Achatina Explained

Achatina is a genus of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing, tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae.^[1]

Distribution

There are some 200 species of Achatinidae in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some species are kept as terrarium animals due to their size of three inches, 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 ampullacea Böttger, 1910
• Achatina balteata Reeve, 1849 - Cameroon to Central Angola.
• Achatina bandeirana Morelet, 1866
• Achatina bayaona Morelet, 1866
• Achatina bayoli Morelet, 1888
• Achatina bisculpta E. A. Smith, 1878
• Achatina connollyi Preston, 1912
• Achatina coroca Bruggen, 1978
• Achatina craveni E. A. Smith, 1881 - Congo, Tanzania.
• Achatina dammarensis L. Pfeiffer, 1870 - Botswana
• Achatina dohrniana L. Pfeiffer, 1870
• Achatina greyi Da Costa, 1907
• Achatina hortensiae Morelet, 1866
• Achatina inaequalis L. Pfeiffer, 1855
• Achatina iostoma L. Pfeiffer, 1854 - Cameroon
• Achatina morrelli Preston, 1905
• Achatina obscura Da Costa, 1907
• Achatina osborni Pilsbry, 1919
• Achatina passargei von Martens, 1900
• Achatina perfecta Morelet, 1867
• Achatina pfeifferi Dunker, 1845
• Achatina polychroa Morelet, 1866
• Achatina randabeli Bourguignat, 1889
• Achatina rugosa Putzeys, 1898
• Achatina schinziana Mousson, 1888 - Botswana
• Achatina schweinfurthi von Martens, 1873 - East Africa.
• Achatina semisculpta Dunker, 1845 - East Africa
• Achatina smithii Craven, 1881
• Achatina spekei Dohrn, 1864
• Achatina stuhlmanni von Martens, 1892 - Uganda.
• Achatina tavaresiana Morelet, 1866 - Angola
• Achatina tincta Reeve, 1842 - Congo, Angola
• Achatina tracheia Connolly, 1929 - Southeast Africa
• Achatina transparens Da Costa, 1907
• Achatina vignoniana Morelet, 1874
• Achatina virgulata Da Costa, 1907
• Achatina welwitschi Morelet, 1866
• Achatina weynsi Dautzenberg, 1891 - Congo

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.^[2]

Species brought into synonymy

• Achatina albopicta E. A. Smith, 1878 - along the coast of Kenya and Tanzania: synonym of Lissachatina albopicta (E. A. Smith, 1878)
• Achatina allisa Reeve, 1849: synonym of Lissachatina allisa (L. Reeve, 1849)
• Achatina antourtourensis Crosse, 1879 : synonym of Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822: synonym of Lissachatina immaculata (Lamarck, 1822) (junior synonym)
• Achatina arctespirata Bourguignat, 1890: synonym of Achatina randabeli Bourguignat, 1890
• Achatina barbigera Morelet, 1866: synonym of Petriola marmorea (Reeve, 1850)
• Achatina bloyeti Bourguignat, 1890: synonym of Lissachatina bloyeti (Bourguignat, 1890)
• Achatina capelloi Furtado, 1886: synonym of Lissachatina capelloi (Furtado, 1886)
• Achatina fulgurata Pfeiffer, 1853 - Senegal: synonym of Achatina eleanorae Mead, 1995
• Achatina drakensbergensis Melvill & Ponsonby, 1897 : synonym of Cochlitoma drakensbergensis (Melvill & Ponsonby, 1897)
• Achatina eleanorae Mead, 1995: synonym of Lissachatina eleanorae (Mead, 1995)
• Achatina ellioti E. A. Smith, 1895: synonym of Oreohomorus ellioti (E. A. Smith, 1895)
• 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: synonym of Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822)
• Achatina glaucina E. A. Smith, 1899: synonym of Lissachatina glaucina (E. A. Smith, 1899)
• Achatina glutinosa Pfeiffer, 1854 - Mozambique: synonym of Lissachatina glutinosa (L. Pfeiffer, 1854)
• Achatina gruveli Dautzenberg, 1921: synonym of Achatina iostoma L. Pfeiffer, 1854
• Achatina gundlachi L. Pfeiffer, 1850: synonym of Geostilbia gundlachi (L. Pfeiffer, 1850)
• Achatina hamillei Petit de la Saussaye, 1859: synonym of Lissachatina fulica hamillei (Petit de la Saussaye, 1859)
• Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822 - Southeastern Africa: synonym of Lissachatina immaculata (Lamarck, 1822)
• Achatina iredalei Preston, 1910: synonym of Lissachatina allisa (Reeve, 1849)
• Achatina ivensi Furtado, 1886: synonym of Achatina pfeifferi Dunker, 1845
• Achatina johnstoni E. A. Smith, 1899: synonym of Lissachatina johnstoni (E. A. Smith, 1899)
• Achatina kilimae Dautzenberg, 1908: synonym of Lissachatina kilimae (Dautzenberg, 1908)
• Achatina lowei Paiva, 1866: synonym of Amphorella oryza (R. T. Lowe, 1852)
• Achatina lechaptoisi Ancey, 1894: synonym of Lissachatina immaculata (Lamarck, 1822)
• Achatina letourneuxi Bourguignat, 1879: synonym of Lissachatina fulica hamillei (Petit de la Saussaye, 1859)
• Achatina lhotellerii Bourguignat, 1879: synonym of Lissachatina zanzibarica (Bourguignat, 1879)
• Achatina marginata Swainson, 1821:^[3] synonym of Archachatina marginata (Swainson, 1821)
• Achatina milneedwardsiana Revoil, 1885: synonym of Lissachatina fulica hamillei (Petit de la Saussaye, 1859)
• Achatina minima Siemaschko, 1847: synonym of Cochlicopa lubricella (Porro, 1838)
• Achatina monochromatica Pilsbry (Deprecated. Old historical synonym of Achatina achatina var. monochromatic)
• Achatina moreletiana Deshayes, 1851: taxon inquirendum
• Achatina mulanjensis Crowley & Pain - Malawi: synonym of Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822 (junior synonym)
• Achatina nigella Morelet, 1867: synonym of Homorus nigellus (Morelet, 1867)
• Achatina nyikaensis Pilsbry, 1909 - Malawi: synonym of Bequaertina pintoi (Bourguignat, 1889) (junior synonym)
• Achatina panthera Férussac, 1832 - Zimbabwe, Mauritius: synonym of Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822
• Achatina pellucida L. Pfeiffer, 1840: synonym of Blauneria heteroclita (Montagu, 1808)
• Achatina purpurea (Gmelin, 1790): synonym of Archachatina purpurea (Gmelin, 1790)
• Achatina raffrayi Jousseaume, 1883: synonym of Leptocallista raffrayi (Jousseaume, 1883)
• Achatina rediviva Mabille, 1901: synonym of Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822)
• Achatina reticulata Pfeiffer, 1845 - Zanzibar: synonym of Lissachatina reticulata (L. Pfeiffer, 1845)
• Achatina semitarum L. Pfeiffer, 1842: synonym of Laevaricella semitarum (L. Pfeiffer, 1842)
• Achatina sylvatica Putzeys, 1898 - Congo: synonym of Leptocalina putzeysi (Dautzenberg & Germain, 1914)
• Achatina varicosa Pfeiffer, 1845 - South Africa: synonym of Cochlitoma varicosa (L. Pfeiffer, 1861)
• Achatina variegata Lamarck, 1801: synonym of Achatina achatina (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Achatina variegata var. minima Germain, 1912: synonym of Achatina achatina elegans (Link, 1807)
• Achatina wildemani Dautzenberg, 1907: synonym of Leptocalina specularis (Morelet, 1866)
• Achatina yalaensis Germain, 1936: synonym of Oreohomorus connollyi (Odhner, 1932)
• Achatina zanzibarica Bourguignat, 1879 - Tanzania: synonym of Lissachatina zanzibarica (Bourguignat, 1879)
• Achatina zebra Bruguiere, 1792 - South Africa: synonym of Cochlitoma zebra (Bruguière, 1792)

External links

• Achatinidae
• Land snails
• Land snails in captivity

Notes and References

1. 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
2. [Adolph Cornelis van Bruggen|Bruggen A. C. van]
3. Du Cane Godman, Frederick. Annali Del Museo Civico Di Storia Naturale "Giacomo Doria", Museo civico di storia naturale, Genoa, 1916, p. 245