Laminella venusta is a species of land snail in the genus Laminella. Laminella venusta is a land snail in the family Amastridae. In 1845 this species was given the common name of graceful Laminella snail. The Hawaiian name for Laminella venusta is Pupu Kuahiwi, and it is the only surviving member of its family currently living on the island of Molokai.
Subspecies:
Laminella venusta muscaria Hyatt & Pilsbry, 1911
Laminella venusta orientalis Hyatt & Pilsbry, 1911
Laminella venusta venusta (Mighels, 1845)
Description
Laminella venusta is described as having a fawn-colored body with small distinct black points down its sides. It also has extremely dark tentacles. This species has a lean body that can increase to a size of two-thirds longer than its shell. The size of its shell can approximately reach to 1.35 cm in height with a diameter of 0.62 to 0.73 cm. The Graceful Laminella Snail is distinguished by the final whorl and the sunken black markings on its shell.
Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to Hawaii. Laminella venusta makes its home in the Mapulehu Valley near Molokai’s southeastern coast. This rare species can be found on olopua trees down in gulches. This species routinely swabs fungi off olona leaves, as fungi are its main food source. The species is one of the nine state snails of Hawaii.
Yeung, N. W.; Bustamente, K. M.; Sischo, D. R.; Hayes, K. A. (2018). Rediscovery of Newcombia canaliculata (Baldwin, 1895) (Gastropoda: Achatinellidae) and Laminella venusta (Mighels, 1845) (Gastropoda: Amastridae). Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 123: 31-36
Cowie, R. H., Evenhuis, N. L. & Christensen, C. C. (1995). Catalog of the Native Land and Freshwater Molluscs of the Hawaiian Islands. vi + 248 pp. [3 June]. Leiden (Backhuys Publishers).
