Emerald green snail
| Emerald green snail | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Apertural view of a shell of Papustyla pulcherrima | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): |
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Helicoidea |
| Family: | Camaenidae |
| Genus: | Papustyla |
| Species: | P. pulcherrima |
| Binomial name | |
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Papustyla pulcherrima Rensch, 1931 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Papuina pulcherrima |
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clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
informal group Sigmurethra
Papuina pulcherrima
The emerald green snail, green tree snail, or Manus green tree snail, scientific name Papustyla pulcherrima, sometimes listed as Papuina pulcherrima, is a species of large, air-breathing tree snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae.
The shells of this species were in demand for making jewelry, and were popular with shell collectors and partly as a result of this, the species is now endangered.
This species is endemic to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. This snail lives in trees, and inhabits rain forest areas up to 112 meters above sea level.
The shell of this species is a vivid green color, which is unusual in snails. The green color is however not within the solid, calcium carbonate part of the shell but instead it is a very thin protein layer known as the periostracum. Under the periostracum the shell is yellow.
Overharvesting of the species for commercial purposes led to a decline in the population of this snail. Logging of the rain forest where this species lives is also a serious threat to its survival.[1]
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Wikipedia