{"id":34197,"date":"2022-05-23T21:50:32","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T19:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opistobranquis.info\/?page_id=34197"},"modified":"2025-10-29T14:40:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:40:08","slug":"architectonicoidea","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/opistobranquis.info\/en\/guia\/architectonicoidea\/","title":{"rendered":"Architectonicoidea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Located within the informal group “Lower Heterobranchia”, the Architectonicoidea form a group of sea snails, with the category of superfamily, with spirally coiled shells, often ornamented, which are categorized as heterobranchs by heterostrophy, sperm morphology and osphradium, as well as by certain genetic traits.<\/p>\n

\"Heliacus<\/div>
Heliacus fallaciosus @ Eivissa, Spain May, 2022<\/em> by Joan Pereyra<\/center><\/span>

<\/p>Most of them are very small in size, with benthic habits, living under rocks in the subtidal, but also in specialized microhabitats. Its phylogenetic classification was still unresolved in 2018 but there are several studies ongoing.<\/p>\n

The order Architectonicida (equivalent to the Superfamily Architectonicoidea sensu lato<\/em>) share the above-mentioned characteristics of being benthic snails with a very flattened spiral shell, which are usually pigmented brown and ornamented. They have a wide, bifid snout and foot, and a pair of broad, elongated tentacles on the head. It contains 3 families worldwide, all present in European waters.<\/p>\n

Taxonomy of Architectonicoidea<\/h4>\n

Architectonicoidea J. E. Gray, 1850<\/strong><\/p>\n