The non-marine molluscs of Dominica are species of land and

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

molluscs Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

, i.e.

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have gastropod shell, shel ...

s, land

slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced ...

s and one small freshwater

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams h ...

that are part of the wildlife of Dominica, an island in the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...

. In

malacology Malacology, from Ancient Greek μαλακός (''malakós''), meaning "soft", and λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (molluscs or mollusks), the second-largest ...

, the non-marine molluscs of an area are traditionally listed separately from the marine molluscs (those molluscs that live in full-salinity saltwater).

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

is a

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

island, part of the Windward Island chain of the

. Fifty-five species of non-marine molluscs have been found in the wild in Dominica, including sixteen

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

species of

s, species which occur nowhere else on Earth. Dominica is a mountainous, , volcanic, tropical island. It is undeveloped compared with most other Caribbean islands, and it is known for its wildlife and unspoiled natural landscapes. The rugged terrain includes a great deal of

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...

, numerous rivers, and several officially protected areas, including

Morne Trois Pitons National Park Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a national park in Dominica established in July 1975, the first to be legally established in the country. It became a World Heritage Site in 1997. The park is named after its highest mountain, Morne Trois Pito ...

and

Cabrits National Park Cabrits National Park is on a peninsula at the north end of the Caribbean island of Dominica, north of Portsmouth, Dominica, Portsmouth. The park protects tropical forest, coral reefs and wetlands. There are hiking trails and an English garrison c ...

. The rich natural landscapes of Dominica provide suitable

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

for a wide range of different species of wildlife, including many rarities, and a relatively large number of species of non-marine molluscs, both native and introduced. Living in the wild in Dominica there are 54 species of

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

, (11 species of

freshwater gastropod Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks that live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs t ...

s including 2 neritids that live in

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuary ...

, 43 species of land gastropods) and 1 species of

freshwater bivalve Freshwater bivalves are molluscs of the order (biology), order Bivalvia that inhabit freshwater ecosystems. They are one of the two main groups of freshwater molluscs, along with freshwater snails. The majority of bivalve molluscs are saltwater ...

History of surveys of land gastropods

The first records of land gastropods from Dominica were published by the English naturalist

Robert John Lechmere Guppy Robert John Lechmere Guppy (15 August 1836 in London – 5 August 1916 in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago) was a British-born naturalist after whom the guppy is named. He contributed much to the geology, palaeontology and zoology of the West In ...

in 1868. During his visit (a vacation which he turned into an active malacological field trip) Guppy collected a total of 20 species from Dominica. Out of these twenty, he described 9 as new species. Subsequently, additional records were added by Thomas B. Bland (1869), A. D. Brown (1881),

George French Angas George French Angas (25 April 1822 – 4 October 1886), also known as G.F.A., was an English explorer, naturalist, painter and poet who emigrated to Australia. His paintings are held in a number of important Australian public art collections. ...

(1884),

Edgar Albert Smith Edgar Albert Smith (29 November 1847 – 22 July 1916) was a British zoologist and malacologist. His father was Frederick Smith, a well-known entomologist, and assistant keeper of zoology in the British Museum, Bloomsbury. Edgar Albert Smith ...

(1888, 1888) and

Henry Augustus Pilsbry Henry Augustus Pilsbry (7 December 1862 – 26 October 1957) was an American biologist, malacologist and carcinologist, among other areas of study. He was a dominant presence in many fields of invertebrate taxonomy for the better part of a cent ...

(1892). Pilsbry H. A. (1892). "On a collection of land Mollusca from the Island of Dominica, West Indies". ''Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Science'' 8
356
358. Four surveys of the terrestrial malacofauna were carried out in the 2000s: 2001 (Ramnath), 2003, 2005 (Robinson, Fields & Zimmerman) and 2008 (Hovestadt). These studies were summarized in 2009.

Land gastropods overview

The list of Dominican land gastropods contains 43 species, making it one of the richest known faunas of land snails and slugs in the

. Of these, 16 species (38%) are

to the island. The endemic species of Dominican gastropods are mainly found on the leeward (or Caribbean Sea) side of the island. '' Amphibulima pardalina'', '' Diplopoma'' sp., '' Laevaricella perlucens'', ''

Naesiotus stenogyroides ''Naesiotus stenogyroides'' is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Bulimulidae. Distribution ''Naesiotus stenogyroides'' is endemic to List of non-marine molluscs of Dominica, Dominica. ...

'' and '' Veronicella'' sp. are very restricted in range, and probably meet the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

-criteria for

Critically Endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

species. '' Amphibulima browni'' and '' Lucidella'' sp. are likely to meet the criteria for being listed as

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

. There are striking faunal relationships with the islands of

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

and

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

. Furthermore, 9 of the species (21%) are widespread, and 13 species are considered to have been introduced into Dominica. The landsnail fauna can be analyzed according to the

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

al range of the species. There is a distinction between the

windward In geography and seamanship, windward () and leeward () are directions relative to the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e., towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point ...

(east) and leeward (west) side of the island, according to the parishes in which the localities are situated. While most species exhibit a rather wide elevational range, several are restricted in this respect. Very few species only occur at lower elevations: ''Diplopoma'', ''Allopeas'', ''Beckianum'' and ''Huttonella'' species. These taxa are largely

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

. Some species are restricted to higher localities: '' Lucidella'' sp., veronicellids (except the introduced '' Veronicella cubensis'' and ''

Veronicella sloanei ''Veronicella sloanii'', commonly called the pancake slug, is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial, pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs. Description When extended, this slug can atta ...

''), ''

'', '' Amphibulima pardalina'' and '' Laevaricella perlucens''. These do not occur, however, on the upper slopes of the higher peaks, but seem to be restricted to the hygrophytic vegetation zone, i.e. the

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...

. Many localities have a rather low

species richness Species richness is the number of different species represented in an community (ecology), ecological community, landscape or region. Species richness is simply a count of species, and it does not take into account the Abundance (ecology), abunda ...

. For example, in surveys from 2001–2008, at six localities no snails were encountered; at the remaining 64, species richness ranged from 1 to 17 (mean 4.54). Taking into account the rareness of species, the southeast of the island scores well when the total

diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

is considered. The area of Freshwater Lake in

is a

biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a ecoregion, biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after ...

for land snails. However, several other localities situated in the

national parks A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

are also important areas for the occurrence of endemic species: the Syndicate Parrot Preserve and the Lake Boeri area. These national parks lie on the leeward side of the island at relatively high elevations (above 600 m).

Freshwater gastropods

The systematic list uses

scientific name In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

s including the

authority Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or group of other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' may be practiced by legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government,''The New Fontana Dictionary of M ...

, and is arranged according to

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

Neritidae Neritidae, common name the nerites, is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic Family (biology), family of small to medium-sized saltwater and freshwater snails which have a gill and a distinctive Operculum (gastropod), operculum. MolluscaBase eds. (202 ...

* '' Neritina punctulata'' (Lamarck, 1816) – Native.PDF
. * '' Neritina virginea'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – In

. * '' Puperita pupa'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – In brackish water.

Planorbidae Planorbidae, common name the ramshorn snails or ram's horn snails, is a family (biology), family of air-breathing freshwater snails, Aquatic animal, aquatic pulmonate gastropod Mollusca, molluscs. Unlike most molluscs, the blood of ram's horn sn ...

* ''

Biomphalaria glabrata ''Biomphalaria glabrata'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. ''Biomphalaria glabrata'' is an intermediate snail host for the trematode '' S ...

'' (Say, 1818) – This species was reported from Dominica in 1980, but it seems that it was replaced by other ''Biomphalaria'' species, or it was eradicated (it was not found by Noblet & Damian (1991) nor by Reeves et al. (2008)). * ''

Biomphalaria kuhniana ''Biomphalaria kuhniana'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. Shell description All species within the family Planorbidae have sinistral sh ...

'' (Clessin, 1883) – Previous reports of '' Biomphalaria straminea'' were probably ''Biomphalaria kuhniana''. * '' Gundlachia radiata'' (Guilding, 1828) – First recorded in 2008. * '' Helisoma trivolvis'' (Say, 1817) – Introduced.

Thiaridae Thiaridae, common name thiarids or trumpet snails, is a family of tropical freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cerithioidea.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Thiaridae Gill, 1871 (1823). Acce ...

* ''

Melanoides tuberculata The red-rimmed melania (''Melanoides tuberculata''), also known as the Malayan livebearing snail or Malayan/Malaysian trumpet snail (often abbreviated to MTS by aquarists), is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, a parthenogenetic, ...

'' (Müller, 1774) – Introduced. Its initial introduction to Dominica was probably around 1975. Previous reports of '' Tarebia granifera'' from

Freshwater Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

in Dominica were probably large ''Melanoides tuberculata''. (However, it may be possible to find ''Tarebia granifera'' on Dominica; this species does occur on the nearby island of

Physidae Physidae, common name, commonly called the bladder snails, is a family (biology), family of small air-breathing freshwater snails, Aquatic animal, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Lymnaeoidea.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). Mol ...

* ''

Physa marmorata ''Stenophysa marmorata'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Stenophysa marmorata (Guilding, 1828). Accessed through: World R ...

'' (Guilding, 1828) – Previous reports of ''Physa cubensis'' = ''

Physa acuta ''Physella acuta'' is a species of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae. Common names include European physa, tadpole snail, bladder snail, and acute bladder snail. ...

'' from Dominica were probably ''Physa marmorata''.

Neritiliidae Neritiliidae is a family of submarine cave snails,Kano Y. & Kase T. (2008). "Diversity and distributions of the submarine-cave Neritiliidae in the Indo-Pacific (Gastropoda: Neritimorpha)". '' Organisms Diversity & Evolution'' 8(1): 22-43. marin ...

* ''

Neritilia succinea ''Neritilia succinea'' is a species of submarine cave snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Neritiliidae. Subspecies ''Neritilia succinea guatemalensis'' Pilsbry, 1920: synonym of ''Neritilia succinea'' (Récluz, 1841) Description T ...

'' (Récluz, 1841) – On a riverbank.

Ampullariidae Ampullariidae, whose members are commonly known as apple snails, is a family of large freshwater snails that includes the mystery snail species. They are aquatic gastropod mollusks with a gill and an operculum. These snails simultaneously h ...

* ''

Pomacea glauca ''Pomacea glauca'' is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. The species varies greatly in color, shape and size, growing to around 70 mm. Its colors include a pale yellow ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – Native.

Land gastropods

Helicinidae Helicinidae is a family of small tropical land snails, terrestrial operculate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicinoidea. Name These snails are not at all closely related to the air-breathing land snails, despite a superficial simila ...

* '' Helicina fasciata'' (Lamarck, 1822) – First reported in 2009. * '' Helicina guppyi'' Pease, 1871 – First reported in 2009. * ''

Helicina platychila ''Helicina platychila'' is a species of tropical land snail with an Operculum (gastropod), operculum, a terrestrial animal, terrestrial gastropod mollusc in the family Helicinidae. The description of ''Helicina epistilia'' Guppy, 1868 matches th ...

'' (Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1824) – First reported in 2009. * ''

Helicina rhodostoma ''Helicina rhodostoma'' is a species of tropical land snail with an operculum, a terrestrial gastropod mollusc in the family Helicinidae. Shell description Robert John Lechmere Guppy (1868) Guppy R. J. L. (1868). "On the terrestrial mollusks of ...

'' Gray, 1824 – Endemic. * '' Lucidella'' sp. – Endemic. First reported in 2009. This species lives in moist leaf litter or on ferns in undisturbed forested areas of the island. Although

(1868) Guppy R. J. L. (1868). "On the terrestrial mollusks of Dominica and Grenada, with an account of some new species from Trinidad". ''

Annals and Magazine of Natural History The ''Journal of Natural History'' is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' (''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.'') ...

'' (4)1
429
442. reported the Lesser Antillean '' Lucidella plicatula'' from Dominica, no evidence was found of the occurrence of that species. The endemic Dominican ''Lucidella'' is considerably larger and differs in

sculptural Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable s ...

details. Like many helicinid species, there are red and yellow colour morphs. Further research is required to establish the taxonomic position of these specimens. * ''

Alcadia conuloides ''Alcadia conuloides'' is a species of tropical land snail with an operculum, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the family Helicinidae. Taxonomy Robert John Lechmere Guppy (1895) considered this species synonymous with the taxon '' Schramm ...

'' (Guppy, 1868) – Endemic.

Neocyclotidae Neocyclotidae is a family (biology), family of tropical land snails with gills and an Operculum (gastropod), operculum, Terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the order Architaenioglossa.' Taxonomy The World Register of Ma ...

* ''

Amphicyclotulus amethystinus ''Amphicyclotulus amethystinus'' is a species of tropical land snail with a gill and an Operculum (gastropod), operculum, a terrestrial animal, terrestrial gastropod mollusc in the family Neocyclotidae. Shell description The gastropod shell, s ...

'' (Guppy, 1868) – Endemic. * '' Amphicyclotulus dominicensis'' Bartsch, 1942 – Endemic.

Pomatiidae The family Pomatiidae is a taxonomic family of small operculate land snails, terrestrial gastropod mollusks that can be found over the warmer parts of the Old World. In the older literature, this family is designated as Pomatiasidae. This fam ...

* '' Diplopoma'' sp. – Endemic. A snail in the family Pomatiidae was first reported from Dominica in 2009. Most members of this family – and certainly of this genus – typically are obligate

calciphile A calcicole, calciphyte or calciphile is a plant that thrives in lime rich soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to dwell on chalk'. Under acidic conditions, aluminium becomes more soluble and phosphate less. As a consequence, calcicoles grown ...

s, occurring only when the substrate contains high levels of environmental

calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

. Therefore, the occurrence of this species on the island was unexpected. It closely resembles '' Diplopoma crenulatum crenulatum'' (Potiez & Michaud, 1835), which occurs in

Marie-Galante Marie-Galante (, or ) is one of the dependencies of Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 the total was officially estimated to ...

and

La Désirade La Désirade (; or ) is an island in the French West Indies, in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. It forms part of Guadeloupe, an Overseas region, overseas regions of France, region of France. History Archaeological evidence has been disc ...

. This species may have been introduced from one of those islands when the British and French struggled for possession of Dominica, at the end of the 18th century. The taxon appears to be restricted to the battlements of

Fort Shirley Fort Shirley (initially known as Croghan's Fort) was a military fort located in present-day Shirleysburg, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1755 by George Croghan and later maintained by the Province of Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War ...

at Cabrits Point. The Dominican specimens differ from those of Guadeloupe in having weaker sutural crenulation and in some other minor details. Further research is required in order to establish the taxonomic position of these specimens.

Veronicellidae The Veronicellidae, also known by their common name the leatherleaf slugs, are a family of pulmonate terrestrial slugs. The herbivorous molluscs occur mainly in the tropical and subtropical areas of America, Asia and Africa. They act as interme ...

* ''

Diplosolenodes occidentalis ''Diplosolenodes occidentalis'' is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs. Distribution ''Diplosolenodes occidentalis'' was originally discovered and d ...

'' (Guilding, 1825) – First recorded in 1884, then in 1892 * ''

Sarasinula plebeia ''Sarasinula plebeia'', common name, commonly called the bean slug or the Caribbean leatherleaf slug, is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial animal, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Veronicellidae, the leather ...

'' (Fischer, 1868) – First reported in 2009. * ''

Sarasinula marginata ''Sarasinula marginata'' is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs. Description ''Sarasinula marginata'' is superficially very similar to ''Sarasinul ...

'' (Semper, 1885) – First reported in 2009. * '' Veronicella cubensis'' (L. Pfeiffer, 1840) – Introduced. * ''Veronicella'' aff. '' floridana'' (Leidy, 1868) – Introduced. Superficially similar to '' Veronicella cubensis'', it can be distinguished principally by differences in the male genitalia. * ''

'' (Cuvier, 1817) – Introduced. First reported in 2009. * '' Veronicella'' sp. – Endemic. First reported in 2009. A single specimen was found, in which the

genitalia A sex organ, also known as a reproductive organ, is a part of an organism that is involved in sexual reproduction. Sex organs constitute the primary sex characteristics of an organism. Sex organs are responsible for producing and transporting ...

do not match those of any known species.

Molecular analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

shows that it is related to '' Veronicella portoricensis'' (Semper, 1886) from the highland rainforests of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. It will be described in a forthcoming paper (Robinson, Barr & Fields, in preparation).

Succineidae Succineidae are a family of small to medium-sized, air-breathing land snails (and slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often ...

* ''

Succinea ''Succinea'', common name the amber snails, is a large genus of small, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Succineidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Succinea Draparnaud, 1801. Accessed thr ...

'' sp. – Endemic. First reported in 2009. Because West Indian succineid taxonomy is in complete disarray, Robinson et al. (2009) simply placed this material in the genus ''Succinea'', pending a comprehensive study of this poorly understood group. More than one ''Succinea'' species appears to be present in Dominica. * '' Omalonyx matheroni'' (Potiez & Michaud, 1838) – Introduced. There are slight differences in the mantle pattern (often a diagnostic feature in some succineids) compared to typical ''Omalonyx matheroni''. Further work is needed to establish the taxonomic position of this material from Dominica. * '' Omalonyx unguis'' (d’Orbigny, 1837) – This species was reported by the Austrian-French Hydrobiological Mission in 1979, but see also comments to ''Omalonyx matheroni'' above. Subulinidae Subulina octona 005a

* ''

Allopeas gracile ''Allopeas gracile'', common name the graceful awlsnail, is a species of small, tropical, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Achatinidae. Description The length of the shell varies between 9.8 mm an ...

'' (Hutton, 1834) – Introduced. First reported in 2009. * '' Allopeas micra'' (d’Orbigny, 1835) – Introduced. First reported in 2009. * '' Beckianum beckianum'' (L. Pfeiffer, 1846) – Introduced. First reported in 2009. * '' Leptinaria unilamellata'' (d’Orbigny, 1837) – Introduced. * ''

Subulina octona ''Subulina octona'' is a species of small, tropical, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Achatinidae. Distribution The native distribution of this species includes: * Caribbean * Cuba

Streptaxidae Streptaxidae is a family of carnivorous air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the clade Stylommatophora. Streptaxidae are monophyletic while all subfamilies and several genera are polyphyletic. Six Streptaxi ...

* ''

Streptartemon glaber ''Streptartemon glaber'' is a species of air-breathing land snail, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Streptaxidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Streptartemon glaber (L. Pfeiffer, 1850). Accessed through: World Regis ...

'' (L. Pfeiffer, 1849) – First reported in 2009. * ''

Huttonella bicolor ''Gulella bicolor'' is a species of land snail in the family Streptaxidae known commonly as the two-toned gulella. Auffenberg, K. and L. A. StrangeSnail-eating snails of Florida.EENY-251. University of Florida IFAS. Published 2001, revised 2011 ...

'' (Hutton, 1834) – Introduced. First reported in 2009. * '' Streptostele musaecola'' (Morelet, 1860) – Introduced. First reported in 2009.

Bulimulidae Bulimulidae is a taxonomic family of medium-sized to large, air-breathing, tropical and sub-tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Orthalicoidea.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulimulidae Tryon, ...

* '' Bulimulus diaphanus fraterculus'' (Potiez & Michaud, 1835) – First reported in 2009. It is possible that it was introduced from one of the more northerly islands, where it was listed by Breure (1974). * ''

Bulimulus guadalupensis ''Bulimulus guadalupensis'' is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Bulimulinae. The specific name ''guadalupensis'' refers to the West Indian island of Guadeloupe. Distribution ''B ...

'' (Bruguière, 1789) – Introduced. * ''

Bulimulus limnoides Bulimulus limnoides is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Bulimulinae. Distribution Distribution of ''Bulimulus limnoides'' include: * Guadeloupe * Dominica - Breure (1974),Breur ...

'' (Férussac, 1832) – First reported in 2009. * '' Drymaeus laticinctus'' (Guppy, 1868) – Endemic. * ''

'' (Guppy, 1868) – Endemic.

Amphibulimidae Amphibulimidae is a taxonomic family of land snails in the superfamily Orthalicoidea.Breure A. S. H. & Romero P. (2012). "Support and surprises: molecular phylogeny of the land snail superfamily Orthalicoidea using a three-locus gene analysis wit ...

* ''

Amphibulima patula ''Amphibulima patula'' is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Amphibulimidae. Subspecies Subspecies of ''Amphibulima patula'' include: * ''Amphibulima patula christopheri'' Pilsbry, ...

dominicensis'' Pilsbry, 1899 – Endemic. * '' Amphibulima pardalina'' Guppy, 1868 – Endemic. * '' Amphibulima browni'' Pilsbry, 1899 – Endemic. Oleacinidae * '' Laevaricella perlucens'' (Guppy, 1868) – Endemic.

Scolodontidae Scolodontidae is a taxonomic family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 ...

* ''

Tamayoa decolorata ''Tamayoa decolorata'' is a species of air-breathing land snail,a Terrestrial animal, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Scolodontidae. Distribution The distribution of ''Tamayoa decolorata'' includes: * List of non-marine ...

'' (Drouët, 1859) – This species is probably an introduced one, as it was found only in disturbed habitats.

Haplotrematidae Haplotrematidae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of predatory air-breathing land snails, terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Haplotrematoidea.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). Mollu ...

* ''

Zophos ''Zophos'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Haplotrematidae. Species Species within the genus ''Zophos'' include: * '' Zophos baudoni'' (Petit, 1853)Robinson D. G., Hovestadt A., ...

'' cf. '' baudoni'' (Petit, 1853) – Guppy (1868) expressed some doubts whether the Dominican specimens belonged to this species, which was described by Petit de la Saussaye from

. Ramnath & Fields (2002) were of the same opinion, considering it possibly new to science.

Agriolimacidae ''Agriolimacidae'' is a family of small and medium-sized land slugs, or shell-less snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks. Distribution Distribution of Limacidae is Holarctic, this include: Nearctic, western Palearctic and eastern P ...

* ''

Deroceras laeve ''Deroceras laeve'', the marsh slug (or meadow slug), is a species of small air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Agriolimacidae. Distribution The distribution of ''Deroceras laeve ...

'' (Müller, 1774) – Introduced. First reported in 2009. Although generally associated with cooler climates, it survives on the island at higher altitudes and is locally quite common.

Pleurodontidae Pleurodontidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Pleurodontidae Ihering, 1912. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Spe ...

* ''

Pleurodonte dentiens ''Pleurodonte dentiens'' is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurodontidae. Distribution The distribution of ''Pleurodonte dentiens'' includes: * List of non-marine molluscs of Guad ...

'' (Férussac, 1822) – First reported in 2009. * ''

Pleurodonte guadeloupensis ''Pleurodonte guadeloupensis'' is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurodontidae. It occurs in the Lesser Antilles (the Caribbean). Subspecies There are four subspecies: * ''Pleurodon ...

dominicana'' Pilsbry & Cockerell, 1937 – This

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

is endemic to Dominica. * ''

Pleurodonte josephinae ''Pleurodonte josephinae'' is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurodontidae. Distribution The distribution of ''Pleurodonte josephinae'' includes: * Saint Kitts * Nevis * Montserra ...

'' (Férussac, 1832) – First reported in 2009. * ''

Pleurodonte nigrescens ''Pleurodonte nigrescens'' is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurodontidae. Distribution The distribution of ''Pleurodonte nigrescens'' includes: * Guadeloupe * Dominica Descrip ...

'' (Wood, 1828) – First reported in 2009. The following species have been reported from Dominica in the literature, but supporting material has not been found. These species, recorded due to inaccuracies of provenance of specimens or misidentifications, should be removed from the faunal list of the island: * ''

Helicina antillarum ''Helicina'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical land snails with an operculum, terrestrial gastropod mollusks. This is the type genus of its family (Helicinidae) and subfamily (Helicinae), as well as the superfamily Helicinoidea. This radi ...

'' (G. B. Sowerby, 1842) – The identity of this taxon remains uncertain. Brown’s report (Brown, 1881)Brown A. D. (1881). "Notes on the land-shells of Dominica". ''American Naturalist'' 15: 56–57. might be a misidentification of '' Helicina guppyi'' Pease, 1871. * '' Lucidella plicatula'' (L. Pfeiffer, 1849) – This helicinid has been reported from throughout the West Indies. However, the Dominican ''Lucidella'' is clearly different. * '' Amphicyclotulus schrammi'' (Shuttleworth, 1857) – Brown (1881) incorrectly synonymized the Dominican ''

'' with the Guadeloupe taxon. * '' Succinea approximans'' Shuttleworth, 1854 – This taxon occurs on Puerto Rico and has not been reported from intermediate islands. The reports from Thomas B. Bland (1869) Bland T. (1869). "Notes on the land-shells of Trinidad, Grenada and Dominica, and also of Curaçao and Buen Ayre, W.I." ''American Journal of Conchology'' 4: 177–192. and

(1884) Angas G. F. (1884). "On the terrestrial Mollusca of Dominica, collected during a recent visit to that island". ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1883: 594–597, figs. 1–3. are thus dubious. * '' Vaginulus buergueri'' (Simroth, 1914) – This slug was reported from “Salilia, Dominica” by Forcart (1973).Forcart L. (1973). "Notes on Veronicellidae and Athoracophoridae in Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago". ''

The Nautilus ''Nautilus'' is the fictional submarine belonging to Captain Nemo featured in Jules Verne's novels ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (1870) and '' The Mysterious Island'' (1875). Description ''Nautilus'' is described by Verne as ...

'' 87
25
��27. This locality is not known in the island and could not be found in any gazetteer. However, the taxon is reported from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

(

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

, 1925), Baker H. B. (1925). "North American Veronicellidae". ''Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 77: 157–184, pl. 4. so confusion seems likely. * '' Veronicella tenax'' H. B. Baker, 1931 – This Cuban endemic species was reported from Dominica by Forcart (1973), based on some specimens that — judging from his descriptions — probably belong to either '' Veronicella cubensis'' or ''

Veronicella floridana ''Veronicella'' is a genus of tropical air-breathing land slugs in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs. ''Veronicella cubensis'' and ''V. sloanii'' are known as agricultural pests.Robinson, D. G., et al. (2009)The land Mollusca of D ...

''. * '' Drymaeus liliaceus'' (Férussac, 1821) – This species was reported from Dominica by Angas (1884) and Smith (1888). Férussac’s species is from Puerto Rico and Pilsbry (1899) mentions that he had not seen Dominican specimens. So far, no trace was found of any material that could confirm the presence of this taxon on Dominica. However, the occurrence of a ''

Drymaeus ''Drymaeus'' is a large genus of medium-sized, air-breathing tropical land snails, Terrestrial animal, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod Mollusca, molluscs belonging to the subfamily Peltellinae within the family Bulimulidae. It is one of the most ...

'' species with a “uniform pale primrose colour” from the island should be further investigated. * ''

Drymaeus multifasciatus ''Antidrymaeus multifasciatus'' is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Bulimulidae. References External links * Breure A. S. H. (1979). "Systematics, phylogeny and zoogeography of Bul ...

'' (Lamarck, 1822) – This name was used by several authors for the endemic Dominican species that is here recognized as '' Drymaeus laticinctus'' (Guppy, 1868). * '' Amphibulima rubescens'' (Deshayes, 1830) – This species has been reported by various workers from Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, Dominica and Martinique. It is assumed now that this taxon is endemic to Martinique and that all other reports are misidentifications.

Freshwater bivalves

Sphaeriidae Sphaeriidae is a family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, ...

* '' Pisidium punctiferum'' (Guppy, 1867) – Up to the 1980s there were no reports of any freshwater bivalves on Dominica. This very small species is the only known freshwater bivalve on Dominica. It was discovered by the Austrian-French Hydrobiological Mission in 1979. Starmühlner F. von (1988). "Ergebnisse der Österreichisch-Französischen Hydrobiologischen Mission 1979 nach Guadeloupe, Dominica und Martinique (Kleine Antillen). Teil II: Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Süß- und Brackwassermollusken von Guadeloupe, Dominica und Martinique". ''Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien'' Serie B
90
221–340
PDF

References

This article incorporates CC-BY-3.0 text from the reference.Robinson D. G., Hovestadt A., Fields A. & Breure A. S. H. (July 2009). "The land Mollusca of Dominica (Lesser Antilles), with notes on some enigmatic or rare species". ''

Zoologische Mededelingen ''Zoologische Mededelingen'' was a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal publishing papers and monographs on animal systematics. The publisher was the National Museum of Natural History Naturalis in the Netherlands. The first issue appeared ...

'' 83 http://www.zoologischemededelingen.nl/83/nr03/a13

History of surveys of land gastropods

Land gastropods overview

Freshwater gastropods

Land gastropods

Freshwater bivalves

See also

References

Further reading