlis Fischer, 1885 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=445494&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock
  • Balanocochlis glans
• Hemisinus Swainson, 1840
• Melanoides
  Melanoides
  Melanoides is a genus of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Thiaridae.-Species:Species within the genus Melanoides include:* Melanoides admirabilis...
  
  Olivier, 1804
• † Melanotarebia Bandel & Kowalke, 1997
• Pachymelania
  Pachymelania
  Pachymelania is a genus of freshwater snails, gastropod mollusks in the family Thiaridae.-Species:Species within the genus Pachymelania include:* Pachymelania aurita * Pachymelania byronensis Gray...
  
  E. A. Smith, 1893
• Plotia Röding, 1798
• † Pyrgulifera Meek, 1877
• Stenomelania
  Stenomelania
  Stenomelania is a genus of freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Thiaridae.-References:*...
  
  Fischer, 1885 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Tree&id=145875&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock
• Sermyla Adams, 1854
  • Sermyla riquetii
• Tarebia
  Tarebia
  Tarebia is a genus of freshwater snails, gastropod mollusks in the family Thiaridae.-Species:Species within the genus Tarebia include:* Tarebia granifera...
  
  H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854
• Thiara
  Thiara (gastropod)
  Thiara is a genus of freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Thiaridae.-Species:Species with accepted names within the genus Thiara include:* Thiara rodericensis...
  
  Röding, 1798 - type genus of the family Thiaridae, synonym: Melania Lamarck, 1799

Further reading

• Glaubrecht M., Brinkmann N. & Pöppe J. (2009). "Diversity and disparity down under: Systematics, biogeography and reproductive modes of the marsupial freshwater Thiaridae (Caenogastropoda, Cerithioidea) in Australia". Zoosystematics and Evolution 85(2): 199-275. doi:10.1002/zoos.200900004