Zachrysia provisoria
Encyclopedia
Zachrysia provisoria is a species
of air-breathing land snail
, terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae
or Pleurodontidae
.
is medium-sized (25–30 mm width), globose in shape with 4 to 5 rapidly expanding whorls
. The shell is translucent so that the speckled black mantle
shows clearly through the shell of the living animal. The shell is usually thick and strong, but in acidic environments it can be thin and fragile. The body whorl
is increasing in size more than those of spire
. There is no umbilicus. The shell is sculptured
with fairly regular, strong, curved axial ribs. Fresh specimens are with rich dark tan covering, sometimes with light brown axial streaks. Older specimens are yellowish brown. The lip and columella is white.
Zachrysia provisoria uses love dart
during mating.
A very similar snail is Zachrysia trinitaria
(Pfeiffer), from Cuba, which has recently been found in South Florida. Adults of Zachrysia trinitaria can be distinguished from Zachrysia provisoria by their large size, 1.5 to 2.0 times bigger than Zachrysia provisoria.
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.
, various citrus
species, crepe myrtle, mango
and star fruit (carambola
). The snails can rasp the bark and epiderm of cuttings of several plants.
This snail is often exported by accident from Florida
to other areas and thus poses a quarantine
problem for Florida.
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...
, 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 Camaenidae
Camaenidae
Camaenidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea.This is one of the most diverse families in the clade Stylommatophora....
or Pleurodontidae
Pleurodontidae
Pleurodontidae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea.This family is classified within the clade Stylommatophora within the clade Eupulmonata...
.
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...
is medium-sized (25–30 mm width), globose in shape with 4 to 5 rapidly expanding 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...
. The shell is translucent so that the speckled black mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
shows clearly through the shell of the living animal. The shell is usually thick and strong, but in acidic environments it can be thin and fragile. The body whorl
Body whorl
Body whorl is part of the morphology of a coiled gastropod mollusk.- In gastropods :In gastropods, the body whorl, or last whorl, is the most recently-formed and largest whorl of a spiral or helical shell, terminating in the aperture...
is increasing in size more than those of 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...
. There is no umbilicus. The shell is sculptured
Sculpture (mollusc)
The sculpture of a mollusc shell is the three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface, as distinct from the basic shape of the shell itself or colouration. Sculpture may be concave as well as convex. Sometimes it has microscopic detail. Sculpture refers to the calcareous outer layer, not the...
with fairly regular, strong, curved axial ribs. Fresh specimens are with rich dark tan covering, sometimes with light brown axial streaks. Older specimens are yellowish brown. The lip and columella is white.
Zachrysia provisoria uses love dart
Love dart
A love dart is a hard, long, sharp, calcareous or chitinous dart which some hermaphroditic land snails and slugs create. Love darts are made in sexually mature animals only, and are used as part of the sequence of events during courtship, before actual mating takes place...
during mating.
A very similar snail is Zachrysia trinitaria
Zachrysia trinitaria
Zachrysia trinitaria is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae or Pleurodontidae.- Distribution :...
(Pfeiffer), from Cuba, which has recently been found in South Florida. Adults of Zachrysia trinitaria can be distinguished from Zachrysia provisoria by their large size, 1.5 to 2.0 times bigger than Zachrysia provisoria.
Distribution
The distribution of Zachrysia provisoria includes:- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Cayman Islands
- Cuba
- Florida (Brevard, Broward, Collier, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Monroe, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties)
- Jamaica
- Nevis
- Mustique
- Puerto Rico
- U.S. Virgin Islands
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.
Feeding habits
Zachrysia provisoria is a polyphagous snail attacking a wide range of agricultural and horticultural plants. Known host plants include BougainvilleaBougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina . Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus...
, various citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
species, crepe myrtle, 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...
and star fruit (carambola
Carambola
Carambola, also known as starfruit, is the fruit of Averrhoa carambola, a species of tree native to the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The fruit is a popular food throughout Southeast Asia, the South Pacific and parts of East Asia...
). The snails can rasp the bark and epiderm of cuttings of several plants.
This snail is often exported by accident from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to other areas and thus poses a 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....
problem for Florida.
External links
- Zachrysia provisoria 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...
Featured Creatures Web site