Post by Kevin on Jul 30, 2009 11:21:24 GMT
Ive been given permission by Andreas Leiß to post this, the small Archachatina that come from Lagos, Nigeria has been identified as Archachatina papyracea.
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Some years ago a couple of specimens of a small Archachatina were imported from Lagos, Nigeria. The shell of this species is thin, light and slender and 60 - 70 mm long. The colour of the early whorls varies from light brown, dull orange-brown to greyish-brown with a dirty reddish tinge.
The colour of the other whorls is light brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow with a dark brown pattern. This pattern is not very conspicous. The columella is reddish.
The colour of the soft parts is greyish-brown, much more lighter on the sides and the end of the body and changes here to a dirty creme colour. The head and the tentacles are dark grey.
First it was difficult to determine this species. In the last weeks I have studied some publications and the shells in the collection of the Natural Science Museum in Vienna. Now I know the identity of this species, it is the true Archachatina papyracea.
Unfortunately, this species was confused with an other species (A.adelinae) by some authors. In some publications A.adelinae was termed as A.papyracea. In the „Compendium of Landshells“ (Tucker Abbott, 1989) on Page 80 we can see a picture with two A.adelinae under the name A.papyracea. The term adelinae is here described as a form of A.papyracea. Also in some Museums shells of A.adelinae was termed as A.papyracea. The true papyracea is rarer in collections as A.adelinae.
A.papyracea was described by Pfeiffer in Proc.Zool.Soc.London, 1845. The species is described originally from the Niger- Delta in Southern Nigeria. The original shell (holotype) is 66 mm long and 30 mm broad.
Reeve (1849) gives a good description of A.papyracea:
„Shell oblong-ovate, thin, whorls six in number, minutely decussately granulated, margined at the sutures, columella slightly twisted, but little truncated; light brown, clouded with darker brown, columella sometimes pinkish. A light semi-transparent shell, of which the interior is slightely iridescent.“
Some authors gave adelinae a varietal status of A.papyracea (A.papyracea var. adelinae). But the anatomical studies of Mead (1998) shows that these are two distinct species! A.papyracea lives only in Southern Nigeria and A. adelinae is endemic in Cameroon. The colour of adelinae is a rich yellow with an intense pinkish apex. The shell is ornamented with a beautyful chestnut-brown flammulated pattern. This pattern is much more conspicous as in A.papyracea. The colour of A.adelinae is similar to the larger A.camerunensis.
The small species from Lagos is the true Archachatina papyracea. This species is rare in collections and also in captivity.
Andreas Leiß
July, 2009
"
Some years ago a couple of specimens of a small Archachatina were imported from Lagos, Nigeria. The shell of this species is thin, light and slender and 60 - 70 mm long. The colour of the early whorls varies from light brown, dull orange-brown to greyish-brown with a dirty reddish tinge.
The colour of the other whorls is light brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow with a dark brown pattern. This pattern is not very conspicous. The columella is reddish.
The colour of the soft parts is greyish-brown, much more lighter on the sides and the end of the body and changes here to a dirty creme colour. The head and the tentacles are dark grey.
First it was difficult to determine this species. In the last weeks I have studied some publications and the shells in the collection of the Natural Science Museum in Vienna. Now I know the identity of this species, it is the true Archachatina papyracea.
Unfortunately, this species was confused with an other species (A.adelinae) by some authors. In some publications A.adelinae was termed as A.papyracea. In the „Compendium of Landshells“ (Tucker Abbott, 1989) on Page 80 we can see a picture with two A.adelinae under the name A.papyracea. The term adelinae is here described as a form of A.papyracea. Also in some Museums shells of A.adelinae was termed as A.papyracea. The true papyracea is rarer in collections as A.adelinae.
A.papyracea was described by Pfeiffer in Proc.Zool.Soc.London, 1845. The species is described originally from the Niger- Delta in Southern Nigeria. The original shell (holotype) is 66 mm long and 30 mm broad.
Reeve (1849) gives a good description of A.papyracea:
„Shell oblong-ovate, thin, whorls six in number, minutely decussately granulated, margined at the sutures, columella slightly twisted, but little truncated; light brown, clouded with darker brown, columella sometimes pinkish. A light semi-transparent shell, of which the interior is slightely iridescent.“
Some authors gave adelinae a varietal status of A.papyracea (A.papyracea var. adelinae). But the anatomical studies of Mead (1998) shows that these are two distinct species! A.papyracea lives only in Southern Nigeria and A. adelinae is endemic in Cameroon. The colour of adelinae is a rich yellow with an intense pinkish apex. The shell is ornamented with a beautyful chestnut-brown flammulated pattern. This pattern is much more conspicous as in A.papyracea. The colour of A.adelinae is similar to the larger A.camerunensis.
The small species from Lagos is the true Archachatina papyracea. This species is rare in collections and also in captivity.
Andreas Leiß
July, 2009