south african snailbook

[Arno]

I finally manage to get hold of that South-African snail and slug book but it was worth the wait.It has about 16 Achatina and Archachatina species in it.Further info available upon request.......

[Kevin]

Any big yellow slugs in it?
...Or small Velvet Slugs? my unknown Velvet Slugs come from South Africa (apparantly?) my yellow slugs were from Tanzania, but might be from south africa as well?
...Or Achatina craveni, I have those and they're found in South Africa, are they mentioned?

Sorry for all the questions

[Paul]

I'm still waiting for mine. How long did it take, mine has been about 5-6 weeks now, but it is surface mail so I suppose they have to wait for a ship.

[Arno]

No,i haven't seen those yellow slugs in it.There is a section about Leather-back slugs which I think are the same thing as Velvet slugs.I'll have a look at the pics you posted before (if I can find them).
Achatina cravenii is not mentioned,but I saw it comes from Zaire and Zimbabwe,an area that the book doesn't cover.

[Arno]

admin said:

I'm still waiting for mine. How long did it take, mine has been about 5-6 weeks now, but it is surface mail so I suppose they have to wait for a ship.

I ordered mine on August 18th..... ,but it traveled via Italy...

[Kevin]

snailwatcher said:

I'll have a look at the pics you posted before (if I can find them).

[Arno]

Thanks,they are almost certainly Laevicaulis,either natalensis or alte(difficult to tell apart without dissection)Interestingly they have separate genital openings......

[Kevin]

snailwatcher said:

Thanks,they are almost certainly Laevicaulis,either natalensis or alte(difficult to tell apart without dissection)Interestingly they have separate genital openings......

Thanks ;D

What information does it give on them? does it say anything about how long eggs take to hatch on average? or what habitat they're found in?
Fatslug's velvet slug eggs took 58 days to hatch, mine has laid eggs as well.

[Arno]

Ok,eggs:6-8 mm,up to 100 in one mass,hatching in 1-3 weeks depending on the weather(usually eggs are laid in warm rainy summer months).Young slugs can reproduce after5 months.(L.alte)
habitat:forests,gardens to dry places like savanna(both species)

[Deleted]

whats the difference between immaculata and dimidiata??

[Arno]

lotsofsnails said:

whats the difference between immaculata and dimidiata??

funny you should ask that because the book lists it as
Archachatina dimidiata and also notes about immaculata :"Narrow specimens were once regarded as a distinct species ,Achatina panthera

[Deleted]

sounds slightly unreliable...

[Paul]

Well, there is an Archachatina dimidiata and an Achatina dimidiata listed by Bequaert:

Archachatina dimidiata E. A. Smith, 1878. With subsp. schencki (v. Martens, 1889).

Its says above:

"I include at present in Tholachatina the following species of which I have seen specimens. No attempt is made, however to revise them critically. Their number will no doubt be somewhat reduced eventually. "

He doesn't say where they are from but in the Tholachatina overview he mentions some East and South African snails being included within the Archachatina genus with Tholachatina sub genus. So I guess this one is South African.

On the other hand Achatina dimidiata v. Martens, 1889, was recognised by Bequaert as actually being Achatina balteata infrafrusca v. Martens. Found in Cameroon, Congo

but this one doesn't have a pink columella.

We only think A. dimidiata exists coz of it being listed in online Encyclopedias and because we don't know what has took place since.

[Kevin]

snailwatcher said:

Ok,eggs:6-8 mm,up to 100 in one mass,hatching in 1-3 weeks depending on the weather(usually eggs are laid in warm rainy summer months).Young slugs can reproduce after5 months.(L.alte)
habitat:forests,gardens to dry places like savanna(both species)

Thanks