Gastropods from the family Neritidae are generally euryhaline in tropical and subtropical regions and occur in marine, brackish, and freshwater systems. Neritids generally inhabit the middle to upper intertidal zones along the coast. They are used as models for research on adaptive radiation or regional species diversity patterns across the marine tropics. This paper presents a review and prospects of systematic studies on the family Neritidae. Neritids can be extremely polymorphic as the shells of some species possess a wide variety of colors and patterns. Consequently, multiple names have been created and many are now considered synonyms or mistaken identities; this situation has complicated efforts to revise the entire family. Such taxonomic irregularities have, in part, resulted in the lack of a comprehensive study on Neritidae. Systematic studies on Neritidae in China are seldom conducted. Previous reports cannot completely reveal the true species biodiversity in Chinese waters. Intensive sampling of neritid species in the future is urgently required. Moreover, taxonomy should not only rely on morphology but also on the combination of anatomy and molecular biology to enrich our understanding on their marine fauna and biodiversity in the China seas and to promote systematic studies on Neritidae.%蜑螺科是一类广盐性腹足类动物，主要分布在热带和亚热带海域，是潮间带底栖生物群落的重要组成部分之一，该科动物为探讨物种适应辐射及热带海域生物多样性模式提供了重要研究材料。本文对蜑螺科的国内外系统分类学研究现状和趋势进行了回顾与展望。蜑螺类动物为适应不同生境而进化出多样的贝壳形态，仅依据外部形态很容易产生误导或错误鉴定，因此蜑螺科的分类系统以及一些种属的有效性仍存在争议。我国缺乏系统的蜑螺科分类学研究，已报道的种类还不能完全反应中国海实际的物种数。未来需强化标本采集，在传统形态学分类的基础上，借助分子生物学和解剖学等手段，明确中国海蜑螺科种属组成和区系特点，进而完善蜑螺科的系统分类学研究。
展开▼
