Succinea

Succinea, common name the amber snails, is a large genus of small, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Succineidae.
The common name refers to the fact that live snails in this genus are translucent and similar to amber in appearance.

Description

The length of the shell ranges between ; the width ranges between.
The dextrous, pointed ovoid shell consists of 3⅓–3½ whorls. It is thin-walled, glossy and translucent. The protoconch is very compact. The spire is short and consists mainly of a large, wide body whorl and an oval aperture with a sharp angle at the top. The deep sutures are prominent.The interior surface of the aperture is cream-colored or white.
The shell is usually light brown, but may be whitish with gray or light yellow streaks.
The large body cannot be completely withdrawn within the shell. The lower pair of tentacles is vestigial.
The many species in this genus are difficult to distinguish. Sometimes they need dissecting to confirm identification through the shape of the jaw and character of the reproductive system.

Distribution

This large genus has a worldwide distribution. Species in this genus usually live in damp habitats such as marshes. Some species are amphibious.

Species

Species within the genus Succinea include:Succinea aegyptiaca Ehrenberg, 1831Succinea aequinoctialis d'Orbigny, 1837Succinea africana F. Krauss, 1848Succinea alpestris Möllendorff, 1875Succinea amoi C. M. Cooke & Clench, 1945Succinea ampulacea E. von Martens, 1898Succinea andecola Crawford, 1939Succinea angustior

† Succinea antiqua Colbeau, 1867Succinea aperta I. Lea, 1838Succinea apicalis Ancey, 1904Succinea approximans Shuttleworth, 1854Succinea approximata G. B. Sowerby II, 1872Succinea arangoi Pfeiffer, 1866 Succinea arboricola Connolly, 1912Succinea archeyi Powell, 1933Succinea argentina Miquel, Rapacioli & Meneghini, 2019Succinea arundinetorum Heude, 1882Succinea aurita Hylton Scott, 1951Succinea aurulenta Ancey, 1889Succinea australis Succinea baconi L. Pfeiffer, 1855Succinea badia Morelet, 1867Succinea bakeri Hubricht, 1963
† Succinea baoyueensis W. Yü & X.-Q. Zhang, 1982Succinea barbadensis Guilding, 1828Succinea baumanni Sturany, 1894Succinea bequaerti Pilsbry, 1919Succinea bermudensis L. Pfeiffer, 1857Succinea bernardii Récluz, 1852
† Succinea bertrandi Fontannes, 1884Succinea bettii E. A. Smith, 1877Succinea bicolorata Ancey, 1889
† Succinea boissyi Deshayes, 1863Succinea brevis Dunker in Pfeiffer, 1850
† Succinea brevispira Deshayes, 1863Succinea burmeisteri Döring, 1873Succinea caduca Mighels, 1845Succinea californica P. Fischer and Crosse, 1878 – San Tomas ambersnailSuccinea campestris Say, 1817 – Crinkled AmbersnailSuccinea canella A. Gould, 1846Succinea carectorum Heude, 1882Succinea carmenensis P. Fischer & Crosse, 1878Succinea casta Ancey, 1899Succinea cepulla A. Gould, 1846Succinea ceylanica Pfeiffer, 1855Succinea chinensis L. Pfeiffer, 1857Succinea chudeaui Germain, 1907Succinea cinnamomea Ancey, 1889Succinea clarionensis Dall, 1926Succinea cochinchinensis Crosse & P. Fischer, 1863Succinea collina Hanley & Theobald, 1873Succinea colorata P. Fischer & Crosse, 1877Succinea comorensis Fischer-Piette & Vukadinovic, 1974Succinea concordialis A. Gould, 1848Succinea congoensis Pilsbry, 1919Succinea contenta Succinea contorta C. B. Adams, 1845Succinea cordovana P. Fischer & Crosse, 1877Succinea costaricana von Martens, 1898Succinea costulosa Pease, 1865Succinea crassinuclea L. Pfeiffer, 1849Succinea crocata A. Gould, 1846Succinea cryptica Tillier, 1981Succinea cygnorum Pilsbry, 1930Succinea dakaensis Sturany, 1898Succinea daucina L. Pfeiffer, 1854Succinea delicata Ancey, 1889Succinea dolphin C. M. Cooke & Clench, 1945Succinea dominicensis L. Pfeiffer, 1853
† Succinea dongyingensis Youluo, 1978Succinea donneti L. Pfeiffer, 1853Succinea elegantior Annandale, 1921Succinea elongata Pease, 1870Succinea erythrophana Ancey, 1883Succinea eussoensis Preston, 1912Succinea exarata F. Krauss, 1848Succinea falklandica E. A. Smith, 1884Succinea fischeri Gassies, 1871Succinea flexilis Quick, 1957Succinea floridana Pilsbry, 1905 – Florida chalksnailSuccinea fulgens Lea, 1841 Succinea garrettiana Ancey, 1899Succinea gayana Succinea gibba Henshaw, 1904Succinea girnarica Theobald, 1859Succinea gladiator Schileyko & Likharev, 1986Succinea globispira Martens, 1898Succinea godivariana Gude, 1914Succinea gracilis I. Lea, 1841Succinea grosvenorii I. Lea, 1864 – Santa Rita ambersnailSuccinea guadelupensis Dall, 1900Succinea guatemalensis Morelet, 1849Succinea gundlachi Pfeiffer, 1852 Succinea gyrata J. S. Gibbons, 1879Succinea hanleyi Gude, 1914Succinea hararensis Connolly, 1928Succinea haustellum Rehder, 1942
† Succinea headonensis Wenz, 1919
† Succinea henanensis Y.-T. Li, 1983Succinea hortulana Morelet, 1851Succinea humerosa A. Gould, 1846Succinea hyalina Shuttleworth, 1854
† Succinea imperspicua S. V. Wood, 1851Succinea indiana Pilsbry, 1905 – xeric ambersnailSuccinea indica L. Pfeiffer, 1849Succinea infundibuliformis A. Gould, 1846Succinea interioris Tate, 1894Succinea kempi Preston, 1912Succinea konaensis Sykes, 1897Succinea kuntziana Solem, 1959Succinea labiosa Philippi, 1860Succinea latior C. B. Adams, 1849Succinea lauta A. Gould, 1859Succinea lauzannei Germain, 1909Succinea lebruni Mabille, 1884Succinea lessensis Pilsbry, 1919
† Succinea lingulata X.-G. Zhu, 1985Succinea listeri E. A. Smith, 1889Succinea lopesi Lanzieri, 1966Succinea lumbalis A. Gould, 1846Succinea luteola Gould, 1848 – Mexico ambersnailSuccinea lutosa Pilsbry, 1926Succinea lutulenta Ancey, 1889Succinea macgillivrayi Cox, 1864Succinea macta Poey, 1858Succinea magellanica A. Gould, 1846Succinea magnaciana Heude, 1882Succinea manaosensis Pilsbry, 1926Succinea manuana A. Gould, 1846Succinea margarita L. Pfeiffer, 1853
† Succinea marioni Saporta, 1889Succinea martini Succinea masafuerae Odhner, 1922Succinea masoala Emberton & Griffiths, 2009Succinea mauiensis Ancey, 1889Succinea maxima Henshaw, 1904Succinea mcgregori Pilsbry, 1898Succinea meridionalis d'Orbigny, 1846Succinea mirabilis Henshaw, 1904Succinea modesta A. Gould, 1846Succinea monticula C. Semper, 1873Succinea montrouzieri Crosse, 1867
† Succinea nagpurensis Hislop, 1860Succinea newcombiana Garrett, 1857Succinea nobilis Poey, 1853Succinea norfolkensis Sykes, 1900Succinea normalis Ancey, 1881Succinea nyassana Dupuis & Putzeys, 1923Succinea obesa E. von Martens, 1867Succinea ochracina Gundlach in Poey, 1858Succinea ordinaria E. A. Smith, 1905Succinea oregonensis I. Lea, 1841 – Oregon ambersnailSuccinea orientalis Benson, 1851
† Succinea palliolum F. Sandberger, 1871Succinea panamensis Pilsbry, 1920Succinea panucoensis Pilsbry, 1910Succinea paralia Hubricht, 1983 – Saltmarsh Ambersnail
† Succinea parscovensis Cobălcescu, 1883Succinea patagonica E. A. Smith, 1881Succinea peruviana L. Pfeiffer, 1867Succinea philippinica Möllendorff, 1893Succinea piratarum Quadras & Möllendorff, 1894Succinea princei Preston, 1912Succinea pristina Henshaw, 1904Succinea propinqua Drouët, 1859
† Succinea protevoluta Yen, 1969Succinea protracta Sykes, 1900Succinea pseudomalonyx Dupuis & Putzeys, 1902Succinea pudorina A. Gould, 1846Succinea pueblensis Crosse & P. Fischer, 1877Succinea puna Tomassi & Cuezzo, 2021Succinea punctata L. Pfeiffer, 1855Succinea putamen A. Gould, 1846Succinea putris – European ambersnailSuccinea quadrasi Möllendorff, 1894Succinea quadrata Ancey, 1904Succinea quicki van Benthem Jutting, 1964Succinea raoi Rao & Mitra, 1976Succinea recisa Morelet, 1851 – rustic ambersnailSuccinea riisei L. Pfeiffer, 1853
† Succinea rollieri Maillard, 1892Succinea rosariensis Döring, 1873Succinea rubella Pease, 1871Succinea rugosa L. Pfeiffer, 1842Succinea rugulosa Morelet, 1872Succinea rusticana Gould, 1846 – rustic ambersnailSuccinea rutilans W. T. Blanford, 1870Succinea sagra d'Orbigny, 1842
† Succinea schumacheri And.
† Succinea scitula X.-G. Zhu, 1985Succinea setchuanensis Heude, 1882
† Succinea shenyangensis Youluo, 1978Succinea simplex L. Pfeiffer, 1855Succinea simplicissima Preston, 1912Succinea snigdha Rao, 1924Succinea socorroensis Dall, 1926Succinea solastra Hubricht, 1961 – Lone Star ambersnailSuccinea solidula L. Pfeiffer, 1849Succinea solitaria E. A. Smith, 1887
† Succinea sparnacensis Deshayes, 1863Succinea striata F. Krauss, 1848Succinea strigillata A. Adams & Angas, 1864Succinea strubelli Strubell, 1895Succinea subgranosa L. Pfeiffer, 1850
† Succinea subpfeifferi Gottschick, 1920Succinea tenella Morelet, 1865Succinea tenerrima Ancey, 1904Succinea tenuis Gundlach in Poey, 1858Succinea teragona Ancey, 1904Succinea texta Odhner, 1922Succinea tornadri Rao, 1924
† Succinea ubaghsi Bosquet, 1859Succinea undulata Say, 1829Succinea unicolor Tryon, 1866 – squatty ambersnailSuccinea urbana Hubricht, 1961 – urban ambersnailSuccinea vaginacontorta C. B. Lee, 1951Succinea venusta A. Gould, 1846Succinea vesicalis A. Gould, 1846Succinea virgata E. von Martens, 1865Succinea vitrea L. Pfeiffer, 1855Succinea waianaensis Ancey, 1899Succinea wallisi C. M. Cooke & Clench, 1945Succinea wilsonii I. Lea, 1864 – golden ambersnailSuccinea yarkandensis G. Nevill, 1881
† Succinea zhuoxianensis W. Yü & H.-Z. Pan, 1982

Additional species, taken from IUCN Red List:Succinea guamensis Pfeiffer, 1857Succinea sanctaehelenae Lesson, 1830

Synonyms

Succinea aurea Lea, 1841: synonym of Mediappendix vermeta Succinea barberi – Sanibel ambersnail: synonym of Oxyloma barberi Succinea chittenangoensis Pilsbry, 1908 – Chittenango ovate amber snail: synonym of Novisuccinea chittenangoensis Succinea depressa Rang, 1834: synonym of Pellicula depressa Succinea forsheyi I. Lea, 1864 – spotted ambersnail: synonym of Succinea concordialis A. Gould, 1848Succinea gabbi Tryon, 1866 – riblet ambersnail: synonym of Mediappendix gabbii Succinea greerii Tryon, 1866 – dryland ambersnail: synonym of Succinea grosvenorii I. Lea, 1864Succinea ovalis Say, 1817 is a synonym for Novisuccinea ovalis Succinea pennsylvanica Pilsbry, 1948 – Penn ambersnail: synonym of Novisuccinea pennsylvanica

† Succinea peregrina F. Sandberger, 1872: synonym of †Oxyloma affine Succinea pseudavara Webb, 1954: synonym of Succinea grosvenorii I. Lea, 1864Succinea strigata Pfeiffer, 1855 – striate ambersnail: synonym of Novisuccinea strigata Succinea tomentosa L. Pfeiffer, 1855: synonym of ''Austropeplea tomentosa''

Ecology

Parasites of Succinea spp. include:Elaphostrongylus spp.
Succinea consume small plants, such as mosses and leaf litter. Succinea campestris in particular is known to live in leaf litter, and is also known to be attracted to light, an unusual characteristic in snails.
In mating, the snails are hermaphrodites and mate reciprocally. However, many have preferences in what role they take—some actively seek out mates, mounting others' shells, while others do not.