Succineidae Explained

Succineidae are a family of small to medium-sized, air-breathing land snails (and slugs), terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Succineoidea.^[1]

They are commonly called amber snails because their thin fragile shells are translucent and amber-colored. They usually live in damp habitats such as marshes.

Succineidae is the only family in the superfamily Succineoidea.

The soft parts of the animal appear to be too large for the shell.^[2]

Anatomy

In this family, the number of haploid chromosomes varies greatly. The most common totals are less than 10, and also lies between 21 and 25, but other values are also possible (according to the values in this table).^[3]

Taxonomy

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

• Succineinae Beck, 1837 - synonyms: Hyalimacinae Godwin-Austen, 1882; Oxylomatinae Schileyko & I. M. Likharev, 1986
• Catinellinae Odhner, 1950

Genera

Genera in the family Succineidae include:^[4]

• † Eoquickia Harzhauser & Neubauer in Harzhauser et al., 2016
• † Papyrotheca Brusina, 1893
• † Suratia Hamilton-Bruce & Kear, 2010

Catinellinae Odhner, 1950

• Catinella Pease, 1870
• Indosuccinea Rao, 1924
• Mediappendix Pilsbry, 1948
• Quickella C. Boettgger, 1939
• Quickia Odhner, 1950

Oxylomatinae Schileyko & Likharev, 1986

• Oxyloma Westerlund, 1885

Succineinae Beck, 1837

• Austrosuccinea Iredale, 1937
• Boninosuccinea Habe, 1956
• Camptonyx Benson, 1858
• Helisiga Lesson, 1831
• Hyalimax H. Adams & A. Adams, 1855
• † Laxisuccinea Cooke, 1921
• Lithotis W. T. Blanford, 1863
• Neosuccinea Matekin, 1956
• Novisuccinea Pilsbry, 1948
• Omalonyx d'Orbigny, 1837^[5]
• Pamirsuccinea Schileyko & Likharev, 1986
• Spirancinea Iredale, 1945
• Succinea Draparnaud, 1801
• Succinella Mabille, 1871

Nomen nudum:

• Papusuccinea Iredale, 1941

Synonyms:

• Subfamily Hyalimacinae Godwin-Austen, 1882: synonym of Succineinae H. Beck, 1837
• Subfamily Oxylomatinae Schileyko & I. M. Likharev, 1986: synonym of Succineinae H. Beck, 1837
• Amphibina W. Hartmann, 1821: synonym of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801
• Amphibulima Gistel, 1848: synonym of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801 (Invalid: unnecessary substitute name for Succinea; also a junior homonym of Amphibulima Lamarck, 1805)
• Arborcinea Iredale, 1937: synonym of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801
• Brachyspira L. Pfeiffer, 1855 †: synonym of Succinea (Brachyspira) L. Pfeiffer, 1855 represented as Succinea Draparnaud, 1801
• Cerinasota Iredale, 1939: synonym of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801
• Cochlohydra A. Férussac, 1821: synonym of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801
• Homalonyx Ancey, 1881: synonym of Omalonyx d'Orbigny, 1838 (unjustified emendation)
• Hydrophyga Lindholm, 1927: synonym of Succinella Mabille, 1871
• Hydrotropa Lindholm, 1927: synonym of Oxyloma Westerlund, 18854* Lucena Hartmann, 1821: synonym of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801
• Neohyalimax Simroth, 1896: synonym of Omalonyx d'Orbigny, 1838
• Succinastrum J. Mabille, 1871: synonym of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801
• Succinoides Schileyko, 1967: synonym of Oxyloma (Succinoides) Schileyko, 1967 represented as Oxyloma Westerlund, 1885
• Tapada S. Studer, 1820: synonym of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801
• Truella Pease, 1871: synonym of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801

Conservation status

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) considers five species or subspecies of ambersnail as threatened with extinction, and a further three species are categorized as "data deficient" which were previously considered Vulnerable or Extinct, and two species are listed as Near Threatened.^[6]

Threatened species

• Oxyloma kanabense - Kanab Ambersnail, Critically Endangered
• Succinea piratarum - Endangered
• Succinea quadrasi - Endangered
• Boninosuccinea ogasawarae - Vulnerable
• Boninosuccinea punctulispira - Vulnerable

Assigned other IUCN categories

• Catinella arenaria - Sandbowl Snail, Near Threatened
• Succinea sanctaehelenae - Near Threatened
• Succinea guamensis - Data Deficient, previously considered Extinct
• Succinea chittenangoensis - Chittenago Ovate Ambersnail - Data Deficient, previously Vulnerable
• Succinea philippinica - Data Deficient, previously Vulnerable

External links

• Bouchet, P., Rocroi, J.-P. (2005). Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families. Malacologia. 47(1-2): 1-397.

Notes and References

1. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Succineidae Beck, 1837. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=181585 on 2021-02-23
2. Janus, Horst, 1965. ‘’The young specialist looks at land and freshwater molluscs’’, Burke, London
3. 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, . 1-146, cited pages: 139 and 142.
4. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Succineidae.html The Animal Diversity Web (online)
5. Robinson D. G., Hovestadt A., Fields A. & Breure A. S. H. (July 2009). "The land Mollusca of Dominica (Lesser Antilles), with notes on some enigmatic or rare species". Zoologische Mededelingen 83 http://www.zoologischemededelingen.nl/83/nr03/a13
6. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [www.iucnredlist.org]