| Ovachlamys fulgens | |
|---|---|
| A live individual of Ovachlamys fulgens, notice the caudal horn on the tail end of the foot | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Helicarionoidea |
| Family: | Helicarionidae |
| Genus: | Ovachlamys |
| Species: | O. fulgens |
| Binomial name | |
| Ovachlamys fulgens (Gude, 1900)[1] |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Macrochlamys fulgens Gude, 1900 |
|
Ovachlamys fulgens is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicarionidae.
Ovachlamys fulgens was originally discovered and described as Macrochlamys fulgens by the British malacologist Gerard Pierre Laurent Kalshoven Gude in 1900.[1]
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The type locality for this species is Ryukyu Islands (Loo-Choo Islands).[1] The type specimens are stored in the Florida Museum of Natural History.[2]
The snail is thought to be originally from the Ryukyu Islands.[3]
Ovachlamys fulgens has spread to various countries, most probably accidentally introduced with the orchid trade.[4] Non-indigenous distribution of Ovachlamys fulgens include:
Americas:
Pacific:
Several Southeast Asian countries:
This species is already established in the USA, and is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species which could negatively effect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine significance in the USA.[5]
The shell of this species is perforate, trochoid, thin, shining, pellucid and dark corneous.[1] The spire is depressed.[1] The apex is obtuse.[1] Sutures are linear and margined.[1] The shell has four whorls, that are increasing rather suddenly.[1] The last whorl is convex and a little inflated and it is twice as wide as the penultimate whorl.[1] Whorls are finely striated, decussated by microscopic spiral lines.[1] The last whorl is not descending and it is slightly excavated in the umbilical region.[1]
The aperture is slightly oblique, lunate.[1] The peristome is thin, straight, acute.[1] Margins of the paerture are distant, sub-parallel, the columellar margin a little reflected and nearly covering the very narrow umbilical perforation.[1]
The width of the shell is 6–7 mm.[1] The height of the shell is 4,5 mm.[1]
These snails are sometimes called "jumping snails" because the tail is modified with a caudal horn and the posterior part of the foot acts as a catapult to push off from contiguous substrates allowing the snail to suddenly move several inches.[3]
The habitats of Ovachlamys fulgens include pastures and crop fields with enough moisture and with deep leaf litter cover.[2] For example, habitats with Yucca guatemalensis provide good conditions for this species.[2] The snails are mostly found in soil litter and on plants up to 8 feet in height in areas of secondary growth and tree plantations.[3] Ideal collecting time is after rainfall.[3]
This species is considered an important orchid pest.[3] It is phytophagous[4] and is reported to attack a wide variety of horticultural plants, but the snails are mostly found among soil litter and become dormant during dry periods.[3] It has been found on avocado, mango, Heliconia and Dracaena.[3] Leaves of the avocado can be also used to raise juveniles in the laboratory.[6]
Little scientific data has been gathered on the biology of this species.[3]
Individuals ofOvachlamys fulgens can lay eggs at the age of 42 days and are considered mature when their shell width reaches 5.12 mm.[6] There is no need for the snails to mate in order to lay eggs and for successful reproduction.[6] Eggs are laid in clutches of three in soil or leaf litter where they absorb more water from the environment.[6]
The lifespan of Ovachlamys fulgens is 9 months in the laboratory.[6]
This article incorporates public domain text from the reference [1] and a public domain work of the United States Government from references.[3][4]