
River Snails
Viviparidae
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 lakes and rivers across Europe, Asia, and parts of North America. Some, like Cipangopaludina japonica, have become invasive thanks to their ability to adapt.
3 branches of this family, most-observed first

Bellamyinae
subfamilyBellamyinae

Viviparinae
subfamilyViviparinae

Campelomas and Lioplaxes
subfamilyLioplacinae
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Viviparidae in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 83797.