Ovachlamys fulgens

Family

Chronidae

Species

Ovachlamys fulgens (Gude, 1900)

Common Name

Jumping snail

Description

The jumping snail's shell is 5-7 mm wide, with 4-5 whorls. The foot of the snail is tripartite. It also has a characteristic horn near the tip of its tail that it often uses to catapult itself away from perceived danger.

Native Range

Japan

Distribution

North America:

• U.S.: Florida

South and Central America: Costa Rica

Pacific Islands: Hawaiian Islands

Caribbean: Trinidad

Asia: Japan

Ecology

This snail has been recorded to be a pest of ornamental plants such as orchids, Heliconia sp. and Dracaena sp. The jumping snail can live for as long as 9 months. It has the potential to self-fertilize and begin oviposition as soon as 42 days post hatching, with a total clutch size of 165 eggs throughout its life.

References

Barrientos 1998; Barrientos 2000; Cowie et al. 2008; Cowie et al. 2009; Robinson and Slapcinsky 2005; Stange 2004