Helicinidae

Helicinidae is a family of small tropical land snails which have an operculum. They are terrestrial operculate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicinoidea.

These snails are not at all closely related to the air-breathing land snails, despite a superficial similarity of the shells. The name "Helicinidae" immediately reminds most people of "Helicidae", the most popular group of land snails including e.g. Helix pomatia, but the important two letters "ni" only from the Latin diminutive of the latter name alluding to superficial similarities of otherwise completely different things.

Distribution

These snails are found in tropical and subtropical areas but they have an odd distribution: they are restricted to the Caribbean islands and some Indo-Pacific and Pacific islands, as well as the edge of the Asian and Australian continents. Some species are found in the southern United States, from Louisiana to Florida; others in Central and South America.

Taxonomy

Helicinidae belongs to superfamily Helicinoidea according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

This family consists of six following subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005):
* Helicininae Férussac, 1822 - synonym: Olygyridae Gray, 1847; Bourcierinae Paetel, 1890
* Ceratodiscinae Pilsbry, 1927
* † Dimorphoptychiinae Wenz, 1938
* Hendersoniinae H. B. Baker, 1926
* Stoastomatinae C. B. Adams, 1849
* Vianinae H. B. Baker, 1922

Genera

Genera within the family Helicinidae include:

Subfamily Helicininae
* ''Alcadia'' Gray, 1840
* '' Aphanoconia'' A. J. Wagner, 1905
* ''Bourciera'' Pfeiffer, 1852
* '' Ceochasma'' F. G. Thompson, 1968
* '' Ceratopoma'' Möllendorff, 1893
* ''Emoda'' Adams, 1856
* '' Glyptemoda'' Clench & Aguayo, 1950
* ''Helicina'' Lamarck, 1799 - type genus of the family Helicinidae
* '' Hemipoma'' Wagner, 1905
* '' Kosmetopoma'' A. J. Wagner, 1905
* '' Negopenia'' Iredale, 1941
* '' Nesiocina'' Richling & Bouchet, 2013
* '' Ogasawarana'' Wagner, 1905
* '' Olygyra'' Say, 1818: synonym of ''Helicina'' Lamarck, 1799 (original rank)
* '' Orobophana'' Wagner, 1905'' Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond.'' B (1998): 353, 347.
* '' Palaeohelicina'' A. J. Wagner, 1905
* '' Pecoviana'' Iredale, 1941
* '' Pleuropoma'' Moellendorff, 1893
* '' Schasicheila'' Shuttleworth, 1852
* '' Stoastomops'' Baker, 1924
* '' Sturanya'' Wagner, 1905
* '' Sulfurina'' Möllendorff, 1893

subfamily Ceratodiscinae
* '' Ceratodiscus'' Simpson & Henderson, 1901 - type genus of the subfamily Ceratodiscinae

Subfamily † Dimorphoptychiinae
* † '' Dimorphoptychia'' Sandberger, 1871 - type genus of the subfamily Dimorphoptychiinae

Subfamily Hendersoniinae
* '' Hendersonia'' A. J. Wagner, 1905 - type genus of the subfamily Hendersoniinae
* '' Waldemaria'' Wagner, 1905

Subfamily Stoastomatinae
* '' Stoastoma'' C. B. Adams, 1849 - type genus of the subfamily Stoastomatinae

Subfamily Vianinae
* '' Calidviana'' Baker, 1954
* ''Calybium'' Morelet, 1891
* '' Eutrochatella'' Fischer, 1885
* '' Geophorus'' Fischer, 1885
* '' Heudeia'' Crosse, 1885
* '' Lucidella'' Swainson, 1840
* '' Pseudotrochatella'' Nevill, 1881
* '' Pyrgodomus'' Fischer & Crosse, 1893
* '' Viana'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1856 - type genus of the subfamily Vianinae

Subfamily ?
* '' Priotrochatella'' Fischer, 1893
* '' Semitrochatella'' Aguayo & Jaume, 1958
* '' Sturanyella'' Pilsbry & Cooke, 1934Mollusc Specialist Group (1996)
''Sturanyella carolinarum''
In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. . Downloaded on 17 June 2011.
* '' Troschelviana'' Baker, 1922
* ''Ustronia'' Kobelt, 1908"Mollusca"
. Diversidad Biológica Cubana, accessed 23 March 2011.

References

Further reading

* Richling I. (2001). "New species of Helicinidae from Costa Rica (Gastropoda: Neritopsina)". ''Schriften zur Malakozoologie'' 17: 1-8. Cismar.
* Richling I. (2004). "Classification of the Helicinidae: Review of Morphological Characteristics Based on a Revision of the Costa Rican Species and Application to the Arrangement of the Central American Mainland Taxa (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Neritopsina)". '' Malacologica'' 45(2): 195-440.
* Richling I. (2004). "Coloration in Helicinidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Neritopsina)". ''Malacologia'' 46(1): 217-224.
* Richling I. (2005). "Biographical remarks on Dr. Antoni Józef Wagner and the collection of Helicinidae in the Museum and Institute of Zoology in Warszawa". ''Folia Malacologica'' 13(4): 197-206.
* Richling I. & Glaubrecht M. (2008). "The types of Neotropical Helicinidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Neritopsina) in the Malacological Collection of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: an annotated catalogue, with emphasis on Cuban land snails". ''Zoosystematics and Evolution'' 84(2): 265-310. .
* Richling I. (2009). "The Radiation of the Helicinidae in New Caledonia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Neritopsina) including zoogeographical considerations". In: Grandcolas P. (ed.). "Zoologia Neocaledonica 7. Biodiversity studies in New Caledonia". ''Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle'' 198: 247-372. Paris
abstract

species specific reading:
* Richling I., Franke S., Fernánndez V. A. & Sigaretta V., S. (2007). "New data on the micro-land snails ''Eutrochatella'' (''Microviana'') ''spinopoma'' Aguayo 1943 and ''Eutrochatella'' (''Microviana'') ''holguinensis'' Aguayo 1932 (Neritopsina: Helicinidae) in the province of Holguín, eastern Cuba". ''Schriften zur Malakozoologie'' 23: 19-24. Cismar.

External links

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* Richling I
Forschung an Helicinidae
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by Ira Richling

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2617976

Gastropod families