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 similarity of the shells. The name "Helicinidae" immediately reminds most people of "Helicidae", the most well-known 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, 1938Wenz W. (1938). "Teil 1: Allgememeiner Teil und Prosobranchia". In: Schindewolf O. H. (ed.) Handbuch der Paläozoologie, Band 6, Gastropoda, Borntraeger, Berlin, 6(1): 1-240. pages 53-54. 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, 1905Phil. 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. <www.iucnredlist.org>. 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

Richling I. Forschung an Helicinidae The Land Snail Family Helicinidae The Costa Rican Helicinidae Newly introduced Taxa of Helicinidae by Ira Richling