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Non-insects

Giant African Snail
Achatina fulica (Bowdich) (Mollusca: Pulmonata: Achatinidae)

Status
Exotic (absent from Australia) High Impact Pest Species

Dorsal view male Zoomify

Caption: Specimen Locality Label: Papua New Guinea, Keravat, New Britain, Jun 1951, Dun.

Source: Peter Lillywhite Museum Victoria

Achatinidae are a family of snails with large to very large shells (20-230mm in height). They are usually ovate-conic, rarely cylindrical and have variable colour patterns. Coiling is usually dextral, rarely sinistral. The shell is imperforate, sometimes scarcely umbilicate.

There are at least 75 species of the genus Achatina.

The shell of A. fulica is narrowly conic, up to 200mm in length although 50-100 is the average. The shell colour is variable but usually consists of alternating brown and cream (or white) bands. The body is browny-grey in colour.

Sources:

Smith, B. & J. Stanisic (1998). Superorder Pulmonata, pp. 1037-1125, in Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds) Mollusca - The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australian Volume 5. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne, Part B viii 565-1234pp.

Abbott, T. (1989). Compendium of Landshells - A colour guide to more than 2,000 of the World's Terrestrial Shells. American Malacologists.

Specimen contact point: Museum Victoria

Citation: Walker, K. (2007) Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica) Pest and Diseases Image Library. Updated on 12/28/2007 7:11:58 AM. Available online: http://www.padil.gov.au

Created Date: 7/20/2005 1:08:38 PM

Last Updated: 12/28/2007 7:11:58 AM

Diagnostic Images
Aperature	Eggs	Spire	Spire
Spire	Spire
Overview Images
Dorsal	Lateral	Ventral	Ventral
Other Images
Achatina fulica - Live Adult	A. acuta	A. auripigmentum	A. fulica egg
A. fulica egg close up	A. fulica inside egg	A. fulica range	A. kraussi
A. lamarerii	A. marginata	A. monstruious	A. panthera
A. pantherina	A. perdix	A. purpura	A. reticulata
A. umbilicata	A. ventricosa	A. zebra	Live adult