''Parmarion martensi'' is a
species of air-breathing land
semislug
Semi-slugs, also spelled semislugs, are land gastropods whose shells are too small for them to retract into, but not quite vestigial. The shell of some semi-slugs may not be easily visible on casual inspection, because the shell may be covered ...
, 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 ...
mollusk in the family
Ariophantidae.
Distribution
The probable native distribution of ''Parmarion martensi'' includes
Southeast Asia.
This species is already established in the USA, and is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a
pest
Pest or The Pest may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns
** Weed, a plant considered undesirable
* Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection
** ...
, an
invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
which could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore it has been suggested that this species be given top national
quarantine significance in the USA.
[Cowie R. H., Dillon R. T., Robinson D. G. & Smith J. W. (2009). "Alien non-marine snails and slugs of priority quarantine importance in the United States: A preliminary risk assessment". ''American Malacological Bulletin'' 27: 113-132]
PDF
.
''Parmarion martensi'' is considered to be a pest species in
Hawaii.
[Hollingsworth et al. (2007). "Distribution of ''Parmarion'' cf. ''martensi'' (Pulmonata: Helicarionidae), a New Semi-Slug Pest on Hawai‘i Island, and Its Potential as a Vector for Human Angiostrongyliasis". '']Pacific Science
''Pacific Science'' is a quarterly multidisciplinary peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the biological and physical sciences of the Pacific basin, focusing especially on biogeography, ecology, evolution, geology and volcanology, oceanograph ...
'' 61(4): 457-467. .
Ecology
''Parmarion martensi'' is a host for the nematode ''
Angiostrongylus cantonensis'', which causes
rat lungworm disease
Angiostrongyliasis is an infection by a roundworm of the '' Angiostrongylus'' type. Symptoms may vary from none, to mild, to meningitis.
Infection with ''Angiostrongylus cantonensis'' (rat lungworm) can occur after ingestion of raw or undercoo ...
.
''Parmarion martensi'' feeds on
lettuce and on
papaya
The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...
in gardens in Hawaii, and is considered to be a pest.
References
Further reading
* Minato H. (1975). "A new record of ''Parmarion martensi'' from Ishigaki Island, the Southern Ryukyus, Japan". ''Venus'' 34(3-4): 109-111.
* Minato H. & Okubo K. (1991). "A record of ''Parmarion martensi'' Simroth, 1893 (Pulmonata: Helicarionidae) collected from Taiwan". ''The Chiribotan'' 22: 3-4.
External links
Categorized ''Parmarion martensi'' information from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7139172
Ariophantidae
Gastropods described in 1893