Achatinidae
Encyclopedia
Achatinidae is a family
of medium to large sized tropical land snail
s, terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusks from Africa
. The family includes some 13 genera.
Well known species include Achatina achatina
the Giant African Snail, and Achatina fulica the Giant East African Snail.
s lies between 26 and 30 (according to the values in this table).
, itself belonging to the clade
Stylommatophora
within the clade Eupulmonata
(according to taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005
).
Achatininae
Callistoplepinae
Limicolariinae
subfamily ?
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of medium to large sized tropical land snail
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
s, terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusks from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The family includes some 13 genera.
Well known species include Achatina achatina
Achatina achatina
Achatina achatina, common name the giant Ghana snail, also known as the giant tiger land snail, is a species of very large, air-breathing land snail, or more technically a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Achatinidae...
the Giant African Snail, and Achatina fulica the Giant East African Snail.
Anatomy
In this family, the number of haploid chromosomeChromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
s lies between 26 and 30 (according to the values in this table).
Taxonomy
The Achatinidae family is classified within the informal group SigmurethraSigmurethra
Sigmurethra is a taxonomic category of air-breathing land snails and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. This is an Informal Group which includes the majority of land snails and slugs....
, itself belonging to the clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
Stylommatophora
Stylommatophora
Stylommatophora is a taxon of air-breathing land snails and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. This taxon is currently considered to be a clade. It was previously regarded as an infraorder...
within the clade Eupulmonata
Eupulmonata
The Eupulmonata is a taxonomic clade of air-breathing snails. The great majority of this group are land snails and slugs, but some are marine and some are saltmarsh snails that can tolerate salty conditions.-Linnean taxonomy:...
(according to taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005
Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005)
The taxonomy of the Gastropoda as it was revised by Philippe Bouchet and Jean-Pierre Rocroi is currently the most up-to-date overall system for classifying gastropod mollusks...
).
- Achatininae Swainson, 1840 - synonyms: Urceidae Chaper, 1884; Ampullidae Winckworth, 1945
- Callistoplepinae Mead, 1994
- Limicolariinae Schileyko, 1999
Genera
Genera in the family Achatinidae include:Achatininae
- AchatinaAchatinaAchatina is a genus of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing, tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae.-Distribution:There are some 200 species of Achatinidae in Sub-Saharan Africa...
Lamarck, 1799 - type genus of the family Achatinidae
Callistoplepinae
- Callistoplepa Ancey, 1888 - type genus of the subfamily Limicolariinae
- Callistoplepa graneri ThieleJohannes ThieleJohannes Thiele, full name Karl Hermann Johannes Thiele was a German zoologist specialized in malacology. His Handbuch der systematischen Weichtierkunde is a standard work...
, 1811 - Congo - Callistoplepa columna Müller, 1774 - São ToméSão Tomé-Transport:São Tomé is served by São Tomé International Airport with regular flights to Europe and other African Countries.-Climate:São Tomé features a tropical wet and dry climate with a relatively lengthy wet season and a short dry season. The wet season runs from October through May while the...
and PrincipePríncipePríncipe is the northern and smaller of the two major islands of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa. It has an area of 136 km² and a population of approximately 5,000. The island is a heavily eroded volcano over three million years old, surrounded by other... - Callistoplepa leai Tryon, 1866 - São ToméSão Tomé-Transport:São Tomé is served by São Tomé International Airport with regular flights to Europe and other African Countries.-Climate:São Tomé features a tropical wet and dry climate with a relatively lengthy wet season and a short dry season. The wet season runs from October through May while the...
and PrincipePríncipePríncipe is the northern and smaller of the two major islands of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa. It has an area of 136 km² and a population of approximately 5,000. The island is a heavily eroded volcano over three million years old, surrounded by other...
- Callistoplepa graneri Thiele
Limicolariinae
- LimicolariaLimicolariaLimicolaria is a genus of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae.- Species :Species within the genus Limacolaria include:*Limicolaria adansoni Pfeiffer, 1861...
Schumacher, 1817 - type genus of the subfamily Limicolariinae
subfamily ?
- ArchachatinaArchachatinaArchachatina is a genus of large tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae.- Species :Species in the genus Archachatina include:* Archachatina bequaerti Crowley & Pain- Malawi...
Albers, 1850 - Bruggenina Mead, 2004 Type species by original designation Archachatina sandgroundi Bequaert, 1950
- Burtoa Bourguignat, 1889
- Burtoa nilotica PfeifferLudwig Karl Georg PfeifferLudwig Karl Georg Pfeiffer, also known as Louis Pfeiffer was a German physician, botanist and conchologist.-Biography:He received his education in Kassel, and became professor of pathology there in 1828...
, 1861 - Congo
- Burtoa nilotica Pfeiffer
- Cochlitoma Férussac, 1821
- Columna Perry, 1811
- Lignus Gray, 1834
- Lignus alabaster Rang, 1831 - GuineaGuineaGuinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
- Lignus auripigmentum ReeveLovell Augustus ReeveLovell Augustus Reeve was an English conchologist.Lovell Augustus Reeve was initially apprenticed to a grocer of Ludgate Hill between 1827 and '34...
, 1848 - East Africa - Lignus intertinctus Gould, 1843 - LiberiaLiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
- Lignus leai Pilsbry, 1933 - LiberiaLiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
- Lignus solimanus Morelet, 1848 - CamerounCamerounCameroun was a French and British mandate territory in central Africa, now constituting the majority of the territory of the Republic of Cameroon....
- Lignus alabaster Rang, 1831 - Guinea
- Lissachatina Bequaert, 1951
- Metachatina Pilsbry, 1904
- Metachatina kraussi PfeifferLudwig Karl Georg PfeifferLudwig Karl Georg Pfeiffer, also known as Louis Pfeiffer was a German physician, botanist and conchologist.-Biography:He received his education in Kassel, and became professor of pathology there in 1828...
, 1846
- Metachatina kraussi Pfeiffer
- Perideriopis
- Perideriopis fallsensis Dupuis & Putzeys, 1900 - Congo
- Perideriopis fallsensis pronuba Pilsbry, 1919 - Congo
- Perideriopis umbilicata Putzeys, 1898 - Congo
- Perideriopis fallsensis Dupuis & Putzeys, 1900 - Congo
- Pseudachatina Albers, 1850
- Perideriopis dennisoni PfeifferLudwig Karl Georg PfeifferLudwig Karl Georg Pfeiffer, also known as Louis Pfeiffer was a German physician, botanist and conchologist.-Biography:He received his education in Kassel, and became professor of pathology there in 1828...
- CamerounCamerounCameroun was a French and British mandate territory in central Africa, now constituting the majority of the territory of the Republic of Cameroon....
, GabonGabonGabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west... - Perideriopis downesii Sowerby, 1838 - GabonGabonGabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
- Perideriopis wrighti Sowerby, 1853 - GuineaGuineaGuinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
- Perideriopis dennisoni Pfeiffer