Helicidae

Helicidae
Helix pomatia
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Heterobranchia
Order:	Stylommatophora
Superfamily:	Helicoidea
Family:	Helicidae Rafinesque, 1815
Type genus
Helix Linnaeus, 1758
Subfamilies
Ariantinae Murellinae Helicinae

Helicidae is a large, diverse family of western Palaearctic, medium to large-sized, air-breathing land snails, sometimes called the "typical snails." It includes some of the largest European land snails, several species are common in anthropogenic habitats, and some became invasive on other continents. A number of species in this family are valued as food items, including Cornu aspersum (formerly Helix aspersa; "petit gris") the brown or garden snail, and Helix pomatia (the "escargot").^[1] The biologies of these two species in particular have been thoroughly studied and documented.