2. • Domain: Eukaryota
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Mollusca
• Class: Gastropoda
• Order: Stylommatophora
• Superfamily: Achationoidea
• Family: Achatinidae
• Genus: Lissachatina
• Species: fulica
Systematic Position:
Air- breathing land snails
Native to Africa; 5-7 whorls
Foot below the gut. Spirally
coiled
Soft body
3.
4. Habit and Habitat
--Warm tropical climates with mild temperatures all year round and
high humidity
-- Found in agricultural areas, coastal areas and wetlands, natural and
planted forests, scrublands and shrublands, and urban zones.
• Feeding: feeds voraciously
Adult : decaying organic matter, garbage, fallen fruit and animal
manure.
Younger : living plants:- flowers and vegetables; feed on over
500 plant species.
• typically herbivorous but prey on other snails.
• hibernate under rocks or in loose soil during unfavorable conditions
5. • A large snail: Nocturnal
• Shell: narrow, conical, coffee-colored; up to 20 cm in length
• Hermaphrodite but cross fertilization occurs
• Produces eggs: Round yellow, 5mm in length, 100-400
• Eggs hatch at temp >15°C
• hatch within a few hours up to 17 days.
• sexually mature at 6 months of age
• live up to 5-9 years
• lay a total of 1,000 eggs.
6. Distribution
• Origin: Eastern Africa
• Particularly: Kenya and Tanzania
• First occurrence outside Africa was: Bengal, India
• Then transported mistakenly and purposefully
• Current Distribution: found most in southern hemisphere countries
• Also identified in Southern, Southeastern and eastern asia, West Indies, US
• Throughout Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, Australia, New Zealand, South
America
• If not immediately intercepted, they populate exponentially making it
extremely difficult to control in a timely and cost efficient fashion.
7.
8. One of the most invasive pests for agriculture causing economic crisis for
farmers.
Attacks more than 500 types of plants preferring
Peanuts, Fruits, Cocoa, Cassava, Rubber and many species of legumes, Coconut,
Cucurbits.
Young ones feed on flowers and vegetables
Adult ones prefer decaying organic matter.
The snail causes loss of crop yield, spread of plant pathogens and increase in
cost production.c
Also known to damage building by eating stucco (plaster) and calcium
materials
THREATS CAUSED BY GIANT SNAIL
9.
10.
11.
12. • This species also
harbours a parasitic
nematode
Angiostrongylus
cantonensis which
can cause meningitis
rat lungworm
(Angiostrongyliasis)
in human beings
13. Lissachatina also pollutes the surroundings by it’s shell.
After the species dies, the calcium carbonate found in the shells
neutralizes the soil. Altering the properties of plant that will
grow on the soil.
14. Control measures
Collecting
• . Hand-pinking of snails or killing them by placing in salt water for 2 or
more days.
Quarantine
- Treatment and inspection of goods that can harbour the snail and
prevent further spreading. All imports to other countries should be
handled with utmost care.
15. Physical controls
• The Giant snail rarely moves on bare ground. At least 1.5 meters of land
around the crop for protection
Chemical controls
-The Giant snail favours high humidity
-Use of mollusicide such as metaldehyde (Snail bait) on susceptible plants.
Highly toxic for these snails when consumed.
Biological controls
Introducing:
-Ducks (Anas) can reduce the number of snails.
-Two predatory snails- Euglandina rosea, Gonaxis quadrilateralis and
flatworm Platydemus manokwari are natural enemies of the snail.