Euglandina rosea
Encyclopedia
Euglandina rosea, common name
s the "rosy wolfsnail" or the "cannibal snail", is a species
of medium-sized to large predatory air-breathing land snail
, a carnivorous
terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Spiraxidae
.
. It has become an invasive species
in many other places, including Hawaii
.
These predatory snails were originally introduced to Hawaii
in an attempt to eliminate another invasive species, the giant African land snail
. However, the introduced species also vigorously attacked the indigenous O`ahu
tree snails
. As a result many tree snail
species
were hunted to extinction within the first year. These predatory snails continue to represent a threat to the local snail fauna.
and a light grey, or brown body. Its lower tentacles are long and almost touch the ground. The shell is often 40 to 50 mm in maximum dimension but can sometimes be as large as 60 or even 70 mm. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in523
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s the "rosy wolfsnail" or the "cannibal snail", is a species
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 medium-sized to large predatory 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 carnivorous
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
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 Spiraxidae
Spiraxidae
Spiraxidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the clade Eupulmonata .- 2005 taxonomy :...
.
Distribution
This species is native to tropical North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It has become 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....
in many other places, including Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
These predatory snails were originally introduced to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in an attempt to eliminate another invasive species, the giant African land snail
Giant African land snail
Giant African land snail may refer to two genera and three species within the family Achatinidae, a family of unusually large African terrestrial snails.* Achatina, an African snail genus in the family Achatinidae....
. However, the introduced species also vigorously attacked the indigenous O`ahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
tree snails
O'ahu tree snail
Oahu tree snails, genus Achatinella, are a large genus of colorful, tropical, tree-living, air-breathing, land snails, arboreal pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinellidae....
. As a result many tree snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
species
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...
were hunted to extinction within the first year. These predatory snails continue to represent a threat to the local snail fauna.
Description
The rosy wolfsnail has a light brown elongated 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...
and a light grey, or brown body. Its lower tentacles are long and almost touch the ground. The shell is often 40 to 50 mm in maximum dimension but can sometimes be as large as 60 or even 70 mm. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in523
Feeding habits
This species is a fast and voracious predator, hunting and eating other snails and slugs. The smaller species of prey are ingested whole. This gave it the nickname "the cannibal snail".External links
- Invasion Biology Introduced Species Summary Project - Columbia University
- Euglandina rosea on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ 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...
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