List of non-marine molluscs of Hawaii facts for kids
Hawaii is home to many amazing creatures, including tiny animals called non-marine molluscs. These are snails and clams that live on land or in freshwater, not in the ocean. They are an important part of Hawaii's unique wildlife.
Many different kinds of non-marine molluscs live in the wild across the Hawaiian Islands. Some are native, meaning they naturally belong there. Others are non-native, brought to Hawaii by people. Some very special ones even live only in places like greenhouses or aquariums, not truly in the wild.
The shells of local land snails, collected by David Dwight Baldwin, can be seen at the Bailey House Museum in Wailuku, Maui. This shows how important these creatures have been to Hawaii's history.
Contents
Freshwater Snails
Freshwater snails are molluscs that live in rivers, streams, and ponds. Hawaii has some unique species found only there.
Neritidae Family
- Neritina granosa Sowerby: This snail is found only in Hawaii. It is an endemic species, meaning it lives nowhere else in the world.
Lymnaeidae Family
- Erinna newcombi: This special snail is also endemic to Hawaii. It lives only on the island of Kauaʻi.
Land Snails and Slugs
Land gastropods include snails, which have shells, and slugs, which do not. Hawaii has many unique land snails, some of which are very rare.
Achatinellidae Family
- Achatinella: This group includes about 40 different species of snails. All of them are endemic to the island of O`ahu. Sadly, many of these beautiful snails are now extinct or endangered.
- Perdicella fulgurans Sykes, 1900: This species is an example of a snail from this family that is now extinct.
Endodontidae Family
- Cookeconcha contorta: This snail is another example of an endemic species found only in Hawaii.
Pupillidae Family
- Pupoidopsis hawaiensis Pilsbry & Cooke, 1920: This is a small land snail species found in Hawaii.
Oxychilidae Family
- Godwinia: This entire group of snails is endemic to Hawaii. This means all species within the Godwinia genus are found only on these islands.
See also
