Achatina is a genus of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing, tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae.
Distribution
There are some 200 species of Achatinidae in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some species are kept as terrarium animals due to their size of three inches, and colourful shells.
Shell description
Snails in this genus have medium to large shells which are ovate in shape and often colourfully streaked.
Species
Species within the genus Achatina include:
- Achatina achatina <small>Linnaeus</small>, 1758 or giant African snail, agate snail or Ghana tiger snail, from Western Africa (Liberia through Nigeria) grows to be the largest land snail on Earth.
- Achatina ampullacea <small>Böttger, 1910</small>
- Achatina balteata <small>Reeve, 1849</small> - Cameroon to Central Angola.
- Achatina bandeirana <small>Morelet, 1866</small>
- Achatina bayaona <small>Morelet, 1866</small>
- Achatina bayoli <small>Morelet, 1888</small>
- Achatina bisculpta <small>E. A. Smith, 1878</small>
- Achatina connollyi <small>Preston, 1912</small>
- Achatina coroca <small>Bruggen, 1978</small>
- Achatina craveni <small>E. A. Smith, 1881</small> - Congo, Tanzania.
- Achatina dammarensis <small>L. Pfeiffer, 1870</small> - Botswana
- Achatina dohrniana <small>L. Pfeiffer, 1870</small>
- Achatina greyi <small>Da Costa, 1907</small>
- Achatina hortensiae <small>Morelet, 1866</small>
- Achatina inaequalis <small>L. Pfeiffer, 1855</small>
- Achatina iostoma <small>L. Pfeiffer, 1854</small> - Cameroon
- Achatina morrelli <small>Preston, 1905</small>
- Achatina obscura <small>Da Costa, 1907</small>
- Achatina osborni <small>Pilsbry, 1919</small>
- Achatina passargei <small>von Martens, 1900</small>
- Achatina perfecta <small>Morelet, 1867</small>
- Achatina pfeifferi <small>Dunker, 1845</small>
- Achatina polychroa <small>Morelet, 1866</small>
- Achatina randabeli <small>Bourguignat, 1889</small>
- Achatina rugosa <small>Putzeys, 1898</small>
- Achatina schinziana <small>Mousson, 1888</small> - Botswana
- Achatina schweinfurthi <small>von Martens, 1873</small> - East Africa.
- Achatina semisculpta <small>Dunker, 1845</small> - East Africa
- Achatina smithii <small>Craven, 1881</small>
- Achatina spekei <small>Dohrn, 1864</small>
- Achatina stuhlmanni <small>von Martens, 1892</small> - Uganda.
- Achatina tavaresiana <small>Morelet, 1866</small> - Angola
- Achatina tincta <small>Reeve, 1842</small> - Congo, Angola
- Achatina tracheia <small>Connolly, 1929</small> - Southeast Africa
- Achatina transparens <small>Da Costa, 1907</small>
- Achatina vignoniana <small>Morelet, 1874</small>
- Achatina virgulata <small>Da Costa, 1907</small>
- Achatina welwitschi <small>Morelet, 1866</small>
- Achatina weynsi <small>Dautzenberg, 1891</small> - Congo
incertae sedis:
- Achatina vassei Germain, 1918 - The internal anatomy of this species is not known, and therefore the generic classification of âÂÂAchatinaâ vassei cannot be made.
Species brought into synonymy
- Achatina albopicta E. A. Smith, 1878 - along the coast of Kenya and Tanzania: synonym of Lissachatina albopicta <small>(E. A. Smith, 1878)</small>
- Achatina allisa <small>Reeve, 1849</small>: synonym of Lissachatina allisa <small>(L. Reeve, 1849)</small>
- Achatina antourtourensis <small>Crosse, 1879</small> : synonym of Achatina immaculata L<small>amarck, 1822</small>: synonym of Lissachatina immaculata <small>(Lamarck, 1822)</small> (junior synonym)
- Achatina arctespirata <small>Bourguignat, 1890</small>: synonym of Achatina randabeli <small>Bourguignat, 1890</small>
- Achatina barbigera <small>Morelet, 1866</small>: synonym of Petriola marmorea <small>(Reeve, 1850)</small>
- Achatina bloyeti <small>Bourguignat, 1890</small>: synonym of Lissachatina bloyeti <small>(Bourguignat, 1890)</small>
- Achatina capelloi <small>Furtado, 1886</small>: synonym of Lissachatina capelloi <small>(Furtado, 1886)</small>
- Achatina fulgurata Pfeiffer, 1853 - Senegal: synonym of Achatina eleanorae Mead, 1995
- Achatina drakensbergensis Melvill & Ponsonby, 1897 : synonym of Cochlitoma drakensbergensis (Melvill & Ponsonby, 1897)
- Achatina eleanorae <small>Mead, 1995</small>: synonym of Lissachatina eleanorae <small>(Mead, 1995)</small>
- Achatina ellioti <small>E. A. Smith, 1895</small>: synonym of Oreohomorus ellioti <small>(E. A. Smith, 1895)</small>
- Achatina fulica <small>Bowdich, 1822</small> or giant East African snail from Eastern Africa is a serious pest in the many tropical countries where it has been introduced, and is listed as an invasive species by some governments: synonym of Lissachatina fulica <small>(Bowdich, 1822)</small>
- Achatina glaucina <small>E. A. Smith, 1899</small>: synonym of Lissachatina glaucina <small>(E. A. Smith, 1899)</small>
- Achatina glutinosa <small>Pfeiffer, 1854</small> - Mozambique: synonym of Lissachatina glutinosa <small>(L. Pfeiffer, 1854)</small>
- Achatina gruveli <small>Dautzenberg, 1921</small>: synonym of Achatina iostoma <small>L. Pfeiffer, 1854</small>
- Achatina gundlachi L<small>. Pfeiffer, 1850</small>: synonym of Geostilbia gundlachi <small>(L. Pfeiffer, 1850)</small>
- Achatina hamillei <small>Petit de la Saussaye, 1859</small>: synonym of Lissachatina fulica hamillei <small>(Petit de la Saussaye, 1859)</small>
- Achatina immaculata <small>Lamarck, 1822</small> - Southeastern Africa: synonym of Lissachatina immaculata <small>(Lamarck, 1822)</small>
- Achatina iredalei <small>Preston, 1910</small>: synonym of Lissachatina allisa <small>(Reeve, 1849)</small>
- Achatina ivensi <small>Furtado, 1886</small>: synonym of Achatina pfeifferi <small>Dunker, 1845</small>
- Achatina johnstoni <small>E. A. Smith, 1899</small>: synonym of Lissachatina johnstoni <small>(E. A. Smith, 1899)</small>
- Achatina kilimae <small>Dautzenberg, 1908</small>: synonym of Lissachatina kilimae <small>(Dautzenberg, 1908)</small>
- Achatina lowei <small>Paiva, 1866</small>: synonym of Amphorella oryza <small>(R. T. Lowe, 1852)</small>
- Achatina lechaptoisi <small>Ancey, 1894</small>: synonym of Lissachatina immaculata <small>(Lamarck, 1822)</small>
- Achatina letourneuxi <small>Bourguignat, 1879</small>: synonym of Lissachatina fulica hamillei <small>(Petit de la Saussaye, 1859)</small>
- Achatina lhotellerii <small>Bourguignat, 1879</small>: synonym of Lissachatina zanzibarica <small>(Bourguignat, 1879)</small>
- Achatina marginata <small>Swainson, 1821</small>: synonym of Archachatina marginata <small>(Swainson, 1821)</small>
- Achatina milneedwardsiana <small>Revoil, 1885</small>: synonym of Lissachatina fulica hamillei <small>(Petit de la Saussaye, 1859)</small>
- Achatina minima <small>Siemaschko, 1847</small>: synonym of Cochlicopa lubricella <small>(Porro, 1838)</small>
- Achatina monochromatica Pilsbry (Deprecated. Old historical synonym of Achatina achatina var. monochromatic)
- Achatina moreletiana <small>Deshayes, 1851</small>: taxon inquirendum
- Achatina mulanjensis Crowley & Pain - Malawi: synonym of Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822 (junior synonym)
- Achatina nigella <small>Morelet, 1867</small>: synonym of Homorus nigellus <small>(Morelet, 1867)</small>
- Achatina nyikaensis <small>Pilsbry, 1909</small> - Malawi: synonym of Bequaertina pintoi <small>(Bourguignat, 1889)</small> (junior synonym)
- Achatina panthera Férussac, 1832 - Zimbabwe, Mauritius: synonym of Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822
- Achatina pellucida L. Pfeiffer, 1840: synonym of Blauneria heteroclita (Montagu, 1808)
- Achatina purpurea <small>(Gmelin, 1790)</small>: synonym of Archachatina purpurea <small>(Gmelin, 1790)</small>
- Achatina raffrayi <small>Jousseaume, 1883</small>: synonym of Leptocallista raffrayi <small>(Jousseaume, 1883)</small>
- Achatina rediviva <small>Mabille, 1901</small>: synonym of Lissachatina fulica <small>(Bowdich, 1822)</small>
- Achatina reticulata <small>Pfeiffer, 1845</small> - Zanzibar: synonym of Lissachatina reticulata (<small>L. Pfeiffer, 1845)</small>
- Achatina semitarum <small>L. Pfeiffer, 1842</small>: synonym of Laevaricella semitarum (<small>L. Pfeiffer, 1842)</small>
- Achatina sylvatica <small>Putzeys, 1898</small> - Congo: synonym of Leptocalina putzeysi <small>(Dautzenberg & Germain, 1914)</small>
- Achatina varicosa Pfeiffer, 1845 - South Africa: synonym of Cochlitoma varicosa (L. Pfeiffer, 1861)
- Achatina variegata <small>Lamarck, 1801</small>: synonym of Achatina achatina <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>
- Achatina variegata var. minima <small>Germain, 1912</small>: synonym of Achatina achatina elegans <small>(Link, 1807)</small>
- Achatina wildemani <small>Dautzenberg, 1907</small>: synonym of Leptocalina specularis <small>(Morelet, 1866)</small>
- Achatina yalaensis <small>Germain, 1936</small>: synonym of Oreohomorus connollyi <small>(Odhner, 1932)</small>
- Achatina zanzibarica <small>Bourguignat, 1879</small> - Tanzania: synonym of Lissachatina zanzibarica <small>(Bourguignat, 1879)</small>
- Achatina zebra Bruguiere, 1792 - South Africa: synonym of Cochlitoma zebra (Bruguière, 1792)
References
External links