Partulina variabilis

Partulina variabilis
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 2.3)
Critically Imperiled (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Achatinellidae
Genus:	Partulina
Species:	P. variabilis
Binomial name
Partulina variabilis (Newcomb, 1853)
Synonyms
Achatinella (Achatinellastrum) saccata L. Pfeiffer, 1859 alternative representation Achatinella (Eburnella) fulva L. Pfeiffer, 1856 alternative representation Achatinella (Eburnella) lactea Gulick, 1856 alternative representation Achatinella fulva L. Pfeiffer, 1856 junior subjective synonym Achatinella lactea Gulick, 1856 junior subjective synonym Achatinella saccata L. Pfeiffer, 1859 junior subjective synonym Achatinella variabilis Newcomb, 1854 superseded combination Partulina (Eburnella) variabilis (Newcomb, 1854) alternative representation

Partulina variabilis, also called the lanai tree snail, is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Achatinellidae. This species is endemic to Hawaii.

Description

(Original description) The shell may be sinistral or dextral in its coiling and is conically acuminate, with a polished, lustrous surface. It consists of six rounded whorls, which are lightly margined along their upper edges, and has a broadly ovate aperture. The columella is short and bears a prominent tubercle of a roseate hue, while the lip is expanded and acute. The shell exhibits a remarkable range of colours, including white, yellow, black, and various other shades. It may be uniformly coloured or ornamented with one to six bands of different colours across the body whorl.

This is the most variable species in its markings yet recorded among the Achatinellae. Indeed, it is exceedingly difficult to find two specimens that are exactly alike, except the plain ones, in this respect.

They reach maturity at 4 to 7 years.^{[citation needed]}

Distribution and habitat

Partulina variabilis is found on the island of Lanai at Lanaihale. They can be found in wet montane forests at elevations from 3,300 feet to 3,600 feet on Mount Lanaihale.^{[citation needed]}

References

• 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. Leiden: Backhuys Publishers.

External links

• Gulick, J.T. (1856). "Descriptions of new species of Achatinella, from the Hawaiian islands". Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York. 6: 198.
• Pfeiffer, L. (1856). "Descriptions of sixteen new species of Achatinella, from Mr. Cuming's collection, collected by Dr. Newcomb in the Sandwich Islands". Proceedings of the zoological Society of London. 23 (297): 208.
• Pfeiffer, L. (1859). "Descriptions of eight new species of Achatinella, from Mr. Cuming's collection". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 27 (385): 30–31.

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