''Succinea costaricana'' 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 Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Succineidae Succineidae are a family of small to medium-sized, air-breathing land snails (and slugs), terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Succineoidea.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Succineidae Beck, 1837. Accessed thr ...

, the amber snails. The individuals can reach up to 13.5 mm long. When reproducing, females can lay 7 eggs per cluster; each egg measuring 1.4 mm diameter. Embryos measure approximately 0.3 mm, while its shell can reach around 0.8 mm in length. The animals can reproduce at 12 weeks of age and their lifespan is approximately 44 weeks.

Distribution

The distribution of this species is Neotropical and includes:Villalobos M. C., Monge-Nájera J., Barrientos Z. & Franco J. (1995). "Life cycle and field abundance of the snail ''Succinea costaricana'' (Stylommatophora: Succineidae), a tropical pest". '' Revista de Biología Tropical'' 43: 181-188
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Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Ecology

''Succinea costaricana'' usually lives under

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...

. In Costa Rica the species reproduces all year round.

Human importance

''Succinea costaricana'' is

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

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 ** ...

, which damages

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s. In 1992, an estimated population density at an ornamental plant farm growing '' Dracaena'' in Limón Province, Costa Rica, was 282,900 snails per ha. It was scarce in the rainforest, when they cleared the forest for crops, and eliminated their predators and parasites, the population exploded. Is considered one of the few successful cases in the control of a mollusc pest, since changes in the cultivation techniques ended with it.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7632680 Succineidae Taxa named by Eduard von Martens Gastropods described in 1898