List of non-marine molluscs of Venezuela

The non-marine molluscs of Venezuela are a part of the molluscan fauna of Venezuela (which is part of the wildlife of Venezuela). Non-marine molluscs are the snails, clams and mussels that live in freshwater habitats, and the snails and slugs that live on land. Sea-dwelling molluscs are not included in this list.

A number of species of non-marine molluscs are found in the wild in Venezuela.

Historical background

Studies on the knowledge of the Venezuelan malacofauna begin in the nineteenth century with the work of German malacologist Eduard von Martens around 1873 who published the first list of the mollusks Venezuela. Three years later the German-Venezuelan Adolfo Ernst, taking as its starting point and extending Martens list, published a second list in 1876. Subsequent to these two pioneering nineteenth century works, only sporadic descriptions were published in foreign publications. It took about half a century for new listings of malacofauna of Venezuela to be published, this time by American H. B. Baker in the mid-1920s.

Following Baker's work is beginning to make as many Venezuelan species descriptions and numerous national and regional listings including listings include: Adolfo Lutz, who in 1928 lists and makes observations on malacofauna Valencia lake and surrounding areas, H. Richards G. Hummelinck & P. W. Malacofauna 1940 describing the island of Margarita, Arias in 1952 and 1953 in which he describes the fauna of the regions of Baruta, El Hatillo and Perija region; Thompson, who in 1957 described the shellfish National Park Henri Pittier and surrounding areas; Martinez and Miranda in 1968 described pulmonate molluscs of Caracas and surrounding areas, Fernández in 1982, which describes sitecueros of slugs and Venezuela, Martinez et al. in 2004 which states bivalve fauna Venezuela freshwater, Lasso and collaborators in 2009 which describes the fauna of the basin of the Orinoco.

Diversity

The Venezuelan malacofauna not marine mollusks is composed of classes Gastropoda and Bivalvia, presenting a greater diversity of species in the gastropod.

In the freshwater gastropod families with more species are Ampullariidae (35 spp.) And Planorbidae (15 spp.). In terrestrial gastropods include Ortalicidae (35 spp.) and Subulinidae (16 spp.).

Among the bivalve families with more species are Mycetopodidade (17 spp.) and Hyriidae (10 spp.)

Regarding the introduced species, the largest number of species is between terrestrial mollusks, primarily on families Subulinidae (6 spp.), Limacidae (4 spp.) And Helicidae (3 spp.)

Distribution

The Venezuelan malacofauna marina not primarily distributed throughout the entire Venezuelan territory, but the greatest number of species and greater distribution has been reported for the river basin Orinoco. The vast majority of species usually live in areas calm water pipes or flooding of rivers and lakes. Many of the species usually have local distributions such as slugs and seven of leathers that often live primarily in the areas of cultivation in the north and the Andean region, However extend very widely distributed species that can be located throughout the country as in the case of molluscs Ampullariidae amphibians and within the family which include Marisa cornuarietis, Pomacea urceus (Guarura), Pomacea glauca, Pomacea dolioides. Among the highlights landshells Megalobulimus oblongus (Guacara).

In relation to introduced species is noteworthy that some of it was spread widely by middle natural environment among them are: Achatina fulica (Giant African Snail), Arion subfuscus Subulina octona, and Thiara granifera Melanoides tuberculata.