Latia
genus of molluscs
Latia is a genus of very small, air-breathing freshwater snails or limpets, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Chilinoidea.
Latia is the only genus in the family Latiidae.
Species in this genus are the only freshwater bioluminescent molluscs in the world.
Taxonomy
The family Latiidae has been classified within the superfamily Chilinoidea, itself belonging to the clade Hygrophila within the informal group Basommatophora in the informal group Pulmonata (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).
There are no subfamilies in the family Latiidae (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).
Latia is the only genus in the family Latiidae, in other words Latiidae is a monotypic family and Latia is the type genus of the family Latiidae. This genus was previously placed instead in a larger family of freshwater limpets, the Ancylidae.
Distribution
This genus is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand.
Habitat
This genus lives in clean running streams and rivers.
Shell description
Shell is ancyliform, with the apex marginal, and situated at the left posterior side, incurved, small.
The public source identifies “Latia” as genus of molluscs. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Latia, genus and molluscs.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Latia”, the useful work is to connect “genus of molluscs” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q150661. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2005.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Latia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.