Punctoidea
The Charopidae and Punctidae are the sister families that comprise the Punctoidea. Both families are widely distributed but are particularly diverse in eastern Australia, New Zealand and in the Pacific Islands. Indeed, the New Zealand land snail fauna is dominated numerically by Charopidae and Punctidae, and these snails constitute a major component of the detritivore guild in New Zealand forests.
Many charopid and punctid species are considered of conservation concern and feature in the New Zealand Threat Classification System Lists (Hitchmough et al. 2007)
However, in many groups in the New Zealand Charopidae and
Punctidae, proper assessment of conservation status has been hindered by the lack of modern systematic treatment and the absence of formal taxonomy of many recognised but presently undescribed species.
Frank Climo and Karin Mahlfeld have worked extensively on the systematics and biogeography of the New Zealand Punctoidea. Frank continues to work on a mongraphic treatment of the Punctidae, and Karin on a revision of the charopid genus Cavellia.
Bruce Marshall and Gary Barker have recently completed a revision of New Zealand land snails previously referred to the genus Allodiscus Pilsbry, 1892. A manuscript has been submitted for publication in Tuhinga.
Suggested further reading:
Barker GM 2005. The character of the New Zealand land snail fauna and communities: some evolutionary and ecological perspectives. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 68: 53–102.
Climo FM 1973. The systematics, biology and zoogeography of the land snail fauna of Great Island, Three Kings Group, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 3: 565–628.
Climo FM 1975. The land snail fauna. In: Kuschel G ed. Biogeography and ecology in New Zealand. The Hague, Junk. Pp. 459–492.
Climo FM 1978. Classification of New Zealand Arionacea (Mollusca: Pulmonata). A review of the New Zealand charopine snails with lamellate apertures. National Museum of New Zealand Records 1: 177–201.
Climo FM, Goulstone JF 1993. Description and redescription of landsnails (Mollusca: Punctidae) in the genera Phrixgnathus and Taguahelix. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum 30: 27–45.
Marshall BA, Barker GM. A revision of the New Zealand landsnails referred to Allodiscus Pilsbry, 1892 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Charopidae). Submitted to Tuhinga.
Solem A 1982. Endodontid land snails from Pacific Islands (Mollusca: Pulmonata: Sigmurethra). Part 2. Families Punctidae and Charopidae, zoogeography. Chicago, ILL, USA, Field Museum of Natural History. 336 p.
Wade CM, Mordan PB, Naggs F 2006. Evolutionary relationships among the pulmonate land snails and slugs (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 87: 593–610.