Thapsia

Thapsia is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helicarionidae. Species in this genus are found in tropical western Africa, from Senegal to Gabon.

This article is about the genus of snails. For the genus of plants, see Thapsia (plant).

Thapsia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Superorder: Eupulmonata
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Helicarionidae
Genus: Thapsia
Albers, 1860[1]
Type species
Helix troglodytes
Morelet, 1848

Description

Species attributed to the genus Thapsia sensu lato have shell diameters ranging from about 15 to 30 mm, with 5½-6½ whorls. These rather featureless dextral shells are characterized by a low spire and their yellow to brown color. The spiral sculpture of the postembryonic shell is slender. In some larger species the sculpture of the radial ribs is formed crosswise (like the letter X) or beadlike. The foot shows a long caudal horn.

Species

Thapsia was originally designated in 1860 by German zoologist Johann Christian Albers as a subgenus of Nanina Gray, 1834, non Risso, 1826.[1]

This genus is a heterogeneous assemblage. Because the shell characters of this genus converge with those of the larger specimens of some closely related genera (Saphtia Winter, 2008,[2] Pseudosaphtia Winter, 2008[2] and Vanmolia Winter, 2008[2]), the delimitation of species to Thapsia s.l. is difficult. There very few papers that describe the anatomical features of this genus.

Thapsia contains the following species:

References
  1. Albers J. C. (1860). "Die Heliceen nach natürlichen Verwantschaft systematisch geordnet,ed. 2" (Manuscript edited by E. von Martens): xviii + 359 pp. Engelmann, Leipzig.
  2. Winter A.J. de (2008). "Redefinition of Thapsia Albers, 1860, and description of three more helicarionoid genera from western Africa (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora)". Zoologische Mededelingen. 82.
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