''Liguus fasciatus'', the Liguus Tree Snails, also known as "living jewels", is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of air-breathing

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as ...

, a tree snail, a

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

in the family

Orthalicidae Orthalicidae (orthalicid land snails) are a family of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks are classified in the subfamily Orthalicoidea of the order Stylommatophora. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). Mollusca ...

Subspecies

In Florida this species includes the following 52 varieties or color forms, while in Cuba it is present in more than 70 varieties. *''Liguus fasciatus alternatus'' *''Liguus fasciatus aurantius'' *''Liguus fasciatus barbouri'' *''Liguus fasciatus capensis Liguus fasciatus goodrichi *''Liguus fasciatus castaneozonatus'' *''Liguus fasciatus castaneus'' *''Liguus fasciatus cingulatus'' *''Liguus fasciatus clenchi'' *''Liguus fasciatus crasus'' *''Liguus fasciatus deckerti'' *''Liguus fasciatus delicatus'' *''Liguus fasciatus dohertyi'' *''Liguus fasciatus dryas'' *''Liguus fasciatus eburneus'' *''Liguus fasciatus elegans'' *''Liguus fasciatus elliottensis'' *''Liguus fasciatus floridanus'' *''Liguus fasciatus fuscoflamellus'' *''Liguus fasciatus farnumi'' *''Liguus fasciatus gloryasylvaticus'' *''Liguus fasciatus graphicus'' *''Liguus fasciatus innominatus'' *''Liguus fasciatus lignumvitae'' *''Liguus fasciatus lineolatus'' *''Liguus fasciatus livingstoni'' *''Liguus fasciatus lossmanicus'' *''Liguus fasciatus lucidovarius'' *''Liguus fasciatus luteus'' *''Liguus fasciatus marmoratus'' *''Liguus fasciatus matecumbensis'' *''Liguus fasciatus miammiensis'' *''Liguus fasciatus mosieri'' *''Liguus fasciatus nebulosus'' *''Liguus fasciatus ornatus'' *''Liguus fasciatus osmenti'' *''Liguus fasciatus pictus'' *''Liguus fasciatus pseudopictus'' *''Liguus fasciatus roseatus'' *''Liguus fasciatus septentrionalis'' *''Liguus fasciatus simpsoni'' *''Liguus fasciatus solidulus'' *''Liguus fasciatus solicoccasus'' *''Liguus fasciatus splendidus'' *''Liguus fasciatus subcrenatus'' *''Liguus fasciatus testudineus '' *''Liguus fasciatus vacaensis'' *''Liguus fasciatus versicolor'' *''Liguus fasciatus violafumosus'' *''Liguus fasciatus walkeri'' *''Liguus fasciatus wintei'' *''Liguus fasciatus solidus'' *''Liguus fasciatus vonpaulseni''

Description

Shells of ''Liguus fasciatus'' can reach a size of .Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
/ref> These polished shining shells, ranging from white to almost black, have whorls banded with many colors (chestnut, orange, yellow pink or green). These tree snails feed on fungus and algae scraped from the bark of the

host plant In biology and medicine, a host is a larger organism that harbours a smaller organism; whether a parasitic, a mutualistic, or a commensalist ''guest'' ( symbiont). The guest is typically provided with nourishment and shelter. Examples include ...

s (mainly wild tamarind (''

Lysiloma latisiliquum ''Lysiloma latisiliquum'', commonly known as false tamarind or wild tamarind, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae, that is native to southern Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Fl ...

''), pigeon plum (''

Coccoloba diversifolia ''Coccoloba diversifolia'', known as pigeonplum or tietongue, is a species of the genus ''Coccoloba'' native to coastal areas of the Caribbean, Central America (Belize, Guatemala), southern Mexico, southern Florida (coastal regions from Cape Can ...

'') and ''

Myrsine ''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Myrsinaceae before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. It con ...

'' species). They can be found mainly from May through September, but they are active throughout the year.

Distribution

This species is the most widespread of all the Liguus. It occurs in the Caribbean Area (South

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

, North coast of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, Isle of Pines).The Geographic Distribution of Liguus Species
/ref>

Habitat

These tree snails can be found in southern Florida on

hammocks A hammock (from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno and Arawak ) is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a wov ...

, tropical forest and shrubs habitats that are slightly higher in elevation than the surrounding area.

Gallery

File:Liguus fasciatus achatinus 01.jpg, Liguus fasciatus achatinus File:Liguus fasciatus testudineus 01.JPG, Liguus fasciatus testudineus File: Orthalicidae - Liguus fasciatus-003.JPG, Shell of ''Liguus fasciatus'' from Everglades File: Orthalicidae - Liguus fasciatus-004.JPG, File: Orthalicidae - Liguus fasciatus-005.JPG, File: Orthalicidae - Liguus fasciatus-006.JPG, File: Orthalicidae - Liguus fasciatus-007.JPG,

References

External links

The Florida Tree Snail (''Liguus fasciatus'')

photo of shells of ''Liguus fasciatus''

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6546923 Orthalicidae Gastropods described in 1774 Taxa named by Otto Friedrich Müller