Ovachlamys fulgens
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Ovachlamys fulgens. (Photo: © Robert Pilla, Flickr.com) |
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Ovachlamys fulgens: note horn-like structure on the tip of the tail. (Photo: © D. Robinson, USDA-APHIS-PPQ) |
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Ovachlamys fulgens. (Photo: © J. Lotz, FL DACS) |
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Ovachlamys fulgens. (Photo: © J. Lotz, FL DACS) |
Family
Chronidae
Species
Ovachlamys fulgens (Gude, 1900)
Common name
Jumping snail
Description
The jumping snail's shellShell:
A hard, inflexible, calcareous or chitinous structure that vary in size and may either completely encasing the animal, covering some part of it or be internal.
is 5-7 mm wide, with 4-5 whorlsWhorls:
Pleural of whorl. A whorl is a complete spiral turn/growth of the shell of a mollusc. The whorls are counted from the apex outwards.
. The footFoot:
The muscular organ on the undersurface of the body of a mollusc upon which the animal rests or uses to crawl.
of the snail is tripartiteTripartite:
Having three distinct section/regions.
. 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
