Viviparidae

Viviparidae
Temporal range:
An alive but retracted individual of Viviparus contectus, showing the operculum
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Architaenioglossa
Superfamily: Viviparoidea
Family: Viviparidae
J. E. Gray, 1847
Diversity
125–150 freshwater species

Viviparidae, sometimes known as the river snails or mystery snails, are a family of large operculate freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks.

This family is classified in the informal group Architaenioglossa according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005.

Distribution

This family occurs nearly worldwide in temperate and tropical regions, with the exception that they are absent from South America.

There are two genera of Viviparidae in Africa: Bellamya and Neothauma.

The oldest known vivparid is Viviparus langtonensis from the Middle Jurassic of England. The oldest records from the Southern Hemisphere is from the Late Jurassic Talbragar fossil beds of Australia.

Taxonomy

The family Viviparidae contains 3 subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005):

  • Viviparinae Gray, 1847 (1833) - synonyms: Paludinidae Fitzinger, 1833 (inv.); Kosoviinae Atanackovic, 1859 (n.a.)
  • Bellamyinae Rohrbach, 1937 - synonym: Amuropaludinidae Starobogatov, Prozorova, Bogatov & Sayenko, 2004 (n.a.)
  • Lioplacinae Gill, 1863 - synonym: Campelomatinae Thiele, 1929

Genera

Genera within the family Viviparidae include:

subfamily Viviparinae Gray, 1847

subfamily Bellamyinae Rohrbach, 1937

subfamily Lioplacinae Gill, 1863

subfamily ?

  • Albianopalin Hamilton-Bruce, Smith & Gowlett-Holmes, 2002 - from Albian, New South Wales
  • Neothauma E. A. Smith, 1880
  • Siamopaludina Brandt, 1968
Genera brought into synonymy
  • Centrapala Cotton, 1935: synonym of Larina A. Adams, 1855
  • Contectiana Bourguignat, 1880: synonym of Viviparus Montfort, 1810
  • Eularina Iredale, 1943: synonym of Larina A. Adams, 1855
  • subfamily † Kosoviinae Atanacković, 1959: synonym of Viviparidae Gray, 1847
  • Lecythoconcha Annandale, 1920: synonym of Cipangopaludina Hannibal, 1912
  • Metohia Popović, 1964 : (junior homonym, no replacement name available in 2014)
  • Notopalena Iredale, 1943: synonym of Notopala Cotton, 1935
  • Paludina Férussac, 1812: synonym of Viviparus Montfort, 1810
  • Siamopaludina Brandt, 1968 : synonym of Filopaludina (Siamopaludina) Brandt, 1968 represented as Filopaludina Habe, 1964
  • Vivipara : synonym of Viviparus Montfort, 1810

Life cycle

Life spans have been reported from 3 to 11 years in various species of Viviparidae.