List of non-marine molluscs of Venezuela facts for kids

Shells of non-marine molluscs from Venezuela. Bivalves: Anodontites trapesalis; Paxyodon syrmatophorus; Mycetopoda pittieri. Gastropods: Pomacea doliodes; Megalobulimus oblongus.

Location of Venezuela

The non-marine molluscs of Venezuela are a group of amazing creatures found in Venezuela. These are snails, clams, and mussels that live in freshwater. They also include snails and slugs that live on land. This list does not include molluscs that live in the sea.

Many different kinds of non-marine molluscs live in the wild across Venezuela.

Exploring Venezuela's Molluscs: A Look Back in Time
Amazing Variety: The Diversity of Venezuelan Molluscs
Where Do Venezuelan Molluscs Live?
Types of Non-Marine Molluscs in Venezuela
See also

Exploring Venezuela's Molluscs: A Look Back in Time

Studies about Venezuela's molluscs began a long time ago. In the 1800s, a German scientist named Eduard von Martens published the first list of molluscs in Venezuela in 1873. Just three years later, another scientist, Adolfo Ernst, added to Martens' list.

After these first studies, new information came out slowly. It took about 50 years for new lists to appear. An American scientist, H. B. Baker, published more findings in the 1920s.

Since Baker's work, many Venezuelan species have been described. Scientists have also created many national and local lists. For example:

Adolfo Lutz studied molluscs around Valencia lake in 1928.
H. Richards and others described molluscs on Margarita Island in 1940.
Arias described animals in the Baruta, El Hatillo, and Perija regions in the 1950s.
Thompson wrote about molluscs in Henri Pittier National Park in 1957.
Martinez and Miranda described land snails and slugs in Caracas in 1968.
Fernández described slugs in Venezuela in 1982.
Martinez and others listed freshwater clams in 2004.
Lasso and his team described animals in the Orinoco river basin in 2009.

Amazing Variety: The Diversity of Venezuelan Molluscs

Pomacea urceus is a type of apple snail. Apple snails are a very diverse group.

Venezuela's non-marine molluscs belong to two main groups: Gastropoda (snails and slugs) and Bivalvia (clams and mussels). Gastropods have many more species than bivalves.

For freshwater snails, the Ampullariidae family (apple snails) has 35 species. The Planorbidae family has 15 species. For land snails and slugs, the Ortalicidae family has 35 species. The Subulinidae family has 16 species.

Among freshwater clams, the Mycetopodidade family has 17 species. The Hyriidae family has 10 species.

Some mollusc species have been brought to Venezuela from other places. Most of these are land molluscs. The Subulinidae family has 6 introduced species. The Limacidae family has 4, and the Helicidae family has 3.

Where Do Venezuelan Molluscs Live?

Pomacea dolioides is a type of apple snail.

Non-marine molluscs are found all over Venezuela. However, the largest number of species lives in the Orinoco river basin. Most species prefer calm waters like rivers, lakes, or flooded areas.

Some species live only in certain places. For example, some slugs are mostly found in farming areas in the north and Andean regions. But other species are found all over the country. This includes amphibian molluscs from the Ampullariidae family. Famous examples are Marisa cornuarietis, Pomacea urceus (also called Guarura), Pomacea glauca, and Pomacea dolioides. A well-known land snail is Megalobulimus oblongus (Guacara).

Some introduced species have spread widely. These include the Achatina fulica (Giant African Snail), Arion subfuscus, Subulina octona, Thiara granifera, and Melanoides tuberculata.

Types of Non-Marine Molluscs in Venezuela

Venezuela's non-marine molluscs include:

Freshwater gastropods: 9 families, 19 genera, 82 species.
Land gastropods: 26 families, 58 genera, 116 species.
Freshwater bivalves: 5 families, 11 genera, 31 species.

In total, there are 30 families, 88 genera, and 229 species listed.

Freshwater Snails (Gastropods)

Two shells of Marisa cornuarietis.

A shell of Pomacea glauca.

A shell of Pomacea interrupta.

A shell of Pomacea glauca orinocensis.

Here are some examples of freshwater snails found in Venezuela:

Ampullariidae (Apple Snails)

Marisa cornuarietis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Pomacea bridgesi (Reeve, 1856) (Introduced species)
Pomacea dolioides (Revee, 1856)
Pomacea glauca (Linnaeus, 1758)
Pomacea urceus (Müller, 1774)

Hydrobiidae

Over 30 individuals of Pyrgophorus coronatus.

Pyrgophorus coronatus (Pfeiffer, 1840)
Pyrgophorus parvulus (Guilding, 1828)

Lymnaeidae

Galba neotropica (Bargues, Artigas, Mera y Sierra, Pointier & Mas-Coma, 2007) - native
Galba cubensis (Pfeiffer, 1839) - introduced from the Caribbean
Pseudosuccinea columella (Say, 1817) - introduced from the Caribbean