Achatinella elegans facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Achatinella elegans |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): |
clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata clade Eupulmonata clade Stylommatophora informal group Sigmurethra |
| Superfamily: |
Achatinoidea
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| Family: |
Achatinellidae
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| Genus: | |
| Subgenus: |
Bulimella
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| Species: |
† A. elegans
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| Binomial name | |
| † Achatinella elegans Newcomb, 1853
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| Location of Oʻahu | |
| Synonyms | |
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Achatinella elegans was a type of land snail that is now extinct. It belonged to a family of snails called Achatinellidae. This snail used to live only on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaii. It was last seen in November 2017, which means it is sadly gone forever.
Shell Features of the Achatinella elegans
The shell of the Achatinella elegans snail was quite special. It could be either dextral (meaning its spirals turned to the right) or sinistral (meaning its spirals turned to the left).
Shape and Size
The shell had a cone-like shape, but it was also long and strong. It had a flat, rounded bottom and a clear edge at the top. The shell had six whorls, which are the turns or spirals of the shell.
The opening of the shell, called the aperture, was shaped like an oval. The edge of this opening was white and spread out. It was also a bit thicker on the inside. The central pillar of the shell, known as the columella, was short, flat, and had a small tooth-like bump.
Color and Pattern
The shell was shiny and had a beautiful pattern. It featured stripes or large patches of alternating light and dark brown colors. Sometimes, there was a white band along the suture (the line where the whorls join) and another white band on the main body whorl.
The shell was about 23.1 millimeters (almost an inch) tall and 10.3 millimeters (about 0.4 inches) wide.
See also
In Spanish: Achatinella elegans para niños
