Architectonicidae

For the land snails sometimes referred to as "staircase snails", see Diplommatinidae.

Architectonicidae
Solatisonax rudigerbieleri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Superfamily:	Architectonicoidea
Family:	Architectonicidae Gray, 1850
Genera
See text

Architectonicidae, common name the staircase shells or sundials, are a family of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the informal group Lower Heterobranchia (= Allogastropoda) of the clade Heterobranchia.

The extinct families † Amphitomariidae Bandel, 1994 and † Cassianaxidae Bandel, 1996 belong to the same superfamily.

Genera

Genera within the family Architectonicidae include:^[1][2]

A shell of Heliacus variegatus

• Adelphotectonica Bieler, 1987
• † Ammotectonica Harzhauser & Landau, 2023
• Architectonica Röding, 1798 – type genus
• Basisulcata Melone & Taviani, 1985
• †Calodisculus Rehder, 1935 ^{[citation needed]}
• †Climacopoma Fischer, 1885
• †Dinaxis Dall in Aldrich, 1895 ^{[citation needed]}
• †Discotectonica Marwick, 1931
• †Disculus Deshayes, 1863
• †Eosolarium Chavan, 1947 ^{[citation needed]}
• †Ewekorolaxis Adegoke, 1977 ^{[citation needed]}
• †Granosolarium Sacco, 1892
• Heliacus d'Orbigny, 1842
• †Intitectonica Frassinetti & Covacevich, 1984
• † Margaritella Meek & Hayden, 1860
• †Nigerialaxis Adegoke, 1977 ^{[citation needed]}
• †Nipteraxis Cossmann, 1916
• †Nodosolarium Sacco, 1892 as † Solarium (Nodosolarium) Sacco, 1892 (uncertain > unassessed)
• Philippia J. E. Gray, 1847
• †Platylaxis Adegoke, 1977 ^{[citation needed]}
• Pseudomalaxis P. Fischer, 1885
• †Pseudotorinia Sacco, 1892
• Psilaxis Woodring, 1928
• † Punjabia Eames, 1952
• †Rinaldoconchus Bandel, 1988
• † Simplexollata Harzhauser & Landau, 2023
• Solatisonax Iredale, 1931
• Spirolaxis di Monterosato, 1913
• †Stellaxis Dall, 1892
• †Trimalaxis Garvie, 1996 ^{[citation needed]}
• †Wangaloa Finlay, 1927

Synonyms

• Acutitectonica Habe, 1961: synonym of Discotectonica Marwick, 1931
• Aguayodiscus Jaume & Borro, 1946: synonym of Spirolaxis Monterosato, 1913
• Astronacus Woodring, 1959: synonym of Heliacus (Torinista) Iredale, 1936
• Awarua Mestayer, 1930:^[3] synonym of Pseudotorinia Sacco, 1892 (junior subjective synonym)
• Claraxis Iredale, 1936: synonym of Granosolarium Sacco, 1892
• Discosolis Dall, 1892: synonym of Pseudomalaxis P. Fischer, 1885
• Grandeliacus Iredale, 1957: synonym of Heliacus Iredale, 1957 (alternate representation)
• †Granoheliacus Melone & Taviani, 1985; synonym of Solatisonax Iredale, 1931
• Gyriscus Tiberi, 1867: synonym of Heliacus (Gyriscus) Tiberi, 1867 represented as Heliacus A. d'Orbigny, 1842
• Mangonuia Mestayer, 1930: synonym of Pseudomalaxis P. Fischer, 1885
• †Patulaxis Dall, 1892: synonym of † Climacopoma Fischer, 1885
• Paurodiscus Rehder, 1935: synonym of Spirolaxis Monterosato, 1913
• Pyrgoheliacus Bieler, 1987: synonym of Heliacus A. d'Orbigny, 1842
• Redivivus Melone & Taviani, 1985: synonym of Solatisonax Iredale, 1931
• Russetia Garrard, 1961: synonym of Discotectonica Marwick, 1931
• †Solariaxis Dall, 1892: synonym of Granosolarium Sacco, 1892
• Solarium Lamarck, 1799: synonym of Architectonica Röding, 1798
• Teretropoma Rochebrune, 1881: synonym of Heliacus (Teretropoma) Rochebrune, 1881 (alternate representation) represented as Heliacus A. d'Orbigny, 1842
• Torinia Gray, 1842: synonym of Heliacus d'Orbigny, 1842
• Torinista Iredale, 1936: synonym of Heliacus (Torinista) Iredale, 1936 (alternate representation) represented as Heliacus A. d'Orbigny, 1842 (misspelling - incorrect subsequent spelling, Error for Torinista)
• Tornista [sic] : synonym of Torinia J. E. Gray, 1842: synonym of Heliacus A. d'Orbigny, 1842 (Error for Torinia Gray, 1842)

References

1. "Architectonicidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
2. Bieler R. & Petit R. E. (2005). "Catalogue of Recent and fossil taxa of the family Architectonicidae Gray, 1850 (Mollusca: Gastropoda)". Zootaxa 1101: 1–119. PDF.
3. Mestayer (1930). Trans. New Zealand Inst. 61: 145.

• Bieler R. (1993). Architectonicidae of the Indo-Pacific (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Abhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg (NF) 30: 1–376
• Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (2005) Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families. Malacologia 47(1–2): 1–397
• Marco Taviani, Revisione delle Architectonicidae del Mediterraneo; Milano, 1984

Further reading

• Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1