Contents

Partula (gastropod)

Partula
Partula radiolata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Heterobranchia
Order:	Stylommatophora
Infraorder:	Pupilloidei
Superfamily:	Pupilloidea
Family:	Partulidae
Genus:	Partula Férussac, 1821[1]
Synonyms
Astraea Hartman, 1881 Bulimus (Partula) Clytia Hartman, 1881 Echo Hartman, 1881 Harmonia Hartman, 1881 Helena Hartman, 1881 Marianna Pilsbry, 1909 Matata Hartman, 1881 Nenia Hartman, 1881 Oenone Hartman, 1881 Partula (Astraea) Hartman, 1881 (invalid: junior homonym of Astraea Röding, 1798 [Gastropoda, Turbinidae]) Partula (Carolinella) Pilsbry, 1909 Partula (Clytia) Hartman, 1881 (invalid: junior homonym of Clytia Lamouroux, 1812 [Cnidaria]) Partula (Echo) Hartman, 1881 (invalid: junior homonym of Echo Selys, 1853 [Odonata]; Leptopartula is a replacement name) Partula (Harmonia) Hartman, 1881 (invalid: junior homonym of Harmonia Mulsant, 1846 [Coleoptera]; Marianna is a replacement name) Partula (Helena) Hartman, 1881 (invalid: junior homonym of Helena Risso, 1826 [Crustacea]) Partula (Leptopartula) Pilsbry, 1909 Partula (Marianella) Pilsbry, 1909 Partula (Marianna) Pilsbry, 1909 Partula (Matata) Hartman, 1881 Partula (Melanesica) Pilsbry, 1909 Partula (Nenia) Hartman, 1881 (invalid: junior homonym of Nenia H. & A. Adams, 1855 [Gastropoda, Clausiliidae]) Partula (Oenone) Hartman, 1881 (invalid: junior homonym of Oenone Lamarck, 1818 [Annelida]) Partula (Partula) A. Férussac, 1821· accepted, alternate representation Partula (Pasithea) Hartman, 1881 (invalid: junior homonym of Pasithea Oken, 1807 [Vermes], Pasithea Lamarck, 1812 [Cnidaria] and Pasithea Lea, 1833 [Gastropoda]) Partula (Rennellia) Clench, 1941 (junior synonym) Partula (Sterope) Hartman, 1881 (invalid: junior homonym of Sterope Goodsir, 1845 [Crustacea]) Partula (Thakombaua) Pilsbry, 1909 Pasithea Hartman, 1881 (junior synonym) Rennellia Clench, 1941 (junior synonym) Scilistylus Iredale, 1941 Sterope Hartman, 1881

Partula is a genus of air-breathing tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Partulidae.^[2][3]

Many species of Partula are known under the general common names "Polynesian tree snail" and "Moorean viviparous tree snail".^[4] Partulids are distributed across 5,000 sq mi (13,000 km²) of Pacific Ocean islands, from the Society IslandstoNew Guinea.^{[citation needed]}

Once used as decorative items in Polynesian ceremonial wear and jewelry, these small snails (averaging about one-half to three-quarters of an inch in length) gained the attention of science when Dr. Henry Crampton (along with Yoshio Kondo) spent 50 years studying and cataloging partulids, detailing their remarkable array of morphological elements, ecological niches, and behavioral aspects that illustrate adaptive radiation.^[5][6]

Decline[edit]

The partulids of the island of Tahiti act as an example of the possible deleterious effects of attempted biological control. After an infestation of the introduced giant African land snails (Achatina spp.), the carnivorous Florida rosy wolfsnail (Euglandina rosea) was introduced into Tahiti in an attempt to combat the African species.

The wolfsnail chose instead to hunt and eat members of the nearly 76 species of Partula that were endemic to Tahiti and the nearby islands, devouring all but 12 species in a decade. Several scientists recognized what was going on, and were able to save 12 species prior to their becoming extinct.

Today, the Zoological Society of London runs the Partula Programme Consortium which maintains a captive-breeding programme in the United Kingdom, France, and the United States.

The 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species contains 15 critically endangered, 11 extinct in the wild, and 48 extinct Partula species.^[7] The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species version 2009.2 contains 13 critically endangered, 11 extinct in the wild and 51 extinct Partula species.^[8] The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species version 2015-4 contains 83 Partula species.^[9]

Individuals are being reintroduced to Tahiti from captive breeding programmes since 2014.^[10][11] In April 2023, over 5,000 individual snails from zoos in the United States and the United Kingdom were released on Tahiti and Mo'orea.

Species[edit]

Species within the genus Partula include: ^[6]

Full list[edit]

Collected for ex situ conservation[edit]

The Partula that were collected for ex situ breeding were the following:^[12]

Tahiti - P. affinis, P. clara, P. hyalina, P. nodosa, P. otaheitana

Moorea - P. aurantia, P. mirabilis, P. mooreana, P. suturalis, P. taeniata, P. tohiveana

Huahine - P. arguta, P. rosea, P. varia

Raiatea - P. faba, P. garrettii (P. tristis), P. hebe, P. navigatoria (P. dentifera), P. turgida

Marianas - P. gibba, P. langfordi

P. garrettii and P. navigatoria were misidentified as the species in parentheses next to them.

Surviving species[edit]

Looking at the list of surviving species^[13] it appears more species survived than initially thought. The list of surviving species is as follows:

Tahiti - P. affinis, P. clara, P. hyalina, P. incrassa, P. nodosa, P. otaheitana

Moorea - P. mirabilis, P. mooreana, P. suturalis, P. taeniata, P. tohiveana

Huahine - P. rosea, P. varia

Raiatea - P. garrettii (P. tristis), P. hebe, P. meyeri, P. navigatoria (P. dentifera)

Marianas - P. gibba, P. langfordi, P. lutaensis, P. radiolata

Micronesia - P. emersoni, P. rufa

Fiji - P. leefei, P. lirata

Solomon Islands - P. cramptoni, P. micans

Papua New Guinea - P. auraniana, P. similaris

Cook Islands - P. assimilis

Cladogram[edit]

Phylogenetic analyses revealed that many of the Partula species are not monophyletic.^[14] The resulting cladogram is shown below.

Ecology[edit]

Partula species on Tahiti were usually found on the undersides of the leaves of Caladium and plantain, although in some valleys, they were frequently found on Dracaena and turmeric.^[15]

References[edit]

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.^[15]

Further reading[edit]

• Crampton H. E. (1916). Studies on the variation, distribution and evolution of the genus Partula. The species inhabiting Tahiti. Carnegie Institution of Washington, 228: 1-311.
• Crampton H. E. (1925). Studies on the variation, distribution and evolution of the genus Partula. The species of the Mariana Islands, Guam and Saipan. Carnegie Institution of Washington, 228a: 1-116.
• Crampton H. E. (1932). Studies on the variation, distribution and evolution of the genus Partula. The species inhabiting Moorea. Carnegie Institution of Washington, 410: 1-335.
• Lee, T.; Burch, J. B.; Jung, Y.; Coote, T.; Pearce-Kelly, P.; ó Foighil, D. (2007). "Tahitian tree snail mitochondrial clades survived recent mass extirpation". Current Biology. 17 (13): R502–R503. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.006. PMID 17610827.

External links[edit]

• Partula evolution, diversity and conservation Partula Pages

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Partula.

Wikispecies has information related to Partula.