Achatinidae (New Latin, from Greek "''agate''") is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

of medium to large sized tropical land snails,

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s from Africa. Well known species include ''

Achatina achatina ''Achatina achatina'', commonly known as the giant African snail, also known as the giant tiger land snail, and gigantocochlea, is a species of large, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Achatinidae. ...

'' the Giant African Snail, and ''

Lissachatina fulica ''Lissachatina fulica'' is a species of large land snail that belongs in the subfamily Achatininae of the family Achatinidae. It is also known as the Giant African land snail.haploid

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

s lies between 26 and 30 (according to the values in this table).Barker G. M.: Gastropods on Land: ''Phylogeny, Diversity and Adaptive Morphology''. in Barker G. M. (ed.):
The biology of terrestrial molluscs
'. CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, 2001, . 1-146, cited pages: 139 and 142.

Distribution

The native distribution of Achatinidae is Africa south of the Sahara."Family summary for Achatinidae"

AnimalBase AnimalBase is a project brought to life in 2004 and is maintained by the University of Göttingen, Germany. The goal of the AnimalBase project is to digitize early zoological literature, provide copyright-free open access to zoological works, and pr ...

, last change 24-11-2007, accessed 3 August 2010

Taxonomy

As of 2022, the family Achatinidae contains the following subfamilies: * Achatininae Swainson, 1840 - synonyms: Urceidae Chaper, 1884; Ampullidae Winckworth, 1945 * Coeliaxinae Pilsbry, 1907 * Cryptelasminae Germain, 1916 * Glessulinae Godwin-Austin, 1920 * Opeatinae Thiele, 1931 * Petriolinae Schileyko, 1999 * Pyrgininae Germain, 1916 * Rishetiinae Schileyko, 1999 * Rumininae Wenz, 1923 * Stenogyrinae P. Fischer & Crosse, 1877 * Subulininae P. Fischer & Crosse, 1877 * Thyrophorellinae Girard, 1895

Genera

Burtoa nilotica (Pfeiffer, 1861) (4427629258)

The following genera are recognised in the family Achatinidae: Achatininae * ''

Achatina ''Achatina'' is a genus of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing, tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae.Bouchet, P. (2014). Achatina Lamarck, 1799. Accessed through: World Register of Marine ...

'' Lamarck, 1799 - type genus of the family Achatinidae * '' Archachatina'' Albers, 1850 * '' Atopocochlis'' Crosse & P. Fischer, 1888 * '' Bequaertina'' Mead, 1994 * '' Brownisca'' Mead, 2004 * '' Bruggenina'' Mead, 2004 * '' Burtoa'' Bourguignat, 1889 * '' Callistoplepa'' Ancey, 1888 * '' Cochlitoma'' Férussac, 1821 * '' Columna'' Perry, 1811 * '' Leptocala'' Ancey, 1888 * '' Leptocalina'' Bequaert, 1950 * '' Leptocallista'' Pilsbry, 1904 * '' Lignus'' Gray, 1834 * '' Limicolaria'' Schumacher, 1817 * '' Limicolariopsis'' d'Ailly, 1910 * '' Lissachatina'' Bequaert, 1950 * '' Metachatina'' Pilsbry, 1904 * '' Pseudachatina'' Albers, 1850 Coeliaxinae * '' Balfouria'' Crosse, 1884 * '' Coeliaxis'' H. Adams & Angas, 1865 * '' Ischnocion'' Pilsbry, 1907 * '' Nannobeliscus'' Weyrauch, 1967 * '' Neosubulina'' Smith, 1898 * '' Riebeckia'' von Martens, 1883 Cryptelasminae * '' Cryptelasmus'' Pilsbry, 1907 * '' Thomea'' Girard, 1893 Glessulinae * '' Glessula'' Martens, 1860 Opeatinae * '' Eremopeas'' Pilsbry, 1906 * ''

Opeas ''Opeas'' is a genus of small, tropical, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae. ''Opeas'' is the type genus of the subfamily Opeatinae. Species The genus ''Opeas'' includes the follo ...

'' Albers, 1850 Petriolinae * '' Aporachis '' D. T. Holyoak, 2020 * '' Bocageia'' Girard, 1893 * '' Ceras'' Dupuis & Putzeys, 1901 * '' Chilonopsis'' Fischer de Waldheim, 1848 * '' Cleostyla'' Dall, 1896 * '' Comoropeas'' Pilsbry, 1906 * '' Dictyoglessula'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Homorus'' Albers, 1850 * '' Ischnoglessula'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Itiopiana'' Preston, 1910 * '' Kempioconcha'' Preston, 1913 * '' Liobocageia'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Mabilliella'' Ancey, 1886 * '' Nothapalinus'' Connolly, 1923 * '' Nothapalus'' von Martens, 1897 * '' Oleata'' Ortiz de Zarate, 1959 * '' Oreohomorus'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Petriola'' Dall, 1905 * '' Subuliniscus'' Pilsbry, 1919 * '' Subulona'' Martens, 1889 Pyrgininae * '' Pseudobalea'' Shuttleworth, 1854 * '' Pyrgina'' Greef, 1882 Rishetiinae * '' Bacillum'' Theobald, 1840 * '' Eutomopeas'' Pilsbry, 1946 * '' Rishetia'' Godwin-Austen, 1920 * '' Tortaxis'' Pilsbry, 1906 Rumininae * '' Krapfiella'' Preston, 1911 * '' Lubricetta'' Haas, 1928 * '' Namibiella'' Zilch, 1954 * ''

Rumina In ancient Roman religion, Rumina, also known as Diva Rumina, was a goddess who protected breastfeeding mothers, and possibly nursing infants. Her domain extended to protecting animal mothers, not just human ones. As one of the ''indigitamenta'', ...

'' Risso, 1826 * '' Xerocerastus'' Kobelt & Möllendorff, 1902 Stenogyrinae * '' Chryserpes'' Pilsbry, 1906 * '' Cupulella'' Aguayo & Jaume, 1948 * †'' Cylindrogyra'' Repelin, 1902 * '' Dolicholestes'' Pilsbry, 1906 * '' Lyobasis'' Pilsbry, 1903 * '' Neobeliscus'' Pilsbry, 1896 * †'' Nisopsis'' Matheron, 1888 * '' Obeliscus'' Beck, 1837 * '' Ochroderma'' Ancey, 1885 * '' Ochrodermatina'' Thiele, 1931 * '' Ochrodermella'' Pilsbry, 1907 * '' Plicaxis'' Sykes, 1903 * '' Promoussonius'' Pilsbry, 1906 * '' Protobeliscus'' Pilsbry, 1906 * '' Rhodea'' Adams & Adams, 1855 * '' Stenogyra'' Shuttleworth, 1854 * '' Synapterpes'' Pilsbry, 1896 * '' Zoniferella'' Pilsbry, 1906 Subulininae * '' Allopeas'' H. B. Baker, 1935 * '' Beckianum'' Baker, 1961 * '' Curvella'' Chaper, 1885 * '' Dysopeas'' Baker, 1927 * ''

Euonyma ''Euonyma'' is a genus of small tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial animal, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae. Species The genus ''Euonyma'' includes: * ''Euonyma curtissima'' Verdcourt * ''Euonyma ...

'' Melvill & Ponsonby, 1896 * ''

Fortuna Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at ...

'' Schlickum & Strauch, 1972 * '' Hypolysia'' Melvill & Ponsonby, 1901 * '' Lamellaxis'' Strebel & Pfeffer, 1882 * '' Lavajatus'' Simone, 2018 * '' Leptinaria'' Beck, 1837 * '' Leptopeas'' Baker, 1927 * '' Micropeas'' Connolly, 1923 * '' Neoglessula'' Pilsbry, 1909 * †'' Opetiopsis'' S.-Y. Guo, 1983 * '' Paropeas'' Pilsbry, 1906 * '' Pelatrinia'' Pilsbry, 1907 * '' Prosopeas'' Mörch, 1876 * '' Pseudoglessula'' Boettger, 1892 * '' Pseudopeas'' Putzeys, 1899 * ''

Striosubulina ''Striosubulina'' is a genus of small, tropical, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae Achatinidae (New Latin, from Greek "''agate''") is a family of medium to large sized tropical la ...

'' Thiele, 1933 * '' Subulina'' Beck, 1837 * '' Vegrandinia'' Salvador, Cunha & Simone, 2013 * ''

Zootecus ''Zootecus'' is a genus of gastropods belonging to the family Achatinidae Achatinidae (New Latin, from Greek "''agate''") is a family of medium to large sized tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks from Africa. Well kno ...

'' Westerlund, 1887 Thyrophorellinae * '' Thyrophorella'' Greeff, 1882 Other subfamilies * †'' Arabicolaria Harzhauser & Neubauer, 2016 * †'' Pacaudiella Harzhauser & Neubauer, 2016

References

External links

* *
Achatinidae

Extensive information on ''Achatina'' and ''Archachatina'' in captivity with a helpful forum.

US Dept of Agriculture
{{Taxonbar, from=Q386510 Extant Pleistocene first appearances Gastropod families