Huttonella bicolor explained

Huttonella bicolor is a species of land snail in the family Streptaxidae known commonly as the two-toned gulella.^[1]

Description

The snail has an elongated shell up to 7.5 millimeters long by 2 millimeters wide. In life the shell is orange because the orange color of the body shows through; empty shells are white or pale brown. The shell is smooth with slight ribs at the sutures and larger ribs at the aperture. The aperture also has four teeth.^[1]

Distribution

The original native range of the snail is unclear, but it may have come from Asia or southern Africa.^[1] Today it has a broader distribution, having been widely introduced to other regions. It is known in the Caribbean, the southeastern United States, Central and South America, some Pacific Islands, and the Northern Territory in Australia.^[1]

Recent records include:

• Dominica, first reported in 2009.^[2]
• Brazil, first reported in 2008.^[3]
• Nicaragua^[4]
• Australia^[5]
• The Seychelles, introduced in the mid-19th century and first recorded in 1867.^[6]
• Mascarenes^[6]

Ecology

This carnivorous snail eats other snails, such as Subulina octona and species of the family Pupillidae.^[1]

Further reading

• Naggs, F. (1989). Gulella bicolor (Hutton) and its implications for the taxonomy of streptaxids. Journal of Conchology 33, 165–68.
• Stoliczka, F. (1871). Notes on terrestrial Mollusca from the neighbourhood of Moulmein, with descriptions of new species. J. Asiat. Soc. Beng. 40, 143–77.

Notes and References

1. Auffenberg, K. and L. A. Strange. Snail-eating snails of Florida. EENY-251. University of Florida IFAS. Published 2001, revised 2011.
2. Robinson D. G., et al. (July 2009). The land Mollusca of Dominica (Lesser Antilles), with notes on some enigmatic or rare species. Zoologische Mededelingen, 83.
3. dos Santos, S. B., et al. (2008). First record of the micro-predator Huttonella bicolor (Hutton, 1834) (Gastropoda, Streptaxidae) on Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil. Biociências 16(2), 145-48.
4. Pérez, A. M., et al. (2008). Diversidad de moluscos gasterópodos terrestres en la región del Pacífico de Nicaragua y sus preferencias de hábitat. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56(1), 317-32.
5. Sanisic, J. (1981). The carnivorous land snail Gulella (Huttonella) bicolor (Hutton, 1834) in Australia. (Pulmonata: Streptaxidae). Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia 5, 84-86.
6. Gerlach, J. and A. C. van Bruggen. (1999). Streptaxidae Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata) of the Seychelles Islands, western Indian Ocean. Zoologische Verhandelingen 328, 1-60.