Achatinella lila

Achatinella purple

Achatinella purple is a snail of the genus Achatinella, a group of nocturnal, viviparous tree snails, which are endemic to the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

Description

Achatinella purple reaches a body length of 1.7 centimeters and a body diameter of 1.1 centimeters. The left-handed body is ovoid - conical, thin-walled and yet firm. It has up to five and a half turns. The glossy surface of the body is dark brown on the embryonic whorls, on the body dealing uniform chestnut- brown, sometimes with a yellow spot, or with a lateral maroon ribbon on a yellow background, or with a central green band or two maroon ribbons peripherally and along the seam. The oblique mouth is white inside or pale purple.

Inventory and risk

The species is highly endangered. Probable causes of the decline are excessive collecting by snail collector, the enactment by introduced pigs, and rats, the clearing of forests and invasive plant species such as Clidemia hirta and Dicranopteris linearis, prevent the regrowth indispensable for the screw feed trees. Also, the introduced ant Pheidole megacephala, the garlic glass snail ( Oxychilus alliarius ) and the Rosy Wolf Snail ( Euglandina rosea) hunt Achatinella snails.