O`ahu tree snail
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Conservation status: Critical
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The O'ahu tree snails comprise the genus Achatinella; there are around 40 species of O'hau tree snail endemic to Hawaiian island of O`ahu. All 40 species are listed under United States federal legislation as endangered; the IUCN lists a number of these species as extinct and the remainder as critically endangered.
O`ahu tree snails are diverse in patterns, colors, and shapes but all average about 3/4 inch in length. Most have smooth, glossy, and oblong or ovate shells with a variety of colors, including yellow, orange, red, brown, green, gray, black, and white. O`ahu tree snails are currently found in mountainous dry to wet forests and shrublands above 1,300 feet. They are found on trees, are nocturnal, and feed by grazing fungus from the surface of native plant leaves. Although they are occasionally found on introduced plants, it is unknown whether the fungus of these plants provide long-term support for healthy breeding populations. Adult snails are hermaphroditic (having both male and female reproductive organs) and can live for many years.
Because growth rate and fertility are very low, these snails are especially vulnerable to loss of individuals through collection, predation, or other disturbances. O`ahu tree snails were once so abundant and popular on the island they are mentioned in Hawaiian folklore and songs, and their shells were used in lei and other ornaments. The most serious threats to the survival of O`ahu tree snails are predation by the introduced carnivorous snail (Euglandina rosea), predation by rats, and loss of habitat due to the spread of nonnative vegetation into higher elevation forests.
List of O'ahu Tree Snails (40)
Achatinella abbreviata
Achatinella apexfulva
Achatinella bellula
Achatinella buddii
Achatinella bulimoides
Achatinella byronii
Achatinella caesia
Achatinella casta
Achatinella clausinus
Achatinella concavospira
Achatinella curta
Achatinella decipiens
Achatinella decora
Achatinella dimorpha
Achatinella dolium
Achatinella faba
Achatinella fulgens
Achatinella fuscobasis
Achatinella juddii
Achatinella juncea
Achatinella lehuiensis
Achatinella lila
Achatinella livida
Achatinella lorata
Achatinella mustelina
Achatinella papyracea
Achatinella phaeozona
Achatinella pulcherrima
Achatinella pupukanioe
Achatinella solitaria
Achatinella sowerbyana
Achatinella spaldingi
Achatinella stewartii
Achatinella taeniolata
Achatinella thaanumi
Achatinella turgida
Achatinella valida
Achatinella vestita
Achatinella viridans
Achatinella vulpina
Achatinella vulpina
[edit] Reference
- U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.
