Saturday 15 June
Trumpet-mouthed hunter snail (Gulella salpinx)

Trumpet-mouthed hunter snail fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Trumpet-mouthed hunter snail description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Gastropoda |
| Order | Stylommatophora |
| Family | Streptaxidae |
| Genus | Gulella (1) |
The rather flamboyant common name of the trumpet-mouthed hunter snail (Gulella salpinx) refers to the flaring, trumpet-like opening of its distinctive shell. The shell is unusual, being white in colour, with strongly defined whorls and grooves, appearing to be thrown off to the left of the snail’s body. The semi-translucent body is pale buff, while the tentacles are bright orange (2).
- Size
- Shell length: up to 7.6 mm (2)
Trumpet-mouthed hunter snail biology
As a recently discovered species, relatively little is known about this snail’s biology. Unusually for snails, however, it is known to be ovoviviparous, with developing eggs brooded internally within the uterus before hatching. The female then ‘gives birth’ to minute juvenile snails (2).
The ‘hunter’ part of this species’ common name refers to its carnivorous habits, a behaviour that is common to the whole Streptaxidae family, which primarily feed upon soft-bodied invertebrates such as other snails and worms (3).
TopTrumpet-mouthed hunter snail range
This recently discovered, narrow-range endemic is known only from a single limestone outcrop of the Marble Delta in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa (1) (2). The KwaZulu-Natal south coast is a relatively well studied area, but the species has not been found at any other locations in the region. All the specimens collected to date have come from an area of less than an estimated 1,000 square metres, but the total area of the limestone outcrop to which it is probably restricted is around 40 km² (1).
TopTrumpet-mouthed hunter snail habitat
The trumpet-mouthed hunter snail’s confinement to limestone deposits implies that it requires areas of lime-rich soil (2). The species has been found amongst the leaf-litter of dense valley thicket and woodland on south-facing slopes (1) (2).
TopTrumpet-mouthed hunter snail status
The trumpet-mouthed hunter snail is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List (1).
TopTrumpet-mouthed hunter snail threats
The marble deposit, to which the species is endemic, is extensively mined by two companies (1) (2). The area is also heavily invaded by non-native plants (1) (2).
TopTrumpet-mouthed hunter snail conservation
Once informed of this critically endangered snail’s existence, the two mining companies operating in the area have expressed their willingness to cooperate in its conservation. They have even offered to support a survey of additional habitat within the marble deposit to search for further populations (1).
TopFind out more
For more information on the trumpet-mouthed hunter snail:
- Herbert, D.G. & Kilburn, R.N. (2004) Field guide to the land snails and slugs of eastern South Africa. 340pp. Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg.
Authentication
Authenticated (13/07/2006) by Dr. Dai G. Herbert, Chief Curator: Mollusca, Natal Museum, and member of the IUCN/SSC Southern African Invertebrate, and Mollusc Specialist Groups.
http://www.nmsa.org.za/
Glossary
- Endemic
- A species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
- Ovovivipary
- Method of reproduction in which the eggs are retained within the adult, the well developed embryos ultimately hatching inside the parent, which then appears to give birth to living young.
- Whorls
- In molluscs,the spiral coils of the shell of a snail.
References
-
IUCN Red List (June, 2006)
http://www.iucnredlist.org -
Inland Invertebrate Initiative: Database of Threatened Invertebrates of South Africa (July, 2006)
http://www.ukzn.ac.za/redlist/detail_page.asp?id=206 -
The Open Earth Project (July, 2006)
http://www.open-earth.org/document/readNature_main.php?natureId=219
More »Related species
This species is featured in:
This species is new to science. Visit our newly discovered topic page to learn more.
Close
Image credit
© Dai Herbert / Natal Museum
Dai Herbert, Natal Museum
dherbert@nmsa.org.za
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.












