Tag Archives: Achatinellidae

Achatinella pupukanioe Pilsbry & Cooke

Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella pupukanioe)

This species was described in 1914.

The shells reach sizes of about 1,6 cm in height; they are glossy white or ivory yellow with a white sutural line, or either of these tints with a burnt sienna band immediately above a wider and darker band. [1] 

***

The species was last found in 1980 in the forest along the Aiea Ridge Trail in the Ko’olau Mountains; it is now most likely extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914’ 

(public domain) 

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edited: 08.06.2021

Achatinella taeniolata Pfeiffer

The Small-ribboned Oahu Tree Snail was described in 1846; like all members of its genus, it was endemic to the island of O’ahu in the Hawaiian Islands.

The shells reach sizes of about 1,8 to 2 cm in height; they are dextral, ovate-oblong, spiro-conic, solid, striatulate, more obsolete toward the apex and with slightly convex whorls; glossy white, ornamented with varying brown bands; the white columella is strongly toothed above and the margin is dilated, reflexed and appressed; the white aperture is irregularly semioval; the peristome is narrowly thickened outside and strongly lipped within. [1] 

***

The Small-ribboned Oahu Tree Snail was last seen in 1966 at the Hawai’iloa- and the Kuliouou Ridges in the Ko’olau Mountains; it is now most like exinct. [1]

***

According to some authors, this species is actually a subspecies of the Green Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella viridans Mighels), as there seems to be a complete integration between them. [1] 

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References:

[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914’ 

(public domain) 

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edited: 08.06.2021

Tubuaia voyana ssp. oromanaensis Kondo

Oromana Tubuaia Snail (Tubuaia voyana ssp. oromanaensis)

The Oromana Tubuaia Snail was described in 1962; it was only ever known from its type locality, the Oromana Hills on the island of Rimatara in the Austral archipelago, a place that today is completely degraded and transformed into agricultural fields (like actually most of the island).

This snail is now clearly extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Olivier Gargominy; Benoît Fontaine: A Global Overview of the Terrestrial and Freshwater Molluscs. In: Jean-Yves Meyer; Elin. M. Claridge: Biodiversity of the Austral Islands, French Polynesia. Muséum national d´Histoire naturelle, Paris. 55-91. 2014

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edited: 02.05.2022

Achatinella vulpina (Férussac)

Foxy Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella vulpina)

The Foxy Oahu Tree Snail was described in 1824.

The shells reach sizes of about 1,9 cm in height; they are glossy yellow, green, olive or chestnut, often banded with green or chestnut; the extremely color patterns were already mentioned by the species’ author.:

The colouring of this species is extremely variable; there is, however, but one prevailing idea in its manner of distribution. The columella is of a livid purple-rose in all the varieties.” [1]

This is one of the most common shells met with on Oahu, and passes through numerous slight variations, which have led to their description as distinct species.” [1]

***

The species was last found in 1965 along the slopes of the Pu’u ‘ohi’a (Mt. Tantalus); it is now considered extinct. [2]

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References:

[1] E. W. Thwing: Reprint of the original descriptions of the genus Achatinella. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(1): 1-196. 1907
[2] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914′

(public domain)

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edited: 06.06.2021

Achatinella apexfulva (Dixon)

Yellow-tipped Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella apexfulva)

The tree snails of the genus Achatinella are only found on the island of O’ahu in the Hawaiian archipelago; 41 species are currently accepted, of which about 20 may still survive.

All species inhabit trees and shrubs where they feed on fungi by scraping them from the surfaces of leaves or trunks; the snails are hermaphroditic and give birth to live young, however, only to a few each year. The snails can live to about ten years or even more, the growth rate is very low, and they reach maturity only with about six years. 

The tree snails are very vulnerable to loss of individuals through over-collecting, but also to habitat destruction and especially to the introduction of predators like rats, or more recently the snail-eating Rosy Wolfsnail (Euglandina rosea (Férussac)). [1]

***

The Yellow-tipped Oahu Tree Snail was indeed the first member of its genus to reach Europe – as part of a shell lei, given by native Hawaiians to George Dixon, a British ship captain in 1786, and to be scientifically described – in 1789.

The species was restricted to some of the ridges of the Ko’olau Mountains, where it was last found in 1985. [1]

The shells reach sizes of about 1,9 cm in height; they are dextral or sinistral and are quite variably colored; the embryonic whorl might be yellow, the following whorls are blackish brown to chestnut-colored, sometimes with some whitish streaks and spiral lines; the narrow suture is light-edged; the moderately thickened lip is flesh- to salmon-colored while the columellar fold is nearly white; the aperture is bluish white within. [1]

***  

The species was last seen in the wild at the Poamoho Trail and was considered extinct in the wild since then; a little captive population (brought into captivity in 1997) was all that was left of this species. This population, however, did not breed and finally was down to a last surviving individual. 

This individual, named George (see photo below), died today (1. January 2019) at the age of 14 years, an exceptional age for an invertebrate species. [2]

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References:

[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993
[2] Jacina Bowler: Lonely George – A Hawaiian Tree Snail – Has Died, Taking His Species With Him. Science Alert January 9, 2019

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Photo: Brenden Holland
http://portugal.inaturalist.org/people/bholland

(under creative commons license (4.0))
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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edited: 08.06.2021

Auriculella crassula Smith

Thick Auriculella Snail (Auriculella crassula)

The Thick Auriculella Snail was described in 1873, it was endemic to the island of Maui, Hawaiian Islands where it apparently was quite common.

Several varieties are known, of which some were originally described as distinct species.:

This species runs through a number of color varieties, the most common of which is an olive yellow; others have the spire dark, and the suture broadly white-bordered. The white-belted pattern, though it occurs in nearly all the species of this genus, and is fairly common in A. uniplicata, does not seem to be found in this species; at least no specimen of this color variety was found among over 1500 specimens seen, but there is sometimes a brown belt at the periphery. The spire is nearly always darker than the last whorl, and there is usually a broad white band just below the suture.” [1]

The species is now extinct like so many of the terrestrial snail species from the Hawaiian Islands.

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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 23: Appendix to Amastridae. Tornatellinidae. Index, vols. XXI-XXIII. 1915-1916′

(public domain)

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edited: 17.11.2021

Perdicella thwingi Pislbry & Cooke

Thwing’s Perdicella Snail (Perdicella thwingi)  

Thwing’s Perdicella Snail was endemic to the dry Auwahi forest in eastern Maui, Hawaiian Islands.

This was one of the largets species in its genus, the shells are up to 1,6 to 1,7 cm heigh. [1]

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References:

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914

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Depiction from: George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(public domain)

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edited: 16.06.2020

Achatinella caesia Gulick

Cutted Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella caesia)

This species was described in 1858.

The shells reach sizes of about 1,8 cm in height; the shining shell is so streaked with white and fawn brown as to have a gray appearance. [1]

The species was already rare in the 1900s and is now considered extinct.

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914’

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References:

[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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edited: 07.06.2021

Achatinella rosea Swainson

Rosy Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella rosea)

The Rosy Oahu Tree Snail was described in 1828, the species inhabited the Helemano- and Poamoho Ridges and adjacent places at the western slopes of the Ko’olau Mountains in eastern O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.  

The shells reached heights of about 1,9 to 2,2 cm, they are white or pale rosy to strong pink or sometimes brown, unicolored or multicolored striped; many, but yet not all individuals of this species have a strong pink colored shell aperture (mouth).  

We also have some information about the appearance of the actual animal.:

Animal, when young, of a bright straw yellow, with ocular appendages tinged with brown. In the adult, the color is a uniform light gray, with mantle and tentacles dark brown.” [1]

This is also considered some kind of variety or maybe subspecies of the Bulimus-like Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella bulimoides Swainson).

***

The last record for this species was the sighting of a single individual at the Helemano Ridge in 1949, since then the species is considered extinct. [2]

***

Parts of the former range of the Rosy Oahu Tree Snail are still inhabited today by another tree snail species, Sowerby’s Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella sowerbyana Pfeiffer) that somehow still manages to survive in the wild.  

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References:

[1] E. W. Thwing: Reprint of the original descriptions of the genus Achatinella. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(1): 1-196. 1907
[2] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914’

(public domain) 

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edited: 08.06.2021

Achatinella stewartii (Green)

Stewart’s Oahu Tree-Snail (Achatinella stewartii)

Stewart’s Oahu Tree Snail was described in 1827.

The shells reach sizes of about 2,2 to 2,7 cm in height; they are usually very variably colored.:

„… the ground colour is usually greenish or some shade of yellow, sometimes a single blackish coloured band accompanies the suture, sometimes this band is doubled and of different shades, and on many specimens there are two bands, one at the suture and one in the middle of the whorls. In some varieties the base of the body whorl is dark brown, the rest of the shell being of a dark form, and not unfrequently the whole shell is without any markings whatever; in which case the colour is yellow, the aperture, when inverted is ear-shaped, the truncation of the columella is rounded and thickened in a remarkable manner at its edge; along the inner margin of the outer lip there is a strong callous ridge, as in most of the species of this genus, which gradually attenuates towards the edge of the lip, which is this and sharp inside, white and pinkish round the columella.“ [1]

***

The species was last found in 1961 somewhere on the slopes of the Pu’u ‘ohi’a (Mt. Tantalus); it is now extinct. [2]

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References:

[1] E. W. Thwing: Reprint of the original descriptions of the genus Achatinella. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(1): 1-196. 1907
[2] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914′

(public domain)

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edited: 09.06.2021

Achatinella phaeozona Gulick

Gray-banded Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella phaeozona)

The Gray-banded Oahu Tree Snail was described in 1856.

The shells reach sizes of about 2,2 cm in height; They are sinistral and scarcely perforate, oblong-ovate and solid; the apex is subacute and the spire convexly conical; the suture is marginate and moderately impressed; they are glossy white with one to six black or chestnut bands varying in width; the whorls are moderately convex; the strong central columellar fold is white with a dilated, adnate or sometimes slightly detached margin; the aperture is slightly oblique and lunately rounded; the peristome is acute and well thickened within. [1]

***

The species was originally widespread on the island, as is proven by subfossil shells that were recovered from the soil of a coconut plantation near the shore; it was last seen in 1974 in the Ka’alakei Valley near the southeastern coast of O’ahu; it is now considered extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914’

(public domain)

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edited: 08.06.2021

Partulina kaaeana Baldwin

Mt. Helu Partulina Snail (Partulina kaaeana)  

This species was described in 1906, it was endemic to a single area at an elevation of 1220 on the slopes of the Mt. Helu on western Maui, Hawaii Islands.  

The shell has a size of about 2,1 cm.  

***

The author of the species also described the life animal.:  

Animal extended in motion longer than the shell. Mantle brownish-black with outer edge bordered with narrow white line. Foot below and sides light slate color. Head above and tentacles dark slate and granulated.”  

***

The Mt. Helu Partulina Snail was last seen in 1981 and is now clearly extinct.  

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Depiction from: ‘G. W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(public domain)

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edited: 08.10.2017

Perdicella fulgurans Sykes

Glistening Perdicella Snail (Perdicella fulgurans)  

The Glistened Perdicella Snail, described in 1900, was restricted to the Makawao District in eastern Maui, Hawaiian Islands. It shared its habitat with a close relative, the Maui Perdicella Snail (Perdicella maniensis (Pfeiffer)).  

The shells in average reached heights of about 1,5 cm.  

Like all of its congeners, also the Glistening Perdicella Snail was arboreal, it inhabited leaves, stems and trunks of the trees in the native rainforests, and probably fed on fungi.  

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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(not in copyright)

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edited: 16.06.2020

Partulina montagui Pilsbry

Montagui’s Partulina Snail (Partulina montagui)  

This species was described in 1913, it was endemic to the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.  

The shells are quite large, about 2,5 to 2,7 cm.  

***

The species was apparently already extinct when it was discovered and described.:  

The shells occur in the humus near the surface, along the roadside, and are very rare, apparently lying in “pockets” which have been filled and covered by the wash down the slope. Probably the forest disappeared from where the shells are found not much than hundred years ago.” [1]  

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References:  

[1] ‘G. W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22. 1912-1914  

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Depiction from: ‘G. W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(public domain)

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edited: 08.10.2017

Perdicella maniensis (Pfeiffer)

Maui Perdicella Snail (Perdicella maniensis)  

This species, described in 1856, was restricted to the Makawao District on eastern Maui, Hawaiian Islands.  

The shells in average reached heights of about 1,2 cm.  

***

The scientific name of this species is possible a typographical error (originally mauiensis), yet due to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (the international rules of the zoological nomenclature) it must be accepted as valid name.  

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Depiction from: George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(not in copyright)


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edited: 16.06.2020

Perdicella carinella (Baldwin)

Nahiku Perdicella Snail (Perdicella carinella 

This species is known from a locality named Nahiku which is located at the northeastern coast of eastern Maui, Hawaiian Islands.

The shells reached sizes of 1,4 to 1,5 cm in heigth. [1]

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References:

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914

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Depiction from: George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(public domain)

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edited: 16.06.2020

Perdicella zebra (Newcomb)

Zebra Perdicella Snail (Perdicella zebra 

The Zebra Perdicella Snail, which was endemic to eastern Maui in the Hawaiian Islands, was described in 1855 based on a single specimen.:  

It seems to resemble P. ornata in color-pattern, differing from zebrina Pfr. by the basal band.” [1]

The shell of this smaller species reached a height of about 1 cm.

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References:

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914

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edited: 16.06.2020

Perdicella ornata (Newcomb)

Ornated Perdicella Snail (Perdicella ornata)  

The Ornated Perdicella Snail was described in 1853, it was inhabiting the rainforests on Mt. Helu in western Maui, Hawaiian Islands, another population assigned to the same species apparently occurred at a certain locality on eastern Maui.

The shells reach sizes of about 1,48 cm in heigth.

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References:

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914

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Depiction from: George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(public domain)

Depiction from: George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(public domain)

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edited: 16.06.2020

Achatinella casta (Newcomb)

Casta Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella casta)

The Casta Oahu Tree Snail was described in 1853; it was found in the forests along he ridges north of Pearl Harbor on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

The shells reach sizes of about 1,67 cm in height; they have six whorls, which are rounded and margined above; the simple lip is thickened within and the short columella has a strong plaited brownish tooth; they are glossy white or yellowish with extremely variable transverse bands of brown, pink or white, variously arranged. [1]

***

The species is now considered extinct.

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References:

[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914′

(public domain)

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edited: 09.06.2021

Partulina horneri Baldwin

Horner’s Partulina Snail (Partulina horneri)  

This species was described in 1895, it was endemic to the island of Hawai’i, Hawaiian Islands.  

The species was arboreal and was commonly found on the endemic Hawaiian ‘ahakea (Bobea elatior Gaudich.), and sometimes also on kawa’u (Ilex anomala Hook. & Arn.), ‘ohi’a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudich.), and kolea lau nui (Myrsine lessertiana A. DC.).  

***

The author of the species also gave a description of the live animal.:  

Animal in motion longer than the shell. Mantle black, margined with gray. Foot above and below gray, the superior portions lightly granulated. Tentacles light gray.”  

***

Horner’s Partulina Snail was last seen in 1992, when it was restricted to two populations in the Hamakua- and Kohala districts respectively. [1]

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References  

[1] Michael G. Hadfield; Lisa J. Hadway: Conservation status of tree snail species in the genus Partulina (Achatinellinae) on the Island of Hawai’i: a modern and historical perspective. Pacific Science 53(1): 1-14. 1999  

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Depiction from: ‘G. W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(public domain)

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edited: 08.10.2017

Partulina ustulata (Gulick)

Scorched Partulina Snail (Partulina ustulata)  

This species was described in 1856, it was restricted to western Maui, Hawaiian Islands.  

The shells reached sizes of up to 2,5 cm.  

The Scorched Partulina Snail was an arboreal species, it was recorded living on shrubs including the Hawaiian endemic mamaki (Pipturus albidus (Hook. & Arn.) A. Gray ex H. Mann).  

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Foto: Hank L. Oppenheimer 
http://hear.smugmug.com  

(under creative commons license (3.0) 
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0

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edited: 08.10.2017

Partulina confusa (Sykes)

Confusing Partulina Snail (Partulina confusa 

This species was described in 1900, it was endemic to the Hamakua- and Kohala districts of Hawai’i, Hawaiian Islands.  

The species was arboreal and was found on several native shrubs like the ilima (Sida fallax Walp.), and trees including the olopua (Nestegis sandwichensis ((A. Gray) O. Deg., I. Deg. & L. A. S. Johnson) and the mamane (Sophora chrysophylla (Salisb.) Seem.). [1][2]

The shells are quite large, reaching sizes of about 2,6 to nearly 2,8 cm.  

***

One of several reasons for the extinction of this and other endemic Hawaiian snail species is the collection of their shells.:

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, landsnail collecting was a popular pastime on the Hawaiian Islands … Henshaw … referred to a colony of Partulina confusa on the Waimea Plains that had an estimated population size of 75,000 and where he and other collectors collected 10,000 shells in just 3 months …. The collections at the Bishop Museum also provide evidence for the shell-collecting pressure that was put on these snails on Hawai’i Island. There are 2827 shells of Partulina ssp. from Hawai’i Island in the collection, over half of them (1655) being shells of P. confusa, a species that now seems to be extinct.” [2]

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References:  

[1] Michael G. Hadfield; Stephen E. Miller: Demographic Studies on Hawaii’s Endangered Tree Snails: Partulina proxima. Pacific Science 43(1): 1-16. 1989 
[2] Michael G. Hadfield; Lisa J. Hadway: Conservation status of tree snail species in the genus Partulina (Achatinellinae) on the Island of Hawai’i: a modern and historical perspective. Pacific Science 53(1): 1-14. 1999  

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Depiction from: ‘G. W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(public domain)

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edited: 17.06.2020

Auriculella expansa Pease

Expanded Auriculella Snail (Auriculella expansa)

The Expanded Auriculella Snail was described in 1868; it apparently inhabited the forests above the Honolua Bay at the north-western coast of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands.

The species was obviously named for its enlarged aperture.

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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 23: Appendix to Amastridae. Tornatellinidae. Index, vols. XXI-XXIII. 1915-1916′

(public domain)

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edited: 17.11.2021

Achatinella buddii Newcomb

Budd’s Oahu Tree-Snail (Achatinella buddii)

Budd’s Oahu Tree-Snail was described in 1853; it was apparently restricted to the Palolo Valley on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

The shells reach a size of about 2 cm in height; they are yellowish or cinnamon-colored, slate or fawn, the columella and aperture are white. [1]

***

This species appears to have gone extinct shortly after 1900, however, an exact extinction date is not known. [1]

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[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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Depiction from: ‘G. W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914’ 

(public domain)

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edited: 09.06.2021

Partulina crassa (Newcomb)

Thick Partulina Snail (Partulina crassa 

The Thick Partulina Snail was described in 1853, it was apparently restricted to a place named Kohele on the Hawaiian island of Lana’i, a place that now is so to say completely overgrown with foreign, invasive vegetation.

The shells of this rather large species reached sizes of 1,8 to 2,2 cm in heigth. [1]

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References:

[1] G. W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914

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Depiction from: ‘G. W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914’  

(public domain)

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edited: 17.06.2020

Hotumatua anakenana Kirch, Christensen & Steadman

Hotu Matua’s Snail (Hotumatua anakenana)   

This tiny snail species (shell height ca. 0,42 cm) was described in 2009 based on subfossil shells that were found during excavations at Anakena on the north coast of Rapa Nui.  

Hotu Matua’s Snail disappeared after the complete destruction of the island’s indigenous vegetation and accompanied the loss of the microhabitats it inhabited.  

***  

The species was named after Hotu Matua, the mythical ancestor of the Rapa Nui people, the Polynesian inhabitans of Easter Island, as well as for Anakena Bay, the place where Hotu Matua is said to have first landed. [1]  

***  

The material that was collected included three additional specimens that are referable to the genus Hotumatua, but differ in some ways and are certainly not conspecific with the species discussed here. These shells are either intraspecific variations or distinct species, but more material is needed to determine either of these assumptions. [2]  

***  

Another tiny Achatinellid snail that was known from the island based on subfossil shells, the Variable Pacificella Snail (Pacificella variabilis Odhner) was recently rediscovered on Easter Island, it is, however, a Polynesian introduction and not native to the island. [2][3]  

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References:  

[1] John Flenley; Paul G. Bahn: The Enigmas of Easter Island. Oxford University Press (Oxford, New York) 2003 
[2] Patrick V. Kirch; Carl C. Christensen; David W. Steadman: Subfossil Land Snails from Easter Island, Including Hotumatua anakenana, New Genus and Species (Pulmonata: Achatinellidae). Pacific Science, 63: 105–122. 2009 
[3] Juan Francisco Araya; Juan Antonio Aliagoa; Darko D. Cotoras: Rediscovery of Pacificella variabilis (Gastropoda: Achatinellidae) on Easter Island. Pacific Science 72(4): 1-13. 2017  

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edited: 11.12.2018

Achatinella pulcherrima Swainson

Beautiful Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella pulcherrima)

The Beautiful Oahu Tree Snail was described in 1828.

The shells reached heights of about 1,8 to 2 cm, they are generally deep chestnut and orange colored and was decorated with one to three fulvous, orange, white or yellow bands; the margin of the lip is brown. [1]

***

The Beautiful Oahu Tree Snail was last seen alive in 1974 at a place named Helemano somewhere in the center of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands. [1]

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References:

[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993

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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914′ 

(public domain)

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edited: 08.06.2021

Tornatellinops jauffreti (Madge)

Jauffret’s Elasmias Snail (Tornatellinops jauffreti)  

This very enigmatic species was apparently described in 1946, it is said to have been endemic either to the island of Mauritius or Rodrigues, Mascarene Islands.  

The species is either placed in the genus Elasmias or Tornatellinops and the species name is variably given as jauffreti or jaurffreti. [1]  

***  

I could not found any further piece of information.  

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References:  

[1] C. Montague Cooke Jr.; Yoshio Kondo: Revision of Tornatellinidae and Achatinellidae (Gastropoda, Pulmonata). Bishop Museum Bulletins 221: 1-303. 1960  

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edited: 23.04.2019