Planorbidae, common name the ramshorn snails or ram's horn snails, is a family of air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs. Unlike most molluscs, the blood of ram's horn snails contains iron-based hemoglobin instead of copper-based hemocyanin. As a result, planorbids are able to breathe oxygen more efficiently than other molluscs. The presence of hemoglobin gives the body a reddish colour. This is especially apparent in albino animals. Being air breathers like other Panpulmonata, planorbids do not have gills, but instead, have a lung. The foot and head of planorbids are rather small, while their thread-like tentacles are relatively long. Many of the species in this family have coiled shells that are planispiral, in other words, the shells are more or less coiled flat, rather than having an elevated spire as is the case in most gastropod shells. Although they carry their shell in a way that makes it appear to be dextral, the shell of coiled planorbids is in fact sinistral in coiling, but is carried upside down, which makes it appear to be dextral. General taxonomic context For several taxa, no consensus exists as to whether the taxa should even be assigned to the family Planorbidae. This is certainly the case with the freshwater limpets Ferrissia, and Ancylus. Both of these genera have sometimes been assigned to the family Lymnaeidae. Alternatively, sometimes each one of them is raised to the level of a family. However, according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), these genera are currently placed in the tribe Ancylini within the family Planorbidae, and that is the taxonomic system that is followed here. 2005 taxonomy According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), this family consists of the following subfamilies: subfamily Planorbinae Rafinesque, 1815 tribe Planorbini Rafinesque, 1815 - synonyms: Choanomphalinae Fisher & Crosse, 1880; Orygoceratidae Brusina, 1882 tribe Ancylini Rafinesque, 1815 - synonym: Pseudancylinae Walker, 1923 (inv.) tribe Biomphalariini Watson, 1954 - synonyms: Acrorbini Starobogatov, 1958; Drepanothrematini Zilch, 1959; Taphiinae Harry & Hubendick, 1964 tribe Planorbulini Pilsbry, 1934 tribe Segmentinini Baker, 1945 subfamily Bulininae Fischer & Crosse, 1880 tribe Bulinini Fischer & Crosse, 1880 - synonyms: Laevapicinae Hannibal, 1912; Isidorinae Annandale, 1922; Gundlachiinae Starobogatov, 1967 tribe Coretini Gray, 1847 - synonyms: Pompholicinae Dall, 1866 (inv.); Camptoceratinae Dall, 1870; Megasystrophinae Tryon, 1871 (inv.); Pompholycodeinae Lindholm, 1927; Helisomatinae Baker, 1928; Bayardellini Starobogatov & Prozorova, 1990; Planorbariini Starobogatov, 1990 tribe Miratestini