Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Mollusca
Class	Gastropoda
Subclass	Heterobranchia
Infraclass	Euthyneura
Superorder	Eupulmonata
Order	Stylommatophora
Suborder	Achatinina
Superfamily	Achatinoidea
Family	Achatinidae
Subfamily	Achatininae
Tribe	Achatinini
Genus	Lissachatina

Scientific Name

Lissachatina fulica

Scientific Name Synonyms

Achatina fulica

Common Name

African giant snail

Overview

Origin: Achatina fulica is originally from East Africa.
Life Cycle: Achatina fulica, is one of the largest land snails in the world. It can grow up to 8 in. (20.3 cm) long and over four inches in diameter. The brownish shell consists of seven to nine whorls that cover half or more of the swollen body whorl. Achatina fulica can live up to nine years. They contain both female and male reproductive organs. After a single mating Achatina fulica can produce 100 - 400 eggs. A mated adult can produce about 1,200 eggs.
Distribution: Achatina fulica has established itself throughout the Indo-Pacific and the Hawaiian Islands. This pest has also been introduced into the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe with recent detections in Saint Lucia and Barbados. The last reported outbreak and eradication of Achatina fulica in Florida occurred in 1966 when a boy smuggled three of them into Miami as pets.
Control Efforts: Achatina fulica has been introduced purposefully and accidentally to many parts of the world for medicinal purposes, food (escargot), and for research purposes (Raut and Barker 2002). In some instances, the snail has escaped cultivation and established reproductive populations in the wild. In Florida and Queensland, established populations were eradicated (Raut and Barker 2002). Molluscicides are effective in managing Achatina fulica, but most of these types of pesticides also have a negative effect on beneficial organisms such as earthworms, ground beetles and other soil dwelling organisms.

Information sources

References

Global Invasive Species Database
Invasive.org: giant East African snail
Mini Risk Assessment: Giant African Snail, Achatina fulica
Introduced Species Summary Project, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University
Raut, S. K., and G. M. Barker. 2002. Achatina fulica Bowdich and Other Achatinidae as Pests in Tropical Agriculture., pp. 55-114. In G. M. Barker [ed.], Molluscs as Crop Pests. CABI Publishing, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Images from Bugwood.org

           Bugwood Gallery Failure: There is no Image Collection for this Subject Number.