Madagasikara is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of tropical freshwater snail

Freshwater snail

A freshwater snail is one kind of freshwater mollusc, the other kind being freshwater clams and mussels, i.e. freshwater bivalves. Specifically a freshwater snail is a gastropod that lives in a watery non-marine habitat. The majority of freshwater gastropods have a shell, with very few exceptions....

s with an operculum

Operculum (gastropod)

The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...

, aquatic

Aquatic animal

An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...

 gastropod molluscs in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Pachychilidae

Pachychilidae

Pachychilidae, common name pachychilids, is a taxonomic family of freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha.- Distribution :Pachychilids are freshwater snails with a worldwide distribution in the tropics...

.

The generic name

Generic name

Generic name may be:*Generic name, name of a biological genus*Generic name, International Nonproprietary Name for a drug*A placeholder name, referring to nobody in particular, such as Joe Bloggs or John Q. Public...

 Madagasikara is from the Malagasy language

Malagasy language

Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar, a member of the Austronesian family of languages. Most people in Madagascar speak it as a first language as do some people of Malagasy descent elsewhere.-History:...

 and means "Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

".

This genus is endemic to Madagascar.

Nomenclature

In systematic literature before 2010 the name Melanatria Bowdich,1822 was generally used for this group. Another name, which was used particularly in earlier taxonomic literature of the 19th century is Pirena Lamarck, 1799.
However, it has been shown that both names are not available for this genus. The name Melanatria is a nomen dubium, not based on a recognizable species while the name Pirena is a junior synonym of Faunus Born, 1758, which is a different genus within the family Pachychilidae

Pachychilidae

Pachychilidae, common name pachychilids, is a taxonomic family of freshwater snails, gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha.- Distribution :Pachychilids are freshwater snails with a worldwide distribution in the tropics...

.
Therefore, introduction of a new name, Madagasikara, was required to maintain a stable taxonomy.

Species

Species within the genus Madagasikara include:

• Madagasikara johnsoni
  Madagasikara johnsoni
  Madagasikara johnsoni is a species of tropical freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Pachychilidae.- Distribution :This species is endemic to Madagascar...
  
  (E. A. Smith, 1882)
• Madagasikara madagascariensis (Grateloup, 1840)
• Madagasikara spinosa (Lamarck, 1822) - type species, the previously used name Melanatria fluminea is a synonym
• Madagasikara vazimba Köhler & Glaubrecht, 2010
• Madagasikara vivipara Köhler & Glaubrecht, 2010
• Madagasikara zazavavindrano Köhler & Glaubrecht, 2010