Species Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822)
Giant African Snail
Compiler and date details
July 2012 - Dr John Stanisic
- Achatina fulica Bowdich, T.E. 1822. Elements of Conchology, including the fossil genera and animals. Part 1. Univalves. Paris : Smith pp. i-xi, 14-73, index 1-3, 19 pls, 2 tables. [pl. 13, fig. 3].
Type data:
Holotype lost, Mauritius.
Generic Combinations
- Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822). —
Fontanilla, I.K.C. 2010. Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica Bowdich: Its molecular phylogeny, genetic variation in global populations, and its possible role in the spread of the rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Chen). Unpublished PhD Thesis - University of Nottingham; available at http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11069/1/Fontanilla-2010.pdf. pp. [iii, 268] (changed combination)
Miscellaneous Literature Names
- Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica Bowdich, 1822. —
Smith, B.J. 1992. Non-Marine Mollusca. In, Houston, W.W.K. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Non-marine Mollusca. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 8 xii 408 pp. [89] (used this name following the work of Bequaert 1950)
Introduction
In 1977, Achatina fulica was introduced into the Gordonvale area in northern Queensland, but was successfully eradicated (Colman 1977). More recently, in 2004, a single specimen was found in an industrial area in the Currumbin Valley, southeastern Queensland and was subsequently destroyed. The likelihood of further introductions should not be underestimated, but continued vigilance by biosecurity officers and an adherence to strict inspection protocols should keep the risk of future introductions to a minimum. The Giant African Snail is a major pest of agricultural areas and has a diet which includes almost 500 species of plant, fruits and vegetables.
Distribution
States
Queensland
Extra Distribution Information
Tropical East Africa, N of central Mozambique. Introduced through Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. Existed briefly at Gordonvale in NE QLD in the 1970s and in the Currumbin Valley in SE QLD in 2004 but was eradicated on both occasions
Introduced from tropical East Africa.
IBRA
Qld: South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)
Distribution References
- Smith, B.J. 1992. Non-Marine Mollusca. In, Houston, W.W.K. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Non-marine Mollusca. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 8 xii 408 pp. [90]
- Stanisic, J., Shea, M., Potter, D. & Griffiths, O. 2010. Australian Land Snails. A field guide to eastern Australian species. Mauritius : Bioculture Press Vol. 1 595 pp. [124]
Ecological Descriptors
Crop, gardens.
Extra Ecological Information
LIves in trees, among litter, soil and debris.
Diagnosis
Shell very large, axially banded with white, yellow, brown and olive, elongately ovate, solid; spire pointed, whorls rounded; columella truncate, lip not reflected, aperture white; umbilicus absent; height to 180mm.
Diagnosis References
General References
Bequaert, J.C. 1950. Studies in the Achatininae, a group of African land snails. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 105: 1-216 [anatomy]
Colman, P.H. 1977. Full alert for the giant African land snail. North Queensland Naturalist 44(140): 8
Smith, B.J. 1992. Non-Marine Mollusca. In, Houston, W.W.K. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Non-marine Mollusca. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 8 xii 408 pp. [89-90] (as Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica Bowdich, 1822)
History of changes
Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
10-Dec-2023 | ACHATINIDAE Swainson, 1840 | 16-Nov-2023 | MODIFIED | |
14-Dec-2011 | ADDED |