Achatina

Achatina
A live individual of Achatina fulica from Thailand
A shell of Achatina fulica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Panpulmonata clade Eupulmonata clade Stylommatophora informal group Sigmurethra
Superfamily:	Achatinoidea
Family:	Achatinidae
Subfamily:	Achatininae
Genus:	Achatina Lamarck, 1799[1]
Type species
Bulla achatina Linnaeus, 1758

Achatina is a genus of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing, tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae. ^[2]

Distribution

There are some 200 species of Achatinidae in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some species are kept as terrarium animals due to their size and colourful shells.

Shell description

Snails in this genus have medium to large shells which are ovate in shape and often colourfully streaked.

Species

Species within the genus Achatina include:

• Achatina achatina Linnaeus, 1758 or giant African snail, Agate Snail or Ghana Tiger Snail, from Western Africa (Liberia through Nigeria) grows to be the largest land snail on Earth.
• Achatina albopicta E. A. Smith,1878 - along the coast of Kenya and Tanzania.
• Achatina allisa Reeve, 1849
• Achatina balteata Reeve, 1849 - Cameroon to Central Angola.
• Achatina craveni E. A. Smith, 1881 - Congo, Tanzania.
• Achatina dammarensis Pfeiffer - Botswana
• Achatina fulgurata Pfeiffer, 1853 - Senegal
• subgenus Lissachatina, Achatina fulica Bowdich, 1822 or giant East African snail from Eastern Africa is a serious pest in the many tropical countries where it has been introduced, and is listed as an invasive species by some governments.
  • Achatina fulica rodatzi Dunker, 1852
  • Achatina fulica sinistrosa Grateloup, 1840
  • Achatina fulica umbilicata Nevill, 1879
• Achatina glutinosa Pfeiffer, 1854 - Mozambique
• Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822 - Southeastern Africa
• Achatina iostoma Pfeiffer,1852 - Cameroon.
• Achatina iredalei Preston, 1910
• Achatina marginata Swainson, 1821^[3]
• Achatina monochromatica Pilsbry (Deprecated. Old historical synonym of Achatina achatina var. monochromatic)
• Achatina mulanjensis Crowley & Pain - Malawi
• Achatina nyikaensis Pilsbry, 1909 - Malawi
• Achatina panthera Férussac, 1832 - Zimbabwe, Mauritius. (Deprecated: Old Synonym of Achatina immaculata)
• Achatina passargei von Martens - Botswana
• Achatina reticulata Pfeiffer, 1845 - Zanzibar.
• Achatina schweinfurthi von Martens, 1873 - East Africa.
• Achatina schinziana Bousson - Botswana
• Achatina semisculpta Pfeiffer, 1845 - East Africa
• Achatina smithii
• Achatina stuhlmanni von Martens, 1892 - Uganda.
• Achatina sylvatica Putzeys, 1898 - Congo
• Achatina tavaresiana Morelet, 1866 - Angola
• Achatina tincta Reeve, 1842 - Congo, Angola
• Achatina tracheia Connolly, 1929 - Southeast Africa
• Achatina varicosa Pfeiffer, 1845 - South Africa.
• Achatina variegata Roissy
• Achatina vignoniana Morelet, 1874
• Achatina weynsi Dautzenberg, 1891 - Congo
• Achatina zanzibarica Bourguignat - Tanzania.
• Achatina zebra Bruguiere, 1792 - South Africa.

incertae sedis:

• Achatina vassei Germain, 1918 - The internal anatomy of this species is not known, and therefore the generic classification of ‘Achatina’ vassei cannot be made.^[4]

Species brought into synonymuy

• Achatina gundlachi L. Pfeiffer, 1850: synonym of Geostilbia gundlachi (L. Pfeiffer, 1850)

References

1. Lamarck J.-B. (1799). Mém. Soc. Hist. nat. Paris 1: 75.
2. Bouchet, P. (2014). Achatina Lamarck, 1799. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=818098 on 2014-11-07
3. Du Cane Godman, Frederick. Annali Del Museo Civico Di Storia Naturale "Giacomo Doria", Museo civico di storia naturale, Genoa, 1916, p.245
4. Bruggen A. C. van (2010). "A new record of ‘Achatina’ vassei Germain, 1918 (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Achatinidae) from Mozambique – an unsolved problem". Zoologische Mededelingen 84. HTM.

External links

• Achatinidae
• Land snails
• Land snails in captivity