Lissachatina fulica
Lissachatina fulica | |
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Lissachatina fulica in Bali, Indonesia | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
Order: | Stylommatophora |
Suborder: | Achatinina |
Superfamily: | Achatinoidea |
Family: | Achatinidae |
Genus: | Lissachatina |
Species: | L. fulica
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Binomial name | |
Lissachatina fulica (Férussac, 1821)
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Synonyms | |
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Lissachatina fulica is a species of large land snail that belongs in the subfamily Achatininae of the family Achatinidae.[1] It is also known as the Giant African land snail.[2] It shares the common name "giant African snail" with other species of snails such as Achatina achatina and Archachatina marginata. This snail species has been considered a significant cause of pest issues around the world. Internationally, it is the most frequently occurring invasive species of snail.[3]
Outside of its native range, this snail thrives in many types of habitat in areas with mild climates. It feeds voraciously and is a
Subspecies
Subspecies within this species:
- Lissachatina fulica castanea (Lamarck, 1822)
- Lissachatina fulica coloba (Pilsbry, 1904)
- Lissachatina fulica hamillei (Petit, 1859)
Distribution
The species is native to East Africa,[4] but it has been widely introduced to other parts of the world through the pet trade, as a food resource, and by accidental introduction.[5] Achatinids are generally nocturnal forest dwellers but have the potential to adapt to disturbed habitats.
This species has been found in
The species has been observed in Bhutan (Gyelposhing, Mongar), where it is an invasive species since 2006 and their number increased drastically since 2008.[14][15] It has begun to attack agricultural fields and flower gardens. It is believed there that dogs have died as a result of consuming the snail and being infected by the rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis. The worm also causes eosinophilic meningitis in humans.[16]
Starting in 2010,
In early April 2021, USCBP intercepted 22 being smuggled from Ghana into the US, along with various other prohibited quarantine items.[19] This species is a simultaneous hermaphrodite; each individual has both testes and ovaries and is capable of producing both sperm and ova. The testes typically mature first around 5–8 months, followed by the ovaries.
Description
The adult snail is around 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter and 20 cm (7.9 in) or more in length, making it one of the largest of all extant land snails.[20]
The shell has a conical shape, being about twice as long as it is broad. Either clockwise (dextral) or counter-clockwise (sinistral) directions can be observed in the coiling of the shell, although the dextral cone is the more common. Shell colouration is highly variable, and dependent on diet. Typically, brown is the predominant colour and the shell is banded.[21]
-
Adult shell size range
-
Adult and juvenile
-
Three shells of increasing maturity
Ecology
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2021) |
Habitat
The giant African snail is native to East Africa, and can be traced back to Kenya and Tanzania. It is a highly invasive species, and colonies can be formed from a single gravid individual. In many places, release into the wild is illegal. Nonetheless, the species has established itself in some temperate climates and its habitat now includes most regions of the humid tropics, including many Pacific islands, southern and eastern Asia, and the Caribbean. The giant snail can now be found in agricultural areas, coastland, natural forest, planted forests, riparian zones, scrub and shrublands, urban areas, and wetlands.
Feeding
The giant African snail is a macrophytophagous
In captivity, this species can be fed on a wide range of fruit and vegetables, plain unseasoned
Lifecycle
This species is a simultaneous hermaphrodite; each individual has both testes and ovaries and is capable of producing both sperm and ova. The testes typically mature first around 5–8 months, followed by the ovaries.[24] Self-fertilization is not viable and therefore snails require a partner to reproduce. Snails typically mate with a snail of similar size.[25] During the mating, the snails either simultaneously transfer gametes to each other (bilateral sperm transfer), or one snail transfers sperm into the other (unilateral sperm transfer).
Snails mate at night and their mating begins with courtship rituals that can last up to half an hour, including petting their heads and front parts against each other. One snail initiates the courtship, and if all goes well they begin copulation. However, copulation does not always occur because snails show mate choice behavior, and observations have shown up to 90% of attempted courtships were rejected and did not end in copulation.[26] Copulation can last anywhere from 1–24 hours, but tends to last 6–8 hours.[25] Transferred sperm can be stored within the body up to two years.
The snails are oviparous and lay shelled eggs.[25] The number of eggs per clutch and clutches per year varies by environment and age of the parent, but averages around 200 eggs per clutch and 5-6 clutches per year. The eggs hatch after 8-21 days and the snails emerge as juveniles. They reach adult size in about six months, after which growth slows, but does not cease until death. Life expectancy is 3–5 years in the wild and 5–6 years in captivity, but the snails can live for up to 10 years.[24]
Snails are primarily
Parasites
Several different species and types of parasites have been known to infect Lissachatina fulica.
- Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, also known as "feline lungworm", is a nematode that infects cats.[27]
- Angiostrongylus cantonensis, also known as "rat lungworm", is a nematode that causes eosinophilic meningoencephalitis.[27] Infected snails have been found in South American countries including Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Brazil.[27][28] Human cases of this meningitis usually result from a person having eaten the raw or undercooked snail, but even handling live wild snails of this species can infect a person with the nematode, thus causing a life-threatening infection.[28]
- Angiostrongylus costaricensis is a nematode that causes abdominal angiostrongyliasis.[27]
- Fasciola gigantica is a flatworm that has been detected in the faeces and intestines of the snail.[29]
- Hymenolepis is a tapeworm that has been detected in the faeces of the snail.[30]
- Schistosoma mansoni is a parasitic flatworm that causes intestinal schistosomiasis. Sporocysts of S. mansoni have been detected in snail faeces[30][29]
- Strongyloides species, including Strongyloides stercoralis, are roundworms that have been detected in faeces and in mucous secretion of the snail.[30][29]
- Trichuris is a roundworm that has been detected in the faeces of the snail.[30]
As an invasive species
In many places, this snail is a pest of agriculture and households, with the ability to transmit both human and plant pathogens. Suggested preventive measures include strict quarantine to prevent introduction and further spread. This snail has been given top national quarantine significance in the United States.[31] In the past, quarantine officials have been able to successfully intercept and eradicate incipient invasions on the mainland USA.[32]
They are also known to damage buildings by eating stucco and similar materials for the calcium.[33]
In the wild, this species often harbors the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which can cause a very serious meningitis in humans. Human cases of this meningitis usually result from a person having eaten the raw or undercooked snail, but even handling live wild snails of this species can infect a person with the nematode, thus causing a life-threatening infection.[34]
In some regions, an effort has been made to promote use of the giant African snail as a food resource to reduce its populations. However, promoting a pest in this way is a controversial measure, because it may encourage the further deliberate spread of the snails.
One particularly catastrophic attempt to
Human use
These snails are used by some practitioners of
The snails have also become increasingly popular as pets[38][39][40] in some countries,[41] where various companies have sold the animal both as a pet and an education aide.[42] In light of social media posts where pet owners share images in close contact with the snails, a research from the University of Lausanne alerted with the risks of infections transmitted to humans. [43]
The heparinoid, acharan sulfate, is isolated from this species.[44]
References
This article incorporates CC BY-2.0 text from the reference.[35]
- ^ Bouchet, P. (2016). "Achatina fulica (Férussac, 1821). In: MolluscaBase". Marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ a b Achatina fulica. Global Invasive Species Database. ISSG. IUCN.
- S2CID 21572666.
- PMID 21594041.
- ^ PMID 25203830.
- PMID 19190771.
- .
- ^ Wu S.-P., Hwang C.-C., Huang H.-M., Chang H.-W., Lin Y.-S. & Lee P.-F. (2007). "Land Molluscan Fauna of the Dongsha Island with Twenty New Recorded Species". Taiwania 52(2): 145-151. PDF Archived July 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- PMID 28769723.
- ^ "National Agriculture Library". National Invasive Species Information Center. March 17, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Campo-Flores, Arian. October 4th, 2011. "Giant Alien Snails Attack Miami, Though They're Not in Much of a Rush: Eradication Teams Go House to House, Nabbing 10,000 Invaders; 'Crunch Under Our Feet'." Wall Street Journal. Link
- ^ Berlin, Samantha (2021-10-07). "Florida spent over $24M eradicating invasive snails that damage homes". Newsweek. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ Mole, Beth (2022-07-06). "Florida once again has giant calamitous snails that spew parasitic brain worms". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ^ "Gyalpoizhing town representative accused of spreading snails". Bhutan Broadcasting Service. Bhutan Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Outbreak of the invasive Giant African Land Snail in Gyelpozhing frustrates the residents". The Bhutanese. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Giant African land snails". National Plant Protection Center. NPPC. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Caracol Gigante Africano en Argentina". 30 June 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- ^ "Detección de Caracol Gigante Africano en la ciudad de Corrientes". SENASA (in Spanish). 12 November 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- ^ "JFK Airport CBP Catches Highly Invasive Giant African Snails in Man's Baggage". U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 2021-04-06. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ^ a b "Achatina fulica (Giant African Snail)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Skelley, PE; Dixon, WN; and Hodges, G. 2011. Giant African land snail and giant South American snails: field recognition. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Gainesville, Florida. PDF
- ^ Hoffman, Taylor; Pirie, Nicole. "Achatina fulica (giant african snail)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
- ^ (in Portuguese) Soares C. M., Hayashi C., Gonçalves G. S., Nagae M. Y. & Boscolo W. R. (1999). "Exigência de proteína para o caracol gigante (Achatina fulica) em fase de crescimento. Protein requirements for giant snail (Achatina fulica) during the growth phase". Acta Scientiarum. Animal Sciences 21(3): 683-686. abstract, PDF.
- ^ a b c "Achatina fulica (giant African land snail)". www.cabi.org. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
- ^ )
- ISSN 0260-1230.
- ^ .
- ^ a b Kremer, William (2012-08-03). "African snail: Deadly invasion in South America". BBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ S2CID 55824665.
- ^ a b c d (in Spanish) Libora M., Morales G., Carmen S., Isbelia S. & Luz A. P. (2010). "Primer hallazgo en Venezuela de huevos de Schistosoma mansoni y de otros helmintos de interés en salud pública, presentes en heces y secreción mucosa del molusco terrestre Achatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822). [First finding in Venezuela of Schistosoma mansoni eggs and other helminths of interest in public health found in faeces and mucous secretion of the mollusc Achatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822)]. Zootecnia Tropical 28: 383-394. PDF[permanent dead link]
- S2CID 54919881. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2016-06-16.
- ^ "PBS "Alien Invasion". Accessed on 6 January 2008". PBS. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ "Giant snails attack Florida". CBS News.
- ^ Kremer, William (2012-08-03). "African snail: Deadly invasion in South America". BBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ PMID 19709402.
- ^ Hayward, Tim (2009-07-03). "African Land Snails Video". The Guardian. Guardian.
- PMID 18258099.
- ^ "Into the Andes: three new introductions of Lissachatina fulica (Gastropoda, Achatinidae) and its potential distribution in South America". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- S2CID 55191938.
- ^ "Giant snails invade, coat Florida in slime". MNN - Mother Nature Network. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
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- S2CID 90933828.
- ^ https://www.newsendip.com/giant-african-snails-a-pet-for-some-a-potential-carrier-of-dangerous-infections-for-humans-study-says/
- PMID 10364832.
External links
- New Pest Response Guidelines for Achatina fulica, United States Department of Agriculture
- Global Invasive Species Database
- Achatina fulica references from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)
- Species Profile- Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica), National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural Library. Lists general information and resources for Giant African Snail.
- Mead, Albert R. 1961. The Giant African Snail: A Problem in Economic Malacology. Univ. Chicago Press, 257 pp.
- "Giant African Snail". APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service). USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Retrieved 2021-04-12.