Ovachlamys fulgens
Encyclopedia
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.
(Loo-Choo Islands). The type specimens are stored in the Florida Museum of Natural History
.
The snail is thought to be originally from the Ryukyu Islands
.
Ovachlamys fulgens has spread to various countries, most probably accidentally introduced with the orchid trade. 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.
of this species is perforate, trochoid, thin, shining, pellucid and dark corneous. The spire
is depressed. The apex
is obtuse. Sutures are linear and margined. The shell has four whorls
, that are increasing rather suddenly. The last whorl is convex and a little inflated and it is twice as wide as the penultimate whorl. Whorls are finely striated, decussated by microscopic spiral lines. The last whorl is not descending and it is slightly excavated in the umbilical region.
The aperture
is slightly oblique, lunate. The peristome is thin, straight, acute. Margins of the paerture are distant, sub-parallel, the columellar margin a little reflected and nearly covering the very narrow umbilical perforation.
The width of the shell is 6–7 mm. The height of the shell is 4,5 mm.
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.
provide good conditions for this species. 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. Ideal collecting time is after rainfall.
This species is considered an important orchid pest. It is phytophagous 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. It has been found on avocado
, mango
, Heliconia
and Dracaena
. Leaves of the avocado can be also used to raise juveniles in the laboratory.
Little scientific data has been gathered on the biology of this species.
Individuals ofOvachlamys fulgens can lay eggs at the age of 42 days and are considered mature when their shell width reaches 5.12 mm. There is no need for the snails to mate in order to lay eggs and for successful reproduction. Eggs are laid in clutches of three in soil or leaf litter where they absorb more water from the environment.
The lifespan of Ovachlamys fulgens is 9 months in the laboratory.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of air-breathing land snail
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
, a terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicarionidae
Helicarionidae
Helicarionidae is a family of air-breathing land snails or semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicarionoidea.- Distribution :...
.
Ovachlamys fulgens was originally discovered and described as Macrochlamys fulgens by the British malacologist Gerard Pierre Laurent Kalshoven Gude
Gerard Pierre Laurent Kalshoven Gude
Gerard Pierre Laurent Kalshoven Gude was a malacologist from the United Kingdom.- Bibliography :Among his works belongs two volumes of The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma....
in 1900.
Distribution
The type locality for this species is Ryukyu IslandsRyukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
(Loo-Choo Islands). The type specimens are stored in the Florida Museum of Natural History
Florida Museum of Natural History
The Florida Museum of Natural History is the State of Florida's official state-sponsored and chartered natural history museum. Its main facilities are located on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida....
.
The snail is thought to be originally from the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
.
Ovachlamys fulgens has spread to various countries, most probably accidentally introduced with the orchid trade. Non-indigenous distribution of Ovachlamys fulgens include:
Americas:
- Costa Rica The most frequent non-indigenous distribution has this species in Costa Rica.
- USA:
- Miami-Dade County, FloridaMiami-Dade County, FloridaMiami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
- it was has been reported since 2003, but its wide distribution in the areas sampled strongly indicates that it has been established in southern Florida for some time. - Broward County, FloridaBroward County, Florida-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
- it was has been reported since 2003.
- Miami-Dade County, Florida
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Colombia
Pacific:
Several Southeast Asian countries:
- Thailand
- Singapore
This species is already established in the USA, and is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
which could negatively effect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
significance in the USA.
Description
The shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
of this species is perforate, trochoid, thin, shining, pellucid and dark corneous. The spire
Spire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
is depressed. The apex
Apex (mollusc)
Apex is an anatomical term for the tip of the mollusc shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod mollusc.-Gastropods:The word "apex" is most often used to mean the tip of the spire of the shell of a gastropod...
is obtuse. Sutures are linear and margined. The shell has four whorls
Whorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
, that are increasing rather suddenly. The last whorl is convex and a little inflated and it is twice as wide as the penultimate whorl. Whorls are finely striated, decussated by microscopic spiral lines. The last whorl is not descending and it is slightly excavated in the umbilical region.
The aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
is slightly oblique, lunate. The peristome is thin, straight, acute. Margins of the paerture are distant, sub-parallel, the columellar margin a little reflected and nearly covering the very narrow umbilical perforation.
The width of the shell is 6–7 mm. The height of the shell is 4,5 mm.
These snails are sometimes called "jumping snails" because the tail is modified with a caudal horn
Caudal mucous pit
The caudal mucous pit, or caudal mucous horn, is an anatomical structure on the tail end of the foot of various land snails and slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks....
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.
Ecology
The habitats of Ovachlamys fulgens include pastures and crop fields with enough moisture and with deep leaf litter cover. For example, habitats with Yucca guatemalensisYucca guatemalensis
Yucca guatemalensis , is the tallest of the Yucca species. Common names for this species include spineless yucca, soft-tip yucca, blue-stem yucca, giant yucca and itabo. It is native to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico...
provide good conditions for this species. 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. Ideal collecting time is after rainfall.
This species is considered an important orchid pest. It is phytophagous 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. It has been found on avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
, mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
, Heliconia
Heliconia
Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Many species of Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions...
and Dracaena
Dracaena (plant)
Dracaena is a genus of about 40 species of trees and succulent shrubs. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae . It has also formerly been separated into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae...
. Leaves of the avocado can be also used to raise juveniles in the laboratory.
Little scientific data has been gathered on the biology of this species.
Individuals ofOvachlamys fulgens can lay eggs at the age of 42 days and are considered mature when their shell width reaches 5.12 mm. There is no need for the snails to mate in order to lay eggs and for successful reproduction. Eggs are laid in clutches of three in soil or leaf litter where they absorb more water from the environment.
The lifespan of Ovachlamys fulgens is 9 months in the laboratory.
Further reading
Barrientos Z. (1996). "Distribución y ciclo de vida del caracol terrestre Ovachlamys fulgens (Gude, 1900) (Stylommatophora: Helicarionidae)". M.Sc. Thesis, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.External links
- Ovachlamys fulgens on the UF / IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site