World Congress of Malacology Antwerp ... - Unitas Malacologica

The present study that is based on different anatomical characters reveals that - except for two species
- the genus Alcadia is completely absent from these islands, contrasting the situation on Cuba,
Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The helicinid assemblage is clearly dominated by the highly
diversified genus Helicina. Contrary to conclusions reached by the application of previous
classifications, these results hereby render the fauna of the Lesser Antilles remarkably distinct from
the Greater Antilles where the genus Helicina is only represented by very few species. Puerto Rico
shares elements with the other Greater Antilles as well as with the Lesser Antilles and northern South
America, although to a minor degree. Whereas Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica each harbours only
endemic species of Helicinidae, some of the species of the Lesser Antilles show a wider distribution
on several islands.
Poorly explored jewels of the tropics - diversity in non-pulmonate land snails of the family
Helicinidae (Neritopsina)
Richling, Ira
Zoologisches Institut, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, D-24098 Kiel,
Germany,
Email: ira@helicina.de
The Helicinidae represent a family of small to medium-sized land snails of exclusively subtropical
and tropical distribution being absent on the African continent. The highest diversity is reached on
the Greater Antilles in the tropics of the New World, and on the Indopacific islands in the
Australasian and Pacific region.
The most recent compilation of the representatives worldwide dates back to WAGNER in 1907-1911
and it includes 377 species and 161 subspecies. Subsequently about 270 new taxa were added in
scattered publications. Despite a comparatively high share in abundance of the total land snail fauna
in many areas even local revisions of the family were often neglected because of the limited number
of recognised differentiating characters, questionable systematic concepts, intergrading shell
morphologies and convergence combined with usually very limited material, especially for
anatomical studies. Examples are given. Except for the detailed revisions for most of the Cuban
genera, the few contributions on local helicinid faunas originate from the first third of the last century
(e. g. works of PILSBRY - different areas; BAKER - Mexico, Venezuela, Jamaica; NEAL - Hawaii;
BARTSCH - Philippines).
New systematic approaches together with recent exploration of undersampled regions and a more
intensive search for microsnails have already revealed a significant number of new species. Estimates
of a possible total number of species are provided on the basis of results of these revisions and work
in progress from Costa Rica, New Caledonia and the Lesser Antilles. Moreover, poorly studied areas
are highlighted and modern challenges discussed.
Diversity, distribution patterns, and biogeographic affinities of the Helicinidae on New
Caledonia (Gastropoda: Neritopsina)
Richling, Ira
Zoologisches Institut, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, D-24098 Kiel,
Germany,
Email: ira@helicina.de
Comprehensive collections assembled between 1978-1989 by scientists and collaborators of the
Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle de Paris allowed the first revision the representatives of the
operculate land snail family Helicinidae in the biodiversity hot spot area of New Caledonia and the
adjacent Loyalty Islands. In combination with historical material, the study is mainly based on shell
morphology and anatomy.
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