Ellobiid is a special group of mollusks with primitive lung. Most of them are halophilic and mainly found in high tidal and supratidal zone in the transitional zone between land and sea. Ellobiid has a unique position in the mollusk evolutionary history. They can be used as indicators in environmental assessments due to their sensitivity to environmental changes and to human disturbances. During the past two centuries, many scholars had carried out systematic research on Ellobiid, including morphology, anatomy, taxonomy and ecology. This article outlined the three study stages on the Ellobiid: initial stage (from late 18th century to early 1930s), development stage (from early 1930s to late 1970s) and mature stage (1980s to present). Finally, this paper points out the insufficiency of those studies and some prospects for future research on this group.