| Emerald green snail | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Apertural view of a shell of Papustyla pulcherrima | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Helicoidea |
| Family: | Camaenidae |
| Genus: | Papustyla |
| Species: | P. pulcherrima |
| Binomial name | |
| Papustyla pulcherrima Rensch, 1931 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Papuina pulcherrima |
|
The emerald green snail, green tree snail, or Manus green tree snail, scientific name Papustyla pulcherrima, sometimes listed as Papuina pulcherrima, is a species of large, air-breathing tree snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae.
The shells of this species were in demand for making jewelry, and were popular with shell collectors and partly as a result of this, the species is now endangered.
Contents |
Distribution and habitat [edit]
This species is endemic to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. This snail lives in trees, and inhabits rain forest areas up to 112 meters above sea level.
Description [edit]
The shell of this species is a vivid green color, which is unusual in snails. The green color is however not within the solid, calcium carbonate part of the shell but instead it is a very thin protein layer known as the periostracum. Under the periostracum the shell is yellow.
Endangered [edit]
Overharvesting of the species for commercial purposes led to a decline in the population of this snail. Logging of the rain forest where this species lives is also a serious threat to its survival.[1]
The snail and its shell are protected under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)[2] and the species is listed in the IUCN Red List.[1]
Papustyla pulcherrima is the only foreign gastropod species that is listed as Federally Endangered in the United States since 2 June 1970.[3]
References [edit]
- ^ a b Mollusc Specialist Group 1996. Papustyla pulcherrima. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 15 February 2009.
- ^ http://www.unep-wcmc.org/isdb/CITES/Taxonomy/tax-species-result.cfm/isdb/CITES/Taxonomy/tax-species-result.cfm?Genus=Papustyla&Species=pulcherrima&source=animals CITES database. Accessed 4 Dec. 2007
- ^ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Last updated 5 January 2010). Species Profile for Manus Island Tree snail (Papustyla pulcherrima)." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website. Accessed 6 January 2010.
 |
This Camaenidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia.
