Bulimulus bonariensis
| Bulimulus bonariensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Bulimulidae |
| Subfamily: | Bulimulinae |
| Genus: | Bulimulus |
| Species: | B. bonariensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Bulimulus bonariensis (Rafinesque, 1833)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Bulimulus bonariensis, the ghost Bulimulus, is a species of terrestrial snail in the family Bulimulidae.[1][2]
- Subspecies
- Bulimulus bonariensis bonariensis (Rafinesque, 1833)
- Bulimulus bonariensis sporadicus (d'Orbigny, 1835)
Description[edit]
These snails can reach approximately 2.5 cm in total length.[3] Their shells are narrow and pointed with 5-7 whorls and are white or light yellowish brown in color. Sometimes the shell is marked with darker lines. The soft body is white or off-white, with darker gray pigmentation along the eyestalks.
Range[edit]
Bulimulus bonariensis is native to southeastern South America, including Uruguay, northeastern Argentina, southern Paraguay, and the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil from Rio Grande do Sul at least as far north as Espírito Santo state.[1] There are also scattered records from northern South America (Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela) and Central America (Panama, Nicaragua).[1]
Bulimulus bonariensis has been introduced to the southeastern United States and is spreading rapidly. As of January 2024 it is widespread throughout Florida and coastal Alabama and around Houston, Texas, with scattered records from coastal Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana as well as around Austin and College Station, Texas, and in several other areas of eastern and southern Texas, as well as in Coahuila and Nuevo Leon.[1]
These snails were first reported in Florida in the Jacksonville area in 2009 and had reached the western Florida panhandle by 2017.[3]
Habitat[edit]
These snails can thrive in disturbed agricultural environments.[3]
Ecology[edit]
Eggs are buried in the soil. Juveniles are born with a soft shell and must consume calcium to grow a hard shell. Adults are hermaphrodites that engage in sexual reproduction. They can live for more than one year. The normal diet is dead and decaying plant matter. They tend to aggregate in moist microhabitats.[4]
Bulimulus bonariensis is an emerging crop pest.[3] Concerns include interfering with irrigation equipment by covering microjets [5] and being sucked into peanut harvesting equipment, causing contamination.[3] It does not normally consume crops, but may feed on crop plants at sites of previous damage (e.g., from frost or other herbivores) or on seedlings.[5] Like other successful invasive species, high reproductive capacity, a generalist diet, and release from co-evolved enemies have probably contributed to its spread.[3] They are apparently eaten by Limpkins.[6]
Taxonomy[edit]
Bulimulus bonariensis was originally described as Siphalomphix bonariensis by Rafinesque in 1833. The type locality is north-eastern Argentina.[2][7]
The following subspecies are recognised:
- Bulimulus bonariensis bonariensis (Rafinesque, 1833)[1]
- Bulimulus bonariensis sporadicus (d'Orbigny, 1835)[2]
Etymology[edit]
The specific epithet bonariensis means 'from Buenos Aires, Argentina'.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "Ghost Bulimulus (Bulimulus bonariensis)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ a b c "Bulimulus bonariensis (Rafinesque, 1833)". MolluscaBase. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ a b c d e f Rabelo, M.M.; Dimase, M.; Paula-Moraes, S.V. (2022). "Ecology and management of the invasive land snail Bulimulus bonariensis (Rafinesque, 1833)(Stylommatophora: Bulimulidae) in row crops". Frontiers in Insect Science. 2: 1056545. doi:10.3389/finsc.2022.1056545. PMC 10926363.
- ^ Lauren Diepenbrock. "BulimulusSnails: An Emerging Citrus Pest" (PDF).
- ^ a b Lauren Diepenbrock (2023). ""Developing management for a new snail pest"". Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ "iNaturalist 143866162".
- ^ Rafinesque, C.S. (1833). "On 3 N[ew].G[enera]. of land shells from Buenos Ayres in South America". Atlantic Journal. 5: 165.
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