''Paropeas achatinaceum'' 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 terrestrial

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 ...

mollusc 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 esti ...

in the family Achatinidae.

Taxonomy

The subgenus '' Paropeas'' within the genus '' Prosopeas'' was elevated to generic status in 1994, based on the anatomy of this species.

Description

''Paropeas achatinaceum'' is a small snail with an oblong shell. The

reproductive system The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are als ...

of ''Paropeas achatinaceum'' was described by Naggs (1994)Naggs F. (1994). "The reproductive anatomy of ''Paropeas achatinaceum'' and a new concept of ''Paropeas'' (Pulmonata: Achatinoidea: Subulinidae)". ''Journal of Molluscan Studies'' 60(2): 175-191. . and by Azuma (1995).トクサオカチョウジガイ ''Paropeas achatinaceum'' (Pfeiffer) の生殖腺系統について Notes of the Genital System of ''Paropeas achatinaceum'' (Pfeiffer, 1846) chatinoidea: Subulinidae. ちりぼたん ''The Chiribotan'' 25(3): 76-78
CiNii

Distribution

''Paropeas achatinaceum'' is native to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

It is widely distributed in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region. The type locality is Java. Distribution include: * Pratas Island,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Wu S.-P., Hwang C.-C., Huang H.-M., Chang H.-W., Lin Y.-S. & Lee P.-F. (2007). "Land Molluscan Fauna of the Dongsha Island with Twenty New Recorded Species". ''Taiwania'' 52(2): 145-151
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. The non-native distribution of ''Paropeas achatinaceum'' includes: * It became established in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

in the early 1900s. Although it has not been reported from anywhere else in the Neotropics, it was recently (December 2002) intercepted during preclearance of a shipment of ''

Eryngium ''Eryngium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae. There are about 250 species.Wang, P., et al. (2012)Phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities of ''Eryngium'' L. (Apiaceae). ''Pharmaceutical Crops'' 3 99-120. The ...

'' from

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

Georgia, USA Georgia is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee and North Carolina; to the northeast by South Carolina; to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean; to the south by Florida; and to the west by ...

. It is possible that the source of the specimen was the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

, because much of the ''Eryngium'' shipped to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico is actually of Dominican origin. *

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

- introduced: ** It was first detected on a shipment in Florida in 2002. ** Miami-Dade County, Florida - it has been reported since 2003 in the wild ** Broward County, Florida - it has been reported since 2003 in the wild

Ecology

''Paropeas achatinaceum'' is a phytophagous (plant eating) snail, which like many other subulinids, feeds on the roots of a wide variety of different plants, including those of the

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

References

This article incorporates public domain text, a public domain

work of the United States Government A work of the United States government, is defined by the United States copyright law, as "a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person's official duties." "A 'work of the United States Governmen ...

from the reference.

Robinson D. G. (16 June 2003). "Invasive Mollusk Survey of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, Florida June 2003". Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q7139447 Subulininae Gastropods described in 1846