Auriculella

Auriculella
An unidentified species of Auriculella from Hawaii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Achatinellidae
Subfamily: Auriculellinae
Genus: Auriculella
Pfeiffer, 1854
Type species
Partula auricula A. Férussac, 1821
Synonyms
  • Achatinella (Auriculella) L. Pfeiffer, 1854 superseded rank
  • Achatinella (Frickella) L. Pfeiffer, 1854 junior subjective synonym

Auriculella is a genus of air-breathing tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinellidae.

Auriculella is the type genus of the subfamily Auriculellinae.

General characteristics

(Original description in Latin) The shell is subperforate and possesses an oblong-conic shape. The apertural wall is armed with a spirally entering lamella, while the columellar fold is situated superiorly, appearing either tooth-like in form or, in some specimens, nearly obsolete. Finally, the peristome is slightly expanded.

Distribution

They are endemic to Hawaii (United States) and several are extinct. They are oviparous (egg laying) and hermaphroditic. Among achatinellid snails, they are unique in the fact that they are not restricted to living on plants endemic to the Hawaiian islands. They have been known to relatively thrive on non-native plants such as ginger and night jasmine.

Species

Species within the genus Auriculella include:

Synonyms


Shells

Live individuals

References

  1. ↑ Pfeiffer (1854). Malak. Bl. 2: 3.
  2. ↑ MolluscaBase eds. (2026). MolluscaBase. Auriculella L. Pfeiffer, 1854. Accessed through: World Register of Marine * At: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=995582 on 2026-01-11
  3. ↑ Pfeiffer, L. (1854–1855). "Weitere Beobachtungen über die Gattung Achatinella". Malakozoologische Blätter. 2 (1): 3. Retrieved 11 January 2026. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.