Assiminea

Assiminea is a genus of minute, salt-tolerant snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks, or micromollusks, in the family Assimineidae.

Distribution and habitat
These snails can be found worldwide. They live usually in brackish water and salt marshes of tropical and temperate regions, at beaches, in water and at land.

Description
These are very small to medium large snails, between 2 and 13 mm). Some adults do not exceed a size of 3 mm. The shape of the thin shells is somewhat ovately conical. The margin of the aperture is simple. The operculum is in most cases horny. The eyes are at the end of short, stout stalks. They feed on vegetable detritus and small algae. They lay their eggs in the mud, and hatch as free-swimming larvae.

Species
According to the World Register of Marine Species, the following species with valid names are included within the genus Assiminea :
 * Assiminea aurifera Preston, 1912
 * Assiminea avilai van Aartsen, 2008
 * Assiminea beddomiana Nevill, 1881
 * Assiminea bella Kuroda, 1958
 * Assiminea cienegensis Hershler, H.-P. Liu & Lang, 2007
 * Assiminea compacta (Carpenter, 1864)
 * Assiminea cornea (Leith, 1853)
 * Assiminea dubiosa (C.B. Adams, 1852)
 * Assiminea estuarina Habe, 1946
 * Assiminea fasciata (F. Krauss, 1848)
 * Assiminea geayi Lamy, 1910
 * Assiminea gittenbergeri van Aartsen, 2008
 * Assiminea glaubrechti van Aartsen, 2008
 * Assiminea globulus Connoly, 1939
 * Assiminea grayana Fleming, 1828
 * Assiminea hessei O. Boettger, 1887
 * Assiminea hiradoensis Habe, 1942
 * Assiminea hungerfordiana G. Nevill, 1880 (taxon inquirendum)
 * † Assiminea isoceles Connolly, 1939
 * Assiminea japonica Martens, 1877
 * Assiminea keniana D. S. Brown, 1980
 * Assiminea knysnaensis (F. Krauss, 1848)
 * Assiminea lucida Pease, 1869
 * Assiminea lugubris Turton, 1932
 * Assiminea lutea (A. Adams, 1861)
 * Assiminea mesopotamica Glöer, Naser & Yasser, 2007
 * Assiminea moroccoensis Rolán, 2013
 * Assiminea navigatorum Benthem Jutting, 1963
 * Assiminea nitida (Pease, 1865) : this species belongs to the genus Paludinella as has been demonstrated by Thiele (1927, p. 128), because of a different dentition and an open umbilicus
 * Assiminea occulta Rolán, 2013
 * Assiminea ovata (Krauss, 1848)
 * Assiminea palauensis Thiele, 1927
 * Assiminea parasitologica Kuroda, 1958
 * Assiminea parvula (Mousson, 1865)
 * Assiminea parvula Morelet, 1877
 * Assiminea pecos Taylor, 1987 (pecos assiminea)
 * Assiminea possietica Golikov & Kussakin in Golikov & Scarlato, 1967
 * Assiminea principensis Rolán, 2013
 * Assiminea punctum Morelet, 1882
 * Assiminea relata Cotton, 1942
 * Assiminea rolani van Aartsen, 2008
 * Assiminea saotomensis Rolán, 2013
 * Assiminea savesi (Crosse, 1888)
 * Assiminea schlickumi Brandt, 1974
 * Assiminea schuetti Brandt, 1974
 * Assiminea senegalensis Rolán, 2013
 * Assiminea sinensis Nevill, 1880
 * Assiminea subeffusa O. Boettger, 1887
 * Assiminea succinea (Pfeiffer, 1840) : Atlantic assiminea
 * † Assiminea tergestina Stache, 1889
 * Assiminea theobaldiana Nevill, 1880
 * Assiminea translucens (Carpenter, 1864)
 * Assiminea umlaasiana (E.A. Smith, 1902)
 * Assiminea violacea Heude, 1882
 * Assiminea vulgaris (Webster, 1905)
 * † Assiminea waitemata Laws, 1950
 * Assiminea woodmasoniana G. Nevill, 1880
 * Assiminea yoshidayukioi Kuroda, 1959
 * Assiminea zilchi Brandt, 1974
 * Assiminea zubairensis Glöer & Naser, 2013

The Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database also includes the following species with names in current use : The database ITIS also mentions the following species :
 * Assiminea interrupta Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1905
 * Assiminea septentrionalis Habe, 1942
 * Assiminea auberiana Orbigny, 1842
 * Species brought into synonymy:
 * Assiminea affinis Böttger, 1887 : synonym of Taiwanassiminea affinis (Böttger, 1887)
 * Assiminea affinis Mousson, 1874 : synonym of Cryptassiminea buccinoides (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 * Assiminea andrewsiana E. A. Smith, 1900 : synonym of Angustassiminea andrewsiana (E. A. Smith, 1900) (original combination)
 * Assiminea angustata Pilsbry, 1901 : synonym of Ansola angustata (Pilsbry, 1901)
 * Assiminea antipodum Filhol, 1880 : synonym of Laevilitorina antipodum (Filhol, 1880)
 * Assiminea australis Petterd, 1889 : synonym of Cryptassiminea buccinoides (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 * Assiminea australis Thiele, 1927 : synonym of Assiminea brevicula (Pfeiffer, 1855)
 * Assiminea bedaliensis Rensch, 1934 : synonym of Taiwanassiminea bedaliensis (Rensch, 1934)
 * Assiminea beddomeana Nevill, 1880 : synonym of Austropilula beddomeana (Nevill, 1880) (original combination)
 * Assiminea bicincta Petterd, 1889 : synonym of Cryptassiminea buccinoides (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 * Assiminea bifasciata Nevill, 1880 : synonym of Assiminea ovata (Krauss, 1848)
 * Assiminea brevicula] (Pfeiffer, 1854) : synonym of Optediceros breviculum (Pfeiffer, 1855)
 * Assiminea buccinoides (Quoy and Gaimard, 1834) : synonym of Cryptassiminea buccinoides (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 * Assiminea caledonica (Crosse, 1869) : synonym of Crossilla caledonica (Crosse, 1869)
 * Assiminea californica (Tryon, 1865) : California assiminea : synonym of Angustassiminea californica (Tryon, 1865)
 * Assiminea capensis Bartsch, 1915 : synonym of Assiminea ovata (Krauss, 1848)
 * Assiminea carinata I. Lea, 1856 : synonym of Cyclotropis carinata (I. Lea, 1856) (original combination)
 * Assiminea castanea Westerlund, 1883 : synonym of Angustassiminea castanea (Westerlund, 1883)
 * † Assiminea conoidea von Koenen, 1882 : synonym of † Peringia conoidea (von Koenen, 1882) (new combination)
 * † Assiminea contracta Cossmann, 1888 : synonym of † Peringia contracta (Cossmann, 1888) (new combination)
 * Assiminea corpulenta van Benthem Jutting, 1963 : synonym of Paludinella corpulenta (van Benthem Jutting, 1963) (original combination)
 * † Assiminea crassa Etheridge, 1879 : synonym of † Littoridina crassa (Etheridge, 1879) (new combination)
 * Assiminea creutzbergi De Jong & Coomans, 1988 : synonym of Barleeia creutzbergi (De Jong & Coomans, 1988)
 * † Assiminea distinguenda Cossmann, 1899 : synonym of † Peringia distinguenda (Cossmann, 1899) (new combination)
 * Assiminea dohrniana G. Nevill, 1880 : synonym of Ovassiminea dohrniana (G. Nevill, 1880) (original combination)
 * † Assiminea eburnoides Cossmann, 1888 : synonym of † Emmericia eburnoides (Cossmann, 1888) (new combination)
 * † Assiminea elatior Cossmann, 1907 : synonym of † Lapparentia elatior (Cossmann, 1907) (new combination)
 * Assiminea gerhardtae De Jong & Coomans, 1988 : synonym of Caelatura gerhardtae (De Jong & Coomans, 1988)
 * † Assiminea gottscheana von Koenen, 1882 : synonym of † Peringia gottscheana (von Koenen, 1882) (new combination)
 * Assiminea granum Morelet, 1882 : synonym of Paludinella hidalgoi f. granum (Morelet, 1882) (original combination)
 * Assiminea hayasii Habe, 1942 : synonym of Taiwanassiminea hayasii (Habe, 1942)
 * Assiminea hidalgoi (Gassies, 1869) : synonym of Paludinella hidalgoi (Gassies, 1869) (superseded combination)
 * Assiminea infima Berry, 1947 (badwater snail): synonym of Angustassiminea infima (S. S. Berry, 1947) (original combination)
 * Assiminea kushimotoensis Kuroda, 1958 : synonym of Angustassiminea castanea (Westerlund, 1883)
 * Assiminea latericea H. Adams & A. Adams, 1864 : synonym of Pseudomphala latericea (H. Adams & A. Adams, 1864) (original combination)
 * Assiminea lentula van Benthem Jutting, 1963 : synonym of Taiwanassiminea lentula (van Benthem Jutting, 1963)
 * Assiminea leptodonta Connolly, 1922 : synonym of Eussoia leptodonta (Connolly, 1922) (correction of original combination)
 * Assiminea lirata Turton, 1932 : synonym of Tomichia tristis (Morelet, 1889) (junior synonym)
 * Assiminea littorina ( Delle Chiaje, 1828) sensu Philippi, 1841 : synonym of Paludinella globularis (Hanley in Thorpe, 1844)
 * Assiminea microsculpta Nevill, 1880 : synonym of Sculptassiminea microsculpta (Nevill, 1880) (original combination)
 * Assiminea miniata Martens, 1866: synonym of Assiminea brevicula (Pfeiffer, 1855): synonym of Optediceros breviculum (Pfeiffer, 1855) (junior synonym)
 * Assiminea miyazakii Habe, 1943 : synonym of Pseudomphala miyazakii (Habe, 1943) (original combination)
 * † Assiminea nicolasi R oman, 1912 : synonym of † Hydrobia nicolasi (Roman, 1912) (new combination)
 * Assiminea pagodella Hedley, 1903 : synonym of Ascorhis victoriae (Tenison-Woods, 1878)
 * Assiminea philippinica Boettger, 1887 : synonym of Metassiminea philippinica (Boettger, 1887) (basionym)
 * Assiminea queenslandica Thiele, 1927 : synonym of Taiwanassiminea affinis (Böttger, 1887)
 * Assiminea recta Mousson, 1874 : synonym of Peringia ulvae (Pennant, 1777)
 * Assiminea riparia van Benthem Jutting, 1963 : synonym of Taiwanassiminea riparia (van Benthem Jutting, 1963)
 * Assiminea rubella Blanford, 1867 : synonym of Assiminea brevicula (Pfeiffer, 1855) : synonym of Optediceros breviculum (Pfeiffer, 1855) (junior synonym)
 * Assiminea rufostrigata Hesse, 1916 : synonym of Pontiturboella rufostrigata (Hesse, 1916)
 * Assiminea satsumana Habe, 1942 : synonym of Angustassiminea satsumana (Habe, 1942) (original combination)
 * Assiminea sororcula van Benthem Jutting, 1963 : synonym of Taiwanassiminea sororcula (van Benthem Jutting, 1963)
 * † Assiminea stenochora Cossmann, 1888 : synonym of † Lapparentia stenochora (Cossmann, 1888) (new combination)
 * Assiminea tasmanica Tenison-Woods, 1876 : synonym of Cryptassiminea buccinoides (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
 * Assiminea tyttha Melvill & Ponsonby, 1897 : synonym of Hydrocena noticola Benson, 1856