First Record of Giant African Land Snail From Rajasthan
During a conchological survey of the water bodies and other damp localities around Udaipur city of Rajasthan with Dr. Satish Kumar Sharma, a few specimens of Giant African Land Snail were collected in Panchwati near a nallah on 17th July 1996.
As many as seven species of freshwater snails have been described by Sharma (1997) from Udaipur region but little is known about the land snails of the area. Probably this is the first report of this land snail from Udaipur as well as Rajasthan, hence worth placing on record.
During winter and summer, they remain hidden and with the onset of monsoon they come out of their hiding places and start breeding in grass lawns and other damp areas. They are voracious feeders and impact heavily on the local vegetation. In one house they were seen feeding on fallen fruits of Coccinia cordifolia. This snail is a prolific breeder and multiplies quickly. It was also observed to be eaten by Coucal.
We are grateful to Mr. Deepak Apte, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai for identification of the snails.
Published in Zoo’s Print Journal
Tehsin, R. H. & Sharma, S. K. (1999) First Record Of Giant African Land Snail Achatna fulica From Rajasthan. Zoo’s Print Journal 15(3): 231