Achatinidae (New Latin, from Greek "agate") is a family of medium to large sized tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks from Africa.

Achatinidae
Temporal range: Eocene–Recent
Giant East African Snail, Lissachatina fulica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Suborder: Achatinina
Superfamily: Achatinoidea
Family: Achatinidae
Swainson, 1840[1]

Well known species include Achatina achatina the Giant African Snail, and Lissachatina fulica the Giant East African Snail.

As of 2022, there were 105 genera recognized within the family Achatinidae.

Description edit

In this family, the number of haploid chromosomes lies between 26 and 30 (according to the values in this table).[2]

Distribution edit

The native distribution of Achatinidae is Africa south of the Sahara.[3]

Taxonomy edit

As of 2022, the family Achatinidae contains the following subfamilies:[4]

  • 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 edit

 
Burtoa nilotica shell

The following genera are recognised in the family Achatinidae:[5]

Achatininae

Coeliaxinae

Cryptelasminae

Glessulinae

Opeatinae

Petriolinae

Pyrgininae

Rishetiinae

Rumininae

Stenogyrinae

Subulininae

Thyrophorellinae

Other subfamilies

References edit

  1. ^ Swainson W. J. (1840). A treatise on malacology161: 334.
  2. ^ 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, ISBN 0-85199-318-4. 1-146, cited pages: 139 and 142.
  3. ^ "Family summary for Achatinidae". AnimalBase, last change 24-11-2007, accessed 3 August 2010
  4. ^ Bank, R. (2017). Classification of the Recent terrestrial Gastropoda of the World. Last update: July 16, 2017.. World Register of Marine Species, Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  5. ^ "WoRMS – World Register of Marine Species – Achatinidae Swainson, 1840". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  6. ^ Bouchet, Philippe; Rocroi, Jean-Pierre; Frýda, Jiri; Hausdorf, Bernard; Ponder, Winston; Valdés, Ángel & Warén, Anders (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". Malacologia. 47 (1–2). Hackenheim, Germany: ConchBooks: 1–397. ISBN 3-925919-72-4. ISSN 0076-2997.

External links edit