Viviparidae, sometimes known as the river snails, are a family of large operculate freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks.
This family is classified in the informal group Architaenioglossa according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005.
This family occurs nearly worldwide in temperate and tropical regions, with the exception that they are absent from South America.
There are two genera of Viviparidae in Africa: Bellamya and Neothauma.
The family Viviparidae contains 3 subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005):
Viviparinae Gray, 1847 (1833) - synonyms: Paludinidae Fitzinger, 1833 (inv.); Kosoviinae Atanackovic, 1859 (n.a.)Bellamyinae Rohrbach, 1937 - synonym: Amuropaludinidae Starobogatov, Prozorova, Bogatov & Sayenko, 2004 (n.a.)Lioplacinae Gill, 1863 - synonym: Campelomatinae Thiele, 1929Genera within the family Viviparidae include:
subfamily Viviparinae Gray, 1847
Galizgia Mikhaylovskiy, 1903† Kosovia Atanacković, 1959Trochopaludina Starobogatov, 1985Tulotoma Haldeman, 1840Viviparus Montfort, 1810 - type genussubfamily Bellamyinae Rohrbach, 1937
Amuropaludina Moskvicheva, 1979Angulyagra Rao, 1931Anulotaia Brandt, 1968Anularya Zhang & Chen, 2015† Apameaus Sivan, Heller & van Damme, 2006 This Pliocene-Pleistocene genus contains only one species Apameaus apameae Sivan, Heller & van Damme, 2006Bellamya Jousseame, 1886 - type genus of the subfamilyCipangopaludina Hannibal, 1912Eyriesia P. Fischer, 1885Filopaludina Habe, 1964Heterogen Annandale, 1921 - with the only species Heterogen longispira (E. A. Smith, 1886)Idiopoma Pilsbry, 1901Laguncula Benson, 1842Larina Adams, 1851Margarya Nevill, 1877Mekongia Crosse & Fischer, 1876Neclarina Iredale, 1943Notopala Cotton, 1935Rivularia Heude, 1890Sinotaia Haas, 1939Taia Annandale, 1918† Temnotaia Annandale, 1919Tchangmargarya He, 2013Torotaia Haas, 1939Trochotaia Brandt, 1974subfamily Lioplacinae Gill, 1863
Campeloma Rafinesque, 1819Lioplax Troschel, 1856subfamily ?
† Albianopalin Hamilton-Bruce, Smith & Gowlett-Holmes, 2002 - from Albian, New South WalesNeothauma E. A. Smith, 1880 - with the only species Neothauma tanganyicense E. A. Smith, 1880Siamopaludina Brandt, 1968Genera brought into synonymy
Centrapala Cotton, 1935: synonym of Larina A. Adams, 1855Contectiana Bourguignat, 1880: synonym of Viviparus Montfort, 1810Eularina Iredale, 1943: synonym of Larina A. Adams, 1855subfamily † Kosoviinae Atanacković, 1959: synonym of Viviparidae Gray, 1847Lecythoconcha Annandale, 1920: synonym of Cipangopaludina Hannibal, 1912Metohia Popović, 1964 : (junior homonym, no replacement name available in 2014)Notopalena Iredale, 1943: synonym of Notopala Cotton, 1935Paludina Férussac, 1812: synonym of Viviparus Montfort, 1810Siamopaludina Brandt, 1968 : synonym of Filopaludina (Siamopaludina) Brandt, 1968 represented as Filopaludina Habe, 1964Vivipara : synonym of Viviparus Montfort, 1810Life spans have been reported from 3 to 11 years in various species of Viviparidae.
