Saturday 15 June
Galapagos land snail (Bulimulus akamatus)
VULNERABLEGalapagos land snail fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Galapagos land snail description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Gastropoda |
| Order | Stylommatophora |
| Family | Bulimulidae |
| Genus | Bulimulus (1) |
This Galápagos land snail species is one of many tiny endangered bulimulid snails endemic to the Galápagos Islands, which often go unnoticed due to their small size (the largest species only reaching 25 mm in length) and dull brown colours (2) (3). This species has a reddish-brown, conical, spiralled shell.
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Galapagos land snail biology
Nothing is known of this Galápagos land snail’s biology.
TopGalapagos land snail range
Confined to the Galápagos Island of Santa Cruz, Ecuador (1). The species’ range is restricted to the arid and transition vegetation zones of this island (4).
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Species with a similar range
Galapagos land snail habitat
This species is mostly found under lava rocks and under the bark of Opuntia cacti (4).
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Species found in a similar habitat
Galapagos land snail status
Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2006 (1).
Galapagos land snail threats
Since their colonisation, the Galapagos Islands have experienced a dramatic decline of suitable habitat for land snails, as farming, road and house construction, and eventually tourism, grew (1) (2) (3). Several species are now extinct and, of those remaining, many are endangered (2). Grazing livestock (goats, pigs) and invasive alien plants have also altered the snail’s habitat (3) and, occasionally, the islands have suffered from uncontrolled fires, destroying habitat and snails alike (2). Additionally, introduced predators such as black rats (Rattus rattus) and little fire ants (Wasmania auropunctata) have had a direct impact on land snail populations by feeding on them and destroying their eggs (2).
TopGalapagos land snail conservation
There are currently no conservation measures targeting this species.
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View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. |
Authentication
Authenticated (13/02/2007) by Christine Parent, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University.
http://www.sfu.ca/~cparent/index.htm
Glossary
- Bulimulid
- Of the Bulimulidae family.
- Endemic
- A species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
References
- IUCN Red List (October, 2006)
http://www.iucnredlist.org - Coppois, G. (1998) Invertebrate research overview: 2. The endemic land snails. Bulletin De L'institut Royal Des Sciences Naturelles De Belgique, 70. Available at:
http://www.darwinfoundation.org/articles/br15049806.html - Parent, C.E. and Smith, R.P. (2006) Galápagos Bulimulids: Status report on a devastated fauna. Tentacle: Newsletter of the IUCN/SSC Mollusc Specialist Group, 14: 25 - 27. Available at:
http://www.hawaii.edu/cowielab/Tentacle/Tentacle%2014%20(Cowie%202005).pdf#search=%22Bulimulus%20reibischi%22 - Parent, C. (2007) Pers. comm.
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Image credit
Group of Galapagos land snails, Bulimulus akamatus
© Christine Parent
Christine Parent
Department of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby
BC
V5A 1S6
Canada
Tel: +01 (604) 291 5625
Fax: +01 (604) 291 3496
cparent@sfu.ca
http://www.sfu.ca/~cparent/
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