Archachatina bicarinata

Archachatina bicarinata is a species of air-breathing tropical land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Achatinidae.[3]

Archachatina bicarinata
Shell of Archachatina bicarinata from Príncipe Island
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
informal group Sigmurethra
Superfamily:
Achatinoidea
Family:
Achatinidae
Genus:
Archachatina
Species:
A. bicarinata
Binomial name
Archachatina bicarinata
Synonyms
  • Archachatina sinistrorsa Pfeiffer, 1848[2]

Description

The shell of A. bicarinata can reach a length of 11.7–13.5 cm (4.6–5.3 in).[2] This giant shell is always sinistral or reverse-coiled (hence the synonym A. sinistrorsa).

Distribution

This species is endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe, off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea.[1]

Habitat

This species lives in the primary rainforest on the mountains. Due to the habitat loss, the mass collection of the shells and harvesting the snails for food, A. bicarinata is a declining species, classified as vulnerable.

References
  1. Clarke, D. & Naggs, F. (1996). "Archachatina bicarinata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T2039A9194771. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T2039A9194771.en.
  2. Worldwide Mollusc Data Base
  3. Martin Dallimer and Martim Melo. Rapid decline of the endemic giant land snail Archachatina bicarinata on the island of Principe, Gulf of Guinea. Oryx. 2010.


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