Type material of land snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) described from New Zealand by taxonomists in Europe and North America between 1830 and 1934, and the history of research on the New Zealand land snail fauna from 1824 to 1917.

Details are provided on 124 land snail species and varieties from New Zealand, and a further 14 species putatively from New Zealand, all of which were described by European and North American taxonomists between 1830 and 1934, based on specimens collected between 1824 and 1924. Primary type material of 95 of these taxa was located in Northern Hemisphere museums during the present study. Lectotypes are designated for: Helix chimmoi Pfeiffer, 1857, Helix glabriuscula Reeve, 1852, Helix (Paryphanta) gilliesi Smith, 1880, Nanina ? celinde Gray, 1850, Zonites chiron Gray, 1850 and Zonites coma Gray, 1843. Neotypes are designated for Helix conella Pfeiffer, 1861 and Helix tau Pfeiffer, 1861. Primary type material of the following taxa is figured herein for the first time: Bulimus? (Laoma) leimonias Gray, 1850, Cyclophorus cytora Gray, 1850, Cyclostoma (Cyclophorus?) lignarium Pfeiffer, 1857, Helix chimmoi Pfeiffer, 1857, Helix egesta Gray, 1850, Helix fatua Pfeiffer, 1857, Helix greenwoodi Gray, 1850, Helix guttula Pfeiffer, 1853, Helix kermandeci Pfeiffer, 1857, Helix portia Gray, 1850, Helix sciadium Pfeiffer, 1857, Helix venulata Pfeiffer, 1857, Helix (Paryphanta) gilliesi Smith, 1880, Hydrocena (Omphalotropis) vestita Pfeiffer, 1855, Nanina ? celinde Gray, 1850, Nanina erigone Gray, 1850, Nanina mariae Gray, 1843, Patula modicella var. vicinalis Mousson, 1873, Realia egea Gray, 1850, Vitrina kermadecensis Smith, 1873 and Zonites chiron Gray, 1850. New taxonomic combinations introduced herein include: Allodiscus nematophora (Reeve, 1854), Cavellia biconcava (Reeve, 1852), Charopa chimmoi (Pfeiffer, 1857), Coneuplecta regularis (Reeve, 1854), Delos jeffreysiana (Reeve, 1852), Fectola tau (Pfeiffer, 1861), Fectola varicosa (Reeve, 1852), Flammulina crebriflammea (Reeve, 1852), Lyrotropis vestita (Pfeiffer, 1855), ?Neophenacohelix ziczac (Gould, 1846), Parabalea peregrina (Gould, 1847), Phacussa hypopolea (Reeve, 1852), Phenacharopa novoseelandica (Küster, 1852), Phrixgnathus glabriusculus (Reeve, 1852), Phrixgnathus poecilostictus (Reeve, 1852), Thalassohelix obnubila (Reeve, 1852), Tornatellinops novoseelandica (Küster, 1852) and Wainuia urnula (Reeve, 1854). Helix collyrula Reeve, 1852 and Nanina tullia Gray, 1850 are treated as junior synonyms of Phenacohelix (Neophenacohelix) giveni Cumber 1961 nomen protectum and Helix (Huttonella) pseudoleioda Suter, 1890 nomen protectum, respectively. A brief account is given of the history of research on the New Zealand land snail fauna from 1824 to 1917.