Viviparidae

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

Viviparidae, commonly called river snails, are a family of freshwater snails with gills and a protective lid (operculum). Their family tree is complex, and genetic evidence suggesting some species in this family don't fit neatly into traditional groups. These snails are native to lakes and rivers across Europe, Asia, and parts of North America. Some, like Cipangopaludina japonica, have become invasive thanks to their ability to adapt.

Intact image of Viviparus contectus from Netherlands
Empty shells of Viviparidae Bellamya unicolor
Viviparidae image

Distribution

This family occurs nearly worldwide in temperate and tropical regions, other than 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.

Viviparidae snails are native to freshwater spots like rivers and lakes across Europe, Asia, and parts of North America, and they've spread out widely in places like Russia and China. Cipangopaludina japonica has become invasive in North America.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

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

Scientists used to group Viviparidae snails based on how they look, but with the advent of DNA research, a more complex tree has developed. Species such as Viviparus chui, Cipangopaludina chinensis, Sinotaia quadrata histrica have been reclassified based on this new data. The way the various species are related is still being studied.

Morphology and evolution

Viviparidae shells seem to develop characteristics based on environmental factors such a water conditions. Cipangopaludina japonica in particular are very adaptable These snails can live anywhere from 3 to 11 years, depending on their environment.[citation needed]

Genera

Genera within the family Viviparidae (listed beneath their subfamilies) include:

Genera brought into synonymy

Lifecycle

Viviparidare are viviparous: they give birth to live offspring instead of laying eggs. Internal fertilization occurs, and the embryos develop within the female's brood pouch. Once mature, the offspring are released into the water as miniature versions of the adults. This method has shown to increase their chances of survival in freshwater environments. Life spans have been reported from 3 to 11 years in various species of Viviparidae, depending on environmental conditions and species type.

Fossil record

Fossil records of Viviparus langtonensis show they've lived in freshwater for millions of years.

References

  1. ↑ Gray J. E. (November 1847) [1833]. "A list of genera of Recent Mollusca, their synonyma and types". Proceedings of the Zoological Society in London}volume=15: 129–182. Viviparidae at page 155.
  2. ↑ Strong E. E.; Gargominy O.; Ponder W. F.; Bouchet P. (2008). "Global Diversity of Gastropods (Gastropoda; Mollusca) in Freshwater". Hydrobiologia. 595 (1): 149–166. Bibcode:2008HyBio.595..149S. doi:10.1007/s10750-007-9012-6. hdl:10088/7390.
  3. 1 2 3 Wang, Ju-Guang; Zhang, Dong; Jakovlić, Ivan; Wang, Wei-Min (25 July 2017). "Sequencing of the complete mitochondrial genomes of eight freshwater snail species exposes pervasive paraphyly within the Viviparidae family (Caenogastropoda)". PLOS ONE. 12 (7) e0181699. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1281699W. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181699. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5526530. PMID 28742843.
  4. ↑ Bocxlaer, Bert Van; Strong, Ellen E. (15 June 2016). "Anatomy, functional morphology, evolutionary ecology and systematics of the invasive gastropod Cipangopaludina japonica (Viviparidae: Bellamyinae)". Contributions to Zoology. 85 (2): 235–263. doi:10.1163/18759866-08502005. ISSN 1875-9866.
  5. 1 2 Brown D. S. (1994). Freshwater Snails of Africa and their Medical Importance. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-7484-0026-5.
  6. ↑ Stelbrink, Björn; Richter, Romy; Köhler, Frank; Riedel, Frank; Strong, Ellen E; Van Bocxlaer, Bert; Albrecht, Christian; Hauffe, Torsten; Page, Timothy J; Aldridge, David C; Bogan, Arthur E (15 February 2020). "Global Diversification Dynamics Since the Jurassic: Low Dispersal and Habitat-Dependent Evolution Explain Hotspots of Diversity and Shell Disparity in River Snails (Viviparidae)". Systematic Biology. 69 (5): 944–961. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syaa011. hdl:20.500.12210/34294. ISSN 1063-5157. PMID 32061133.
  7. ↑ Frese, Michael; Ponder, Winston (3 July 2021). "Proviviparus talbragarensis gen. et sp. nov., the first viviparid snail from the Late Jurassic of Australia". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 45 (3): 344–353. Bibcode:2021Alch...45..344F. doi:10.1080/03115518.2021.1940276. ISSN 0311-5518. S2CID 238777174.
  8. ↑ Anistratenko, V. V.; Degtyarenko, E. V.; Anistratenko, O. Yu.; Prozorova, L. A. (1 December 2014). "Modern distribution of gastropod mollusks of the family Viviparidae (Caenogastropoda) in continental water bodies of Eurasia". Biology Bulletin. 41 (9): 742–751. Bibcode:2014BioBu..41..742A. doi:10.1134/S1062359014090027. ISSN 1608-3059.
  9. ↑ Bocxlaer, Bert Van; Strong, Ellen E. (15 June 2016). "Anatomy, functional morphology, evolutionary ecology and systematics of the invasive gastropod Cipangopaludina japonica (Viviparidae: Bellamyinae)". Contributions to Zoology. 85 (2): 235–263. doi:10.1163/18759866-08502005. ISSN 1875-9866.
  10. ↑ Lee, Young-Jae; Choi, Kwang-Sik; Lee, Dae-Sung; Lee, Won Chan; Park, Hyun Je; Choy, Eun Jung; Kim, Hyung Chul; Kang, Chang-Keun (1 November 2015). "The role of the adductor muscle as an energy storage organ in the pen shell Atrina japonica (Reeve, 1858)". Journal of Molluscan Studies. 81 (4): 502–511. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyv025. ISSN 0260-1230.
  11. ↑ "ADW: Viviparidae: CLASSIFICATION". animaldiversity.org. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  12. ↑ Annandale, N.; Alcock, Alfred William (January 1997). "The evolution of the shell-sculpture in fresh-water snails of the family Viviparidæ". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Containing Papers of a Biological Character. 96 (672): 60–76. doi:10.1098/rspb.1924.0011.
  13. ↑ Bocxlaer, Bert Van; Strong, Ellen E. (15 June 2016). "Anatomy, functional morphology, evolutionary ecology and systematics of the invasive gastropod Cipangopaludina japonica (Viviparidae: Bellamyinae)". Contributions to Zoology. 85 (2): 235–263. doi:10.1163/18759866-08502005. ISSN 1875-9866.
  14. ↑ Van Bocxlaer, Bert; Strong, Ellen E; Richter, Romy; Stelbrink, Björn; Rintelen, Thomas Von (14 December 2017). "Anatomical and genetic data reveal that Rivularia Heude, 1890 belongs to Viviparinae (Gastropoda: Viviparidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 182 (1): 1–23. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx014. ISSN 0024-4082.
  15. 1 2 "FRESH WATER MOLLUSCAN SPECIES IN INDIA" (PDF). 29 July 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2012.
  16. 1 2 Zhang, L. J.; Chen, S. C.; Yang, L. T.; Jin, L.; Köhler, F. (2015). "Systematic revision of the freshwater snail Nevill, 1877 (Mollusca: Viviparidae) endemic to the ancient lakes of Yunnan, China, with description of new taxa". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 174 (4): 760–800. doi:10.1111/zoj.12260.
  17. ↑ Sivan, N.; Heller, J.; van Damme, D. (2006). "Fossil Viviparidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of the Levant". Journal of Conchology. 39 (2): 207–220. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  18. ↑ "Mindat.org". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  19. 1 2 Kear, B. P.; Hamilton-Bruce, R. J.; Smith, B. J.; Gowlett-Holmes, K. L. (2003). "Reassessment of Australia's oldest freshwater snail, Viviparus (?) albascopularis Etheridge, 1902 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Viviparidae), from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian, Wallumbilla Formation) of White Cliffs, New South Wales". Molluscan Research. 23 (2): 149–158. Bibcode:2003MollR..23..149K. doi:10.1071/MR03003.
  20. ↑ "River Snail (Notopala sublineata)". Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  21. ↑ Du L.-N.; Yang J.-X.; Chen X.-Y. (2011). "A new species of Trochotaia (Caenogastropoda: Viviparidae) from Yunnan, China". Molluscan Research. 31 (2): 85–89. doi:10.11646/mr.31.2.2.
  22. ↑ Hamilton-Bruce R. J.; Smith B. J.; Gowlett-Holmes K. L. (2002). "Descriptions of a new genus and two new species of viviparid snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Viviparidae) from the Early Cretaceous (middle-late Albian) Griman Creek Formation of Lightning Ridge, northern New South Wales" (PDF). Records of the South Australian Museum. 35: 193–203.
  23. ↑ "The Viviparidae | The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland". conchsoc.org. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  24. ↑ Neucker, Tom Van den; Schildermans, Tom; Scheers, Kevin (2017). "The invasive Chinese mystery snail Bellamya chinensis (Gastropoda: Viviparidae) expands its European range to Belgium". Knowledge & Management of Aquatic Ecosystems (418): 8. doi:10.1051/kmae/2016040. hdl:10067/1399100151162165141. ISSN 1961-9502.
  25. ↑ Jakubik, Beata (8 April 2020). "Life strategies of Viviparidae (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Architaenioglossa) in various aquatic habitats: Viviparus viviparus (Linnaeus, 1758) and V. contectus (Millet, 1813)". Folia Malacologica. 20 (3): 145–179. doi:10.2478/v10125-012-0013-3. ISSN 1506-7629.

Further reading