Changi beach : 07-09-25

The Neverita genus refers to a group of medium-sized to large predatory marine sea snails, belonging to the marine gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Polinicinae of the family Naticidae, the moon snails.

Neverita didyma, common name the bladder moon snail or moon shell, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Naticidae, the moon snails. This species inhabits shallow marine water with sandy or muddy substrates, often near seagrass beds.

Neverita didyma is characterized by their distinct, globular (ball-like) shells, the size of an adult shell of this species varies between 20 mm and 90 mm, it is a predatory carnivorous gastropod that feeds on other molluscs, particularly bivalves and other snails.

It hunts by burying itself in sandy or muddy substrates, using its powerful foot and radula, a ribbon-like structure with teeth, to drill a hole through its prey's shell secreting an acid to soften it. Once the shell is breached, it uses its proboscis to consume the prey's flesh.

Neverita didyma has a broad distribution across the Indo-West Pacific, ranging from South Africa to eastern Indonesia, north to Japan, and south to southern Queensland in Australia. It is also found in the Yellow Sea and off the coasts of Madagascar and Mozambique.

Marine snails are known to travel long distances via currents and can be transported in larval form or with floating debris. Other possibilities include introduction via human activities such as shipping, where they might be transported in ballast water or attached to ship hulls.

As a marine organism, Neverita didyma relies on ocean currents for its dispersal. Eggs and larval stages can be carried by currents for long distances, allowing for colonization of new areas.

Snails or their egg cases can also become attached to floating objects like seaweed or driftwood, which are then transported by ocean currents to new locations, including Singapore's coastal waters. In Korean cuisine the snails are used in a dish called golbaengi-muchim (moon snail salad).

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

Subclass : Caenogastropoda

Order : Littorinimorpha

Familyb: Naticidae

Genus : Neverita

Species : N. didyma

Binomial name : Neverita didyma

(Röding, 1798)

Pasir ris mangrove 23-10-24

Onchidiidae are a family of small, air-breathing sea (and land) slugs. They are shell-less marine (except for two species) pulmonate gastropod molluscs. Onchidiidae is the only family within the superfamily Onchidioidea.

These animals are quite unusual in that they are emphatically not opisthobranchs with gills, as are almost all of the sea slugs. Instead these creatures are pulmonates. They are more closely related to air-breathing land and freshwater snails and slugs than they are to most other sea snails and sea slugs.

This family has no subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

Adult onchidiids lack a shell, although a shell and operculum are present at the larval stage. The mantle cavity is reduced to the point of absence, correlating with a loss of gills, raphes, and other characterstics usually found in the mantle cavity. The organism is completely detorted. Slugs in this family make and use love darts made of chitin.

Platevindex is a genus of air-breathing sea slugs, a shell-less marine pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Onchidiidae. Platevindex slugs live in intertidal habitats of the Indo-West Pacific. Most Platevindex species are found in mangrove forests, but some species may be found in salt marshes or on coral rubble near mangrove trees. These slugs are characterized by their dorso-ventrally flattened body and a very narrow foot.

The Grey-footed mangrove onch slug (Platyvindex sp.) is a small, hard-bodied slug found in the mangrove forests of the Indo-West Pacific. It has a hard body, long or circular, features : 2-3cm, slightly rounded with small bumps arranged in concentric circles. Generally greyish or brown. The underside of the body is grey, it has a narrow foot that has horizontal ridges. 

This slug is often seen on the trunks and branches of mangrove trees and is a part of the Onchidiidae family, which includes several species of air-breathing sea slugs.

​

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

Order : Systellommatophora

Superfamily : Onchidioidea

Family : Onchidiidae

Genus : Platevindex

Baker, 1938

Pasir ris mangrove 23-10-24

Gastropods (class Gastropoda) include both the snails and slugs from the Phylum Mollusca.

“Gastropoda” means “stomach-foot”, as gastropods often appear as if they are crawling on their stomach, which is actually their foot. They usually have one to two pairs of tentacles, and most have a radula, which is a rasping tongue-like structure for feeding.

Snails come with a single coiled shell, while slugs either have a very reduced shell, an internal shell, or no shells at all.

Snails and slugs are not two different genetically distinct groups though, and a particular slug may be more closely related to a snail rather than another slug.

Marine slugs refer to slugs living in the marine environment, such as those living in the coral reef, seashore, mangroves or seagrass meadow etc. Most marine slugs breathe through gills, but some living in the intertidal zones may breathe through lungs and are more closely related to land snails.

The onchidioideans are shell-less slug-like marine molluscs. They range in size from 10-70mm long. They are usually oval in shape with a hard leathery mantle which ranges from smooth in some species to tuberculate in others.

Some species have gill-like papillae scattered over the back and in other species there are eye-like sensory structures on the back. These relatives of the land snails have a section of the mantle cavity modified as a lung to breath air. It opens through a pore alongside the posteriorly opening anus, below the mantle.

Onchidium is a genus of marine pulmonate sea slugs that belongs to the family Onchidiidae. Members of this genus have been found nearly worldwide except for polar waters and the tropical Indo-West Pacific region.

It is has a large, flattened and oblong body. Its body curves outward like a sphere making it concave. The underside of this genus is flat and smooth being black in color. It has pointed papillae on the dorsal notum and very long and thin ocular tentacles. True slugs, such as the Onchidiids which this genus is a part of, are shell-less. This genus similarly to others of this family breathe air with a lung and die if they are immersed in water for a few hours.

Onchidiids live intertidally, often in sheltered estuaries on rocks, mud, and in mangrove swamps. They are also found on limestone cliffs with wide raised intertidal limestone platforms.

Little has been published on their natural history but it is thought they feed on the organic film of diatoms, other algae, and bacteria which coat rocks and mud on sheltered intertidal shores. 

Genera include Onchidium, Onchidella, Onchidina and Platevindex. Onchidiidae are a family of small, air-breathing sea (and land) slugs. They are shell-less marine (except for 2 species) pulmonate gastropod molluscs.

Onchidiidae is the only family within the superfamily Onchidioidea. These animals are quite unusual in that they are emphatically not opisthobranchs with gills, as are almost all of the sea slugs. Instead these creatures are pulmonates. They are more closely related to air-breathing land and freshwater snails and slugs than they are to most other sea snails and sea slugs.

All these slugs breathe air. The marine ones breathe and move around and feed during low tide, when the water recedes and the slugs are exposed to the air.

Onchidium is a genus of air-breathing sea slugs, shell less marine pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Onchidiidae. Onchidium griseum Orange footed mangrove onch slug is a species of air-breathing sea slug, a shell less marine pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Onchidiidae.

This slug is sometimes seen on mangrove burrowing in the mud, on the forest floor, under wood and even climbing trees trunks and branches on some of our shores.

Body features long : 4-5cm, hard with ridges along the centre and small bumps. Generally greyish or brown.

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

(unranked) :

clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura

clade Panpulmonata

clade Eupulmonata

clade Systellommatophora

Superfamily : Onchidioidea

Family : Onchidiidae

Genus : Onchidium

Species : O. griseum

Binomial name : Onchidium griseum

(Plate, 1893)

Synonyms :

Oncidium griseum Plate, 1893

Achatinidae (New Latin, from Greek "agate") is a family of medium to large sized tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks from Africa.

Well known species include Achatina achatina the Giant African Snail, and Lissachatina fulica the Giant East African Snail. As of 2011 there were recognized 176 extant species and subspecies in 16 genera within Achatinidae. The native distribution of Achatinidae is Africa south of the Sahara.

Lissachatina fulica is a species of large land snail that belongs in the subfamily Achatininae of the family Achatinidae. It is also known as the Giant African land snail. It shares the common name "giant African snail" with other species of snails such as Achatina achatina and Archachatina marginata.

This snail species has been considered a significant cause of pest issues around the world. Internationally, it is the most frequently occurring invasive species of snail.

Outside of its native range, this snail thrives in many types of habitat in areas with mild climates. It feeds voraciously and is a vector for plant pathogens, causing severe damage to agricultural crops and native plants.

It competes with native snail taxa, is a nuisance pest of urban areas, and spreads human disease. This snail is listed as one of the top 100 invasive species in the world.

The species is native to East Africa, but it has been widely introduced to other parts of the world through the pet trade, as a food resource, and by accidental introduction.

The adult snail is around 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter and 20 cm (7.9 in) or more in length, making it one of the largest of all extant land snails.

The shell has a conical shape, being about twice as long as it is broad. Either clockwise (dextral) or counter-clockwise (sinistral) directions can be observed in the coiling of the shell, although the dextral cone is the more common.

Shell colouration is highly variable, and dependent on diet. Typically, brown is the predominant colour and the shell is banded.

The giant African snail is native to East Africa, and can be traced back to Kenya and Tanzania. It is a highly invasive species, and colonies can be formed from a single gravid individual.

In many places, release into the wild is illegal. Nonetheless, the species has established itself in some temperate climates and its habitat now includes most regions of the humid tropics, including many Pacific islands, southern and eastern Asia, and the Caribbean.

The giant snail can now be found in agricultural areas, coastland, natural forest, planted forests, riparian zones, scrub and shrublands, urban areas, and wetlands.

The giant African snail is a macrophytophagous herbivore; it eats a wide range of plant material, fruit, vegetables, lichens, fungi, paper, and cardboard. It sometimes eats sand, very small stones, bones from carcasses, and even concrete as calcium sources for its shell.

In rare instances, the snails consume each other, snail eggs, and other deceased small animals such as mice and birds.

In captivity, this species can be fed on a wide range of fruit and vegetables, plain unseasoned mince, or boiled egg.

They should always be provided with a source of calcium carbonate such as cuttlefish bone, vital for healthy shell growth. They require about 20% of crude protein in their diet for optimal growth.

This species is a simultaneous hermaphrodite; each individual has both testes and ovaries and is capable of producing both sperm and ova.

The testes typically mature first around 5–8 months, followed by the ovaries. Self-fertilization is not viable and therefore snails require a partner to reproduce. Snails typically mate with a snail of similar size.

During the mating, the snails either simultaneously transfer gametes to each other (bilateral sperm transfer), or one snail transfers sperm into the other (unilateral sperm transfer).

Snails mate at night and their mating begins with courtship rituals that can last up to half an hour, including petting their heads and front parts against each other. One snail initiates the courtship, and if all goes well they begin copulation.

However, copulation does not always occur because snails show mate choice behavior, and observations have shown up to 90% of attempted courtships were rejected and did not end in copulation.

Copulation can last anywhere from 1–24 hours, but tends to last 6–8 hours. Transferred sperm can be stored within the body up to two years.

The snails are oviparous and lay shelled eggs. The number of eggs per clutch and clutches per year varies by environment and age of the parent, but averages around 200 eggs per clutch and 5-6 clutches per year.

The eggs hatch after 1–17 days and the snails emerge as juveniles. They reach adult size in about six months, after which growth slows, but does not cease until death. Life expectancy is 3–5 years in the wild and 5–6 years in captivity, but the snails can live for up to 10 years.

Snails are primarily active at night and spend their days in dark, damp places such as buried in soil or under leaf litter. They are capable of aestivating up to three years in times of extreme drought, sealing itself into its shell by secretion of a calcareous compound that dries on contact with the air.

In many places, this snail is a pest of agriculture and households, with the ability to transmit both human and plant pathogens.

In the wild, this species often harbors the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which can cause a very serious meningitis in humans.

Human cases of this meningitis usually result from a person having eaten the raw or undercooked snail, but even handling live wild snails of this species can infect a person with the nematode, thus causing a life-threatening infection.

These snails are used by some practitioners of Candomblé for religious purposes in Brazil as an offering to the deity Oxalá. The snails substitute for a closely related species, the West African giant snail (Archachatina marginata) normally offered in Nigeria.

The two species are similar enough in appearance to satisfy religious authorities. They are also edible if cooked properly.

In Taiwan, this species is used in the dish of 炒螺肉 (fried snail meat), which is a delicacy among the traditional drinking snacks.

L. fulica also constitutes the predominant land snail found in Chinese markets, and larger species have potential as small, efficient livestock.

The snails have also become increasingly popular as pets in countries including France and the UK, where various companies have sold the animal both as a pet and an education aide.

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

Subclass : Heterobranchia

Order : Stylommatophora

Suborder : Achatinina

Superfamily : Achatinoidea

Family : Achatinidae

Genus : Lissachatina

Species : L. fulica

Binomial name : Lissachatina fulica

(Férussac, 1821)

Synonyms :

​Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica (Férussac, 1821)· accepted, alternate representation.

Achatina fulica (Férussac, 1821)

Snails by their habitat could be grouped into two : aquatic and terrestrial.

​However, terrestrial snails are mostly found in wet and damp areas. Both aquatic and terrestrial snails are hosts to a range of parasites.

Snail consumption rate is rising because people are now avoiding red meat for perceived health reasons. Snail meat offers the entire amino acid requirement in man with relatively high iron content and low fat.

Many of the snails consumed in Nigeria are sourced from the wild, only few are reared, hence, wild snail population have considerably declined. In addition, deforestation, pesticide use and bushfires have further reduced the number of snails.

Land snails are sources of protein to man and are hosts to a number of parasites. It is imperative that the roles of the snail hosts and parasites are clearly defined. Before then however, the parasites of the different land snails collected in any locality should be identified.

​Achatinidae (New Latin, from Greek "agate") is a family of medium to large sized tropical land snails,

terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks from Africa.

Well known species include Achatina achatina the Giant African Snail, and Lissachatina fulica the Giant East African Snail. As of 2011 there were recognized 176 extant species and subspecies in 16 genera within Achatinidae. The native distribution of Achatinidae is Africa south of the Sahara.

The family Achatinidae is classified within the informal group Sigmurethra, itself belonging to the clade Stylommatophora within the clade Eupulmonata (according to taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

Limicolaria is a genus of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae.

Limicolaria flammea is a species of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae. This species is Native to West Africa : Ghana to Angola and is a species

introduced to Southeast Asia Singapore, where it is replacing the established population of Lissachatina fulica. Life History Very little is known.

Limicolaria flammea is potentially an intermediate vector of the Rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), a parasitic nematode worm causing eosinophilic meningoencephalitis/cerebral angiostrongyliasis in humans and similar conditions in livestock including household pets. 

The disease can be contracted from the consumption of undercooked snail meat and from the residual slime

left on uncooked fruits and vegetables. This disease causes a wide variety of neurological disorders,

permanent brain damage, blindness and even death.

Selected References : 

Bequaert, J.C., 1950, Studies in the Achatininae, a Group of African land Snails. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College, 105(1): 1-216, 81 pl.

Mead, A.R., 1979, Pulmonates. Volume 2B.

Economic Malacology, with particular reference to

Achatina fulica. Academic Press, London, 150 pp.

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

Order : Stylommatophora

Family : Achatinidae

Genus : Limicolaria

Species : L. flammea

Binomial name : Limicolaria flammea

(Müller, 1774)

Pomacea canaliculata, commonly known as the golden apple snail or the channeled apple snail, is a species of large freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae

the apple snails.

It is South American in origin, this species is considered to be in the top 100 of the "World's Worst Invasive Alien Species". It is also ranked as the 40th worst alien species in Europe and the worst alien species of gastropod in Europe.

The native distribution of P. canaliculata is basically tropical and subtropical, including Argentina,

Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil.

The southernmost record for the species is Paso de las Piedras reservoir, south of the Buenos Aires province, Argentina.

The species has also been found in the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, Singapore, and Guam.

In 1980, the apple snail was introduced to south-east Asia as a food item and aquarium pet. First, it was introduced to Taiwan follow by Japan, then Thailand and the Philippines.

The shells of these applesnails are globular in shape. Normal coloration typically includes bands of brown, black, and yellowish-tan; color patterns are extremely variable. Albino and gold color variations exist.

The size of the shell is up to 150 millimetres (6 in) in length.

This species lives in freshwater lake, river, pond and swamp habitats and tolerates a wide range of temperatures. In natural settings, they rely on grasses and other emergent vegetation growing along the perimeter of bodies of water to lay their eggs. Where invasive, they can utilize crops such as rice and taro as a substrate for reproduction.

Pomacea canaliculata is extremely polyphagous, feeding on vegetal (primarily macrophytophagous, feeding on floating or submersed higher plants), detrital, and animal matter. Diet may vary with age, with younger smaller individuals feeding on algae and detritus, and older, bigger (15 millimetres (19⁄32 in) and above) individuals later shifting to higher plants.

This species negatively impacts rice and taro agriculture worldwide where it has been introduced.

In temperate climates, the egg-laying period of this species extends from early spring to early fall. while in tropical areas reproduction is continuous. The duration of the reproductive period of P. canaliculata decreases with latitude, to a minimum of six months in the southern limit of its natural distribution.

Adult females oviposit on emergent vegetation at night, but will also lay their eggs on rocks and manmade surfaces like boats. Once laid, the eggs take approximately two weeks to hatch, during which time the bright pink or orange coloration of the eggs fades.

Approximately 1% of the Pomacea canaliculata on sale on local markets in Dali City, Yunnan, China were found to be infected with pathogenic Angiostrongylus cantonensis in 2009.

This species is edible. Pomacea canaliculata constitutes one of the three predominant freshwater snails found in Chinese markets. In China and Southeast Asia, consumption of raw or undercooked snails of Pomacea canaliculata and other snails is the primary route of infection with Angiostrongylus cantonensis causing angiostrongyliasis.

In Isan, Thailand these snails are collected and consumed. They are picked by hand or with a hand-net from canals, swamps, ponds, and flooded paddy fields during the rainy season. During the dry season when these snails are concealed under dried mud, collectors use a spade to scrape the mud in order to find them.

After collection, the snails are cleaned and parboiled. They are then taken out of their shells, cut, and cleaned in salted water. After rinsing with water, they are mixed with roasted rice, dried chili pepper, lime juice, and fish sauce, and then eaten.

Special dishes, dish name is 田螺塞肉, using Pomacea canaliculata are also produced in China.

Some French restaurants are trying to use Pomacea canaliculata as an alternative to escargot. After boiling, remove Pomacea canaliculata guts and eggs. Washing only the muscular body with vinegar will eliminate the odor. As a result, it can be used as an alternative to escargot.

Pomacea canaliculata has displaced some of the indigenous rice field apple snail species in the genus Pila traditionally eaten in Southeast Asia (including Thailand and the Philippines) such as Pila ampullacea and Pila pesmei; as well as the viviparid trapdoor snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis).

In some paddy fields in Japan, Pomacea canaliulata is used to control weeds by allowing the snail to eat them. However, this method runs risk of the snails also eating young rice plants, and of spreading to nearby fields and waterways as an invasive pest. It is also a part of the ornamental pet trade for freshwater aquaria.

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

Subclass : Caenogastropoda

Order : Architaenioglossa

Family : Ampullariidae

Genus : Pomacea

Species : P. canaliculata

Binomial name : Pomacea canaliculata

(Lamarck, 1819)

Ariophantidae is a taxonomic family of air-breathing land snails and semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicarionoidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

The distribution of the family Ariophantidae includes India and south-eastern Asia.

Parmarion is a genus of air-breathing land semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Ariophantidae. Parmarion is the type genus of the Parmarioninae, which is a synonym of Ostracolethinae.

Species within the genus Parmarion include :

Parmarion martensi Simroth, 1893

Parmarion kersteni von Martens, 1869

Parmarion martensi is a species of air-breathing land semislug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Ariophantidae. 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, an invasive species 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.

Parmarion martensi is considered to be a pest species in Hawaii, it is a host for the nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which causes rat lungworm disease. This species Parmarion martensi feeds on lettuce and on papaya in gardens in Hawaii, and is considered to be a pest.

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

Order : Stylommatophora

Family : Ariophantidae

Genus : Parmarion

Species : P. martensi

Binomial name : Parmarion martensi

Simroth, 1893

Oxychilus is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the family Oxychilidae, the glass snails.

There are more than 100 (at least 107 including synonyms) species in the genus Oxychilus.

Oxychilus alliarius, commonly known as the garlic snail or garlic glass-snail, is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the glass snail family, Oxychilidae.

The specific name alliarius refers to Allium which means garlic. The common name also refers to the fact that when this animal is disturbed, it gives off a strong smell similar to that of raw garlic.

The 3.5–4 by 5–7 millimetres (0.14 in–0.16 in × 0.20 in–0.28 in) shell has four or four and a half slightly convex whorls. The last whorl is often weakly descending near aperture. Surface glossy and translucent, pale brown or greenish. Animal dark blue-grey, rarely pale grey, with mantle edge of the same colour.

The whorls from whorl 3 onwards are more narrowly coiled than in Oxychilus cellarius, the last whorl descending lower. The umbilicus is wide (one sixth of diameter). The shell is smooth, shiny, weakly reddish to greenish brown. The animal is blackish blue.

The internal ornamentation of the proximal penis consisting of not more than four longitudinal pleats, usually straight, sometimes slightly wavy, but never laterally branched or papillate.

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

Subclass : Heterobranchia

Superorder : Eupulmonata

Order : Stylommatophora

Family : Oxychilidae

Genus : Oxychilus

Species : O. alliarius

Binomial name : Oxychilus alliarius

(Miller, 1822) 

Laevicaulis is a taxonomic genus of air-breathing, tropical land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs.

Laevicaulis alte is a taxonomic genus of air-breathing, tropical land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs. Laevicaulis alte is a round, dark-coloured slug with no shell, 7 or 8 cm long. Its skin is slightly tuberculated. The central keel is beige in colour. This slug has a unique, very narrow foot; juvenile specimens have a foot 1 mm wide and adult specimens have a foot that is only 4 or 5 mm wide.

The tentacles are small, 2 or 3 mm long, and they are only rarely extended beyond the edge of the mantle. This species is probably indigenous to Africa (western Africa and eastern Africa). This slug is eaten by the frog Rana tigrina.

​Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word slug is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a small internal shell, particularly sea slugs and semislugs (this is in contrast to the common name snail, which applies to gastropods that have a coiled shell large enough that the animal can fully retract its soft parts into the shell).

Slugs are hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive organs. Once a slug has located a mate, they encircle each other and sperm is exchanged through their protruded genitalia. A few days later, the slugs lay approximately thirty eggs in a hole in the ground, or beneath the cover of an object such as a fallen log.

Slugs play an important role in the ecosystem by eating decaying plant material and fungi. Most carnivorous slugs on occasion also eat dead specimens of their own kind.

Slugs can feed on a wide variety of vegetables and herbs, including flowers such as petunias, chrysanthemums, daisies, lobelia, lilies, daffodils, narcissus, gentians, primroses, tuberous begonias, hollyhocks, irises, and fruits such as strawberries. They also feed on carrots, peas, apples, and cabbage that are offered as a sole food source.

In captivity this slug will eat : Dandelion leaves, Tomatoes - it nibbles the skin first and then the pulp, cucumber apples, spinach and carrot. When other items are not available, it will eat dill. 

In captivity it will not eat : grapes.

Parasites, this slug is an intermediate host for Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, a round worm, the most common cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. This species lives in dry areas, mostly at lower altitudes.

This slug hatches from eggs. This species has several adaptations for living in dry conditions: a rounded shape with as small as possible surface area, and a narrow foot to reduce evaporation.

Juvenile specimens search for food nearly always at night, and stay buried in the soil during the day. Larger specimens are active during the day sometimes. This slug can grow up from 0.5 cm to approximately 4 cm in length in 7 months.

When attacked, slugs can contract their body, making themselves harder and more compact and more still and round. By doing this, they become firmly attached to the substrate. This, combined with the slippery mucus they produce, makes slugs more difficult for predators to grasp. The unpleasant taste of the mucus is also a deterrent. 

Slugs can also incapacitate predators through the production of a highly sticky and elastic mucus which can trap predators in the secretion.

Slugs' bodies are made up mostly of water and, without a full-sized shell, their soft tissues are prone to desiccation. They must generate protective mucus to survive.

Many species are most active just after rain because of the moist ground. In drier conditions, they hide in damp places such as under tree bark, fallen logs, rocks and man-made structures, such as planters, to help retain body moisture. 

Like all other gastropods, they undergo torsion (a 180° twisting of the internal organs) during development. Internally, slug anatomy clearly shows the effects of this rotation—but externally, the bodies of slugs appear more or less symmetrical, except the pneumostome, which is on one side of the animal, normally the right-hand side.

Slugs produce two types of mucus : one is thin and watery, and the other thick and sticky. Both kinds are hygroscopic. ​The thin mucus spreads from the foot's centre to its edges, whereas the thick mucus spreads from front to back.

​Slugs also produce thick mucus that coats the whole body of the animal. The mucus secreted by the foot contains fibres that help prevent the slug from slipping down vertical surfaces.

The "slime trail" a slug leaves behind has some secondary effects: other slugs coming across a slime trail can recognise the slime trail as produced by one of the same species, which is useful in finding a mate.

Following a slime trail is also part of the hunting behaviour of some carnivorous slugs. Body mucus provides some protection against predators, as it can make the slug hard to pick up and hold by a bird's beak, for example, or the mucus itself can be distasteful. 

Some slugs can also produce very sticky mucus which can incapacitate predators and can trap them within the secretion.n Some species of slug, such as Limax maximus, secrete slime cords to suspend a pair during copulation.

The species is probably indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa. Laevicaulis alte lives in dry areas, mostly at lower altitudes.

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

Subclass : Heterobranchia

Superorder : Eupulmonata

Order : Systellommatophora

Family : Veronicellidae

Genus : Laevicaulis

Species : L. alte

Binomial name : Laevicaulis alte

(Férussac, 1822) 

Amphidromus is a genus of tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Camaenidae.

Amphidromus atricallosus is a species of air-breathing, arboreal land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae.

The shells of Amphidromus are relatively large, from 25 mm (0.98 in) to 75 mm (3.0 in) in maximum dimension, and particularly colorful.

During the 18th century, they were among the first Indonesian land snail shells brought to Europe by travelers and explorers. Since then, the genus has been extensively studied, several comprehensive monographs and catalogs were authored by naturalists and zoologists during the time period from the early 19th to the mid 20th centuries. Modern studies have focused on better understanding the evolutionary relationships within the group, as well as solving taxonomic problems.

The genus Amphidromus is unusual in that it includes species that have dextral shell-coiling and species that have sinistral shell-coiling. In addition, some species within this genus are particularly notable because their populations simultaneously include individuals with left-handed and right-handed shell-coiling. 

This is an extremely rare phenomenon, and very interesting to biologists. Studies focused on the soft anatomy of Amphidromus are scattered and fragmentary. Information on the internal anatomy is known only from a few species, and no larger, comparative morphological study has ever been carried out.

Species in the genus Amphidromus are arboreal — in other words, they are tree snails. However, more detailed information on their habits is still lacking. The general feeding habits of these snails are unknown, but a few species are known to feed on microscopic fungi, lichens or terrestrial algae. Amphidromus themselves are preyed upon by birds, snakes, and probably also by smaller mammals such as rats.

The generic name is derived from the ancient Greekwords amphí (ἀμφί), meaning "on both sides", and drómos (δρόμος), meaning "running", alluding to the different chiralities of the shells.

The shells of Amphidromus are relatively large, and quite colorful; considerable numbers of them were among the first Indonesian land snail shells brought back to Europe by travelers and explorers during the 18th century. Comparatively speaking, malacologists have gathered a much smaller number of specimens.

Species in the genus Amphidromus usually have smooth, glossy, brightly colored, elongate or conic, dextrally or sinistrally coiled shells. The shells are moderately large, ranging from 25 mm (0.98 in) to 70 mm (2.8 in) in maximum dimension, having from 6 to 8 convex whorls. 

Their color pattern is usually monochromatic yellowish or greenish, but can be variegated. The aperture is oblique or ovate in shape, without any teeth or folds, and with the aperture height ranging from two-fifths to one-third of total shell height. The peristome is expanded and/or reflected, and is sometimes thickened.

The columella may be straight or recurved, and the parietal callus is weak to well-developed, and the umbilicus may be open or closed. The radula is spatulate, has cusped teeth arranged in rows, usually with a monocuspid central tooth and bicuspid or tricuspid lateral teeth. The jaw is thin and weak, with low flat ribs. The pallial region is sigmurethrous, with a very long, narrow kidney. 

The genitalia are that of typical camaenids, with a long seminal receptacle, a short penis with low insertion of the retractor muscle, and a short or long epiphallic caecum (flagellum and appendix). The spermatophores have a pentagonal outline in cross-section. Amphidromus are typically arboreal animals.

The shells of Amphidromus are relatively large, from one to three inches high, and colorful. Amphidromus has an elongate-conic or ovate-conic helicoid shell of 5 to 8 whorls. The shell may be thin and fragile, or very heavy and solid, with no known correlation of shell structure with distribution or habitats.

In some species within this genus, the shell coils invariably to the right, and in many others just as invariably to the left. However, a significant number of species in this genus are "amphidromine"; this term means that both left- and right-handed shell coiling are found within the same population. One could say they are "polymorphic" for the direction of shell coiling, but because there are only two possible types of shell coiling, they are described as "dimorphic" in coiling. 

The two types of shell coiling occur in some species in approximately equal numbers, other species have a distinct predominance of one phase. There is as yet no information on the heredity of this character in Amphidromus.

Because almost all other species of amphidromine gastropods, such as ones within the genera Partula and Achatinella, have already become extinct, the genus Amphidromus, containing over 110 species, is uniquely useful for the study of the evolution of asymmetry in animals, and this is why the conservation of this genus is of essential importance to biologists.

The whorls of the shell of species of Amphidromus are moderately convex and, with only a few exceptions, are smooth or have a faint sculpture of growth lines.

Generally the whorls of the shell increase rather regularly in size. The single most major aspect of shell variation within the genus is the color patterning. In general, many arboreal snails are brightly colored.

The basic ground color of Amphidromus appears to be yellow, and this color is usually (except for Amphidromus entobaptus) confined to the surface layers of the shell, since worn specimens appear to be nearly devoid of color. 

In some species the background color is whitish, and a few have dark background colors. The apical whorls are pale, purple, brown, or black, and this sometimes varies within a population (as in A. quadrasi). A few species, for example A. schomburgki, have a deciduous green periostracum.

Species recognition is based on combinations of minor structural variations in the shape, aperture, whorl contour, umbilical region, and color pattern. It appears to be the case that many species have a stable color pattern, while other species seem to vary tremendously. Adequate unselected field samples will enable a better understanding of the relative stability or variability of particular species in single localities.

The aperture is generally large, varying from about two-fifths to one-third the height of the shell, often within the same population. Usually the lip is at least somewhat expanded.

The Singapore Green Tree Snail (Amphidromous atricallosus temasek) is found solely in undisturbed forested area and is endemic to Singapore. This means that it exists nowhere else in the world except Singapore.

The Singapore Green Tree Snail can be easily recognised by its very distinct jade green shell and pale body.

The Singapore Green Tree Snail has long been confused with another subspecies Amphidromous atricallosus perakensis which is widely distributed in Peninsular Malaysia.

It was only in 2011 that the Singapore Green Tree Snail was recognised as a different subspecies by Mr Tan Siong Kiat, the curator for malacofauna at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and two of his colleagues.

Singapore Green Tree Snails are also known to be hermaphroditic, which means that a single individual possesses both male and female reproductive organs! However, they still need to find another snail to mate.

Over the years, due to rapid urbanisation, loss of habitat and exploitation by shell collectors, the population of the Singapore Green Tree Snail has declined to a point where it is now listed in the Singapore Red Data Book as an endangered species. Its population is now restricted to certain parts of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and some of the offshore islands.

Conserving our natural heritage. In order to better understand and conserve the remaining populations of the Singapore Green Tree Snail, the National Parks Board has embarked on a 2-year study of land snail biodiversity in Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The study aims to assess the population and distribution of all land snails in Central Catchment Nature Reserve, including the Singapore Green Tree Snail.

​The study also aims to identify any threat and propose preventive measures to ensure their survival within the forest. Preliminary results show that a healthy population still thrive within Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

The Singapore Green Tree Snail is an important natural heritage, and we should protect it for our future generations to appreciate. We can all do our part by preserving its natural habitat and refrain from collecting its beautiful shell.

Phylum : Mollusca

Class : Gastropoda

Order : Stylommatophora

Family : Camaenidae

Genus : Amphidromus

Species : A. atricallosus

Binomial name : Amphidromus atricallosus

(Gould, 1843)

Synonyms : 

Bulimus atricallosus A. Gould, 1843

Bulimus eques L. Pfeiffer, 1857

Amphidromus eques (L. Pfeiffer, 1857)