Gastropod-parasites
Guides
Ereynetidae
Ereynetidae is a family of prostigmatid mites in the superfamily Tydeoidea. The family includes at least two genera, with the genus Riccardoella comprising eight species. Six Riccardoella species are obligate parasites of terrestrial gastropods, inhabiting the pallial cavity and lungs of land snails, while two species are free-living in soil. Riccardoella limacum is known to cause significant problems in edible snail farming. The family's placement within the supercohort Eupodides remains uncertain based on molecular phylogenetic studies.
Pherbellia
snail-killing flies
Pherbellia is a genus of marsh flies in the family Sciomyzidae, comprising approximately 95 species with a global distribution except the Subantarctic region. The genus is notable for its specialized malacophagous ecology: larvae are predators or parasitoids of gastropod mollusks. Species exhibit diverse host associations, targeting both terrestrial and freshwater snails across multiple families including land snails (Anguispira, Succinea), glass snails (Zonitoides), pond snails (Stagnicola), and even operculate freshwater snails (Valvata). This genus represents one of the most extensively studied groups within Sciomyzidae regarding life cycle biology.