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.
Geophorus romblonensis
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, 1938
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...
