Kevin
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,227
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Post by Kevin on Mar 20, 2007 16:19:23 GMT
Does anyone know if any Achatinidae species are partly, or semi aquatic? I have just heard of an African seller based in the Congo that thought the Achatina species he sold were water snails, as they spend the day in water, and only come onto the land in the evening to eat.
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Arno
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,493
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Post by Arno on Mar 20, 2007 16:47:46 GMT
Seems very unlikely to me and probably a mix up.
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Kevin
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,227
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Post by Kevin on Mar 20, 2007 16:55:25 GMT
Seems very unlikely to me and probably a mix up. The species in question is an Achatina species, possibly Achatina tincta, the seller was apparantly suprised to hear that they were land snails, as he thought they were water snails, maybe their just more likely to live in and around shallow water?
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gabi
Achatina tincta
Posts: 616
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Post by gabi on Mar 20, 2007 19:01:08 GMT
Some of those snails live already in Germany, Arno. The dealer in Africa sold them to someone in Germany as large "water-snails". Those snails seem to live in the water and only come out for feeding at evening/night. They live now since a few month in Germany in very wet substrate, 29 to 30 degree during the day with a minimal nightdrop and low ventilation to keep the humidity high. So it looks like they don´t really need the water or maybe the dealer just found them there, because they do the same like tigers? My tigers too prefer to lay around in the pool instead somewhere else and they have here very wet conditons and don´t really would need to drink or take water from the bowl. Those possible tincta do very well at those conditions and as much as I know, they don´t have a water-bowl in their tank.
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apple
Archachatina degneri
Posts: 1,078
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Post by apple on Mar 20, 2007 19:14:45 GMT
Very interesting!
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Post by Paul on Mar 21, 2007 0:26:08 GMT
All Achatina species are pulmonate snails and so use a lung to breathe, rather than gills. I've never heard of any Achatinid with gills. It may simply be that they bury in the mud near water because it's soft and cool. There are articles on Darwin's (I think) study of how aestivating Helix pomatia can be placed in sea-water for weeks without harm. He was talking about the possibility of them travelling across the sea. But I think that illustrates that they could bury in mud in shallow water and survive for a few days. Gabi - further to what I said in my emails to you, I've found some pics on the net of supposed "Achatina tincta": www.shellsfromchina.com/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=1776These are misleading because although the stripes look similar, they have a non-truncated columella, making them likely to be Limicolaria. To my knowledge all Achatina and Archachatina have a truncated columella: I'm certainly not saying they aren't Achatina tincta, because I'm totally in the dark about that species, but just check the pictures you're going off.
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Kevin
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,227
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Post by Kevin on Mar 21, 2007 0:41:16 GMT
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Post by Paul on Mar 21, 2007 1:12:39 GMT
Now I've seen those pictures, it does look like they are tincta.
The roundness of the spire and the skin tone being so fine really made me wonder if it was some sort of slim Archachatina like papyracea; it's often hard to tell the difference from pictures on some snails. Bequaert's description of papyracea and the shell drawings look very like these "mystery" snails. Gabi mentioned they didn't have a raised V on the tail but with papyracea being sub-genus Megachatinopsis, we've not got any others to compare.
But having seen those pics, it does seem almost certain that's what they are. They are slim, but with very convex whorls. As I said to Gabi, you'd have to get the nepionic whorls looked at, that would tell us sub-genus fairly accurately. tincta are true Achatina. What confused me more was the reams of info on snails labelled as tincta but that were actually Achatina achatina var. elegans.
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gabi
Achatina tincta
Posts: 616
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Post by gabi on Mar 21, 2007 13:32:49 GMT
*gg* just noticed, that most people here must be curious, what we are taking about. ;D Here is the links to the pic´s that people maybe can follow a bit, what we have discussed here (has gone from private e-mail to forum discussion inbetween ) Look here if you want to see alive Achatina tincta but DON´T ask for Adults or babies. They are not available yet and she doesn´t take any reservations. www.schnecken-forum.de/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2993achatschnecken.foren-city.de/topic,817,-wer-sind-wir.html Kind regards, Gabi
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apple
Archachatina degneri
Posts: 1,078
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Post by apple on Mar 21, 2007 15:29:27 GMT
Now I finnally saw many different Achatinidae species... Some species are very nice! About many, I never heard before their name: Achatina capelloi being one of them.
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nesmar
Achatina fulica
Posts: 2
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Post by nesmar on Mar 21, 2007 15:30:22 GMT
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apple
Archachatina degneri
Posts: 1,078
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Post by apple on Mar 21, 2007 15:44:42 GMT
Wow Which specie are they?
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gabi
Achatina tincta
Posts: 616
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Post by gabi on Mar 21, 2007 15:48:53 GMT
They are achatina tincta, Apple! ;D
Welcome here, Daniela!! Nice to meet you here!
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apple
Archachatina degneri
Posts: 1,078
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Post by apple on Mar 21, 2007 15:51:55 GMT
They are achatina tincta, Apple! ;D Welcome here, Daniela!! Nice to meet you here! I was thinking that was her with her Achatina tincta, but not sure... ;D In fact they look like to have more rounded shells than those ones that are on the pictures.
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gabi
Achatina tincta
Posts: 616
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Post by gabi on Mar 25, 2007 17:59:12 GMT
Andreas said me today on the phone, that they are surely tincta. They do only exist in congo and he is having on his own an old shell-sample of them. They often get mixed up with a. achatina, but a. achatina doesn´t exist in congo (at last, should not exist there, as long as no dealer has brought them in there : .
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apple
Archachatina degneri
Posts: 1,078
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Post by apple on Mar 25, 2007 18:29:46 GMT
You mean Congo and not Republic Democratic of Congo, right? Thanks for the information about A. tincta.
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gabi
Achatina tincta
Posts: 616
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Post by gabi on Mar 25, 2007 18:32:47 GMT
Erm, do both countries exist (I am bad in african geographic´s )? I always thought, there is only one congo. (needless to say, I am going to get now my old schoolbook out.... ;D
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apple
Archachatina degneri
Posts: 1,078
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Post by apple on Mar 25, 2007 18:56:13 GMT
Erm, do both countries exist (I am bad in african geographic´s )? I always thought, there is only one congo. (needless to say, I am going to get now my old schoolbook out.... ;D Yes. Republic Democratic of Congo ( Ex-Zaire, changed name after the end of the ditactor Mobutu Sese Seko regime) Capital- Kinshasa Congo ( I guess is this one that you mean, but sometimes people calls Congo to Zaire, so I just want to be sure ;D). Capital Brazzaville Achatina achatina I guess that can be found in Cameroon, and Cameroon share a piece of border line with Congo ( and this area is tropical rainforest), so Achatina achatina may be found in Congo as well.
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gabi
Achatina tincta
Posts: 616
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Post by gabi on Mar 25, 2007 18:58:21 GMT
Good, my old book says, there exists only one large Congo (seems, I am going to be very old). Wikipedia says, there exists republic congo and democratic republic congo. It´s always nice to learn something new.... ;D But I think, the tincta don´t care, if they live in r. congo or d.r.congo..... edit: Thanks apple! Seems, we have written the same time.
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apple
Archachatina degneri
Posts: 1,078
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Post by apple on Mar 26, 2007 22:00:25 GMT
loool. In fact, A. tincta don´t care if they live in Congo, D. R. Congo or in a good tank in europe, but it´s important for us to know where to order them when a reliable supplier from there can get a hand on some...
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