Partulina proxima
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| Partulina proxima | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Achatinellidae |
| Genus: | Partulina |
| Species: | P. proxima |
| Binomial name | |
| Partulina proxima (Pease, 1862) | |
Partulina proxima is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Achatinellidae. This species is endemic to Moloka'i, Hawaii in the United States. The species occurs in mid-elevation wet forests where it lives on the leaves of native shrubs and trees. Partulina proxima is known for their slow growth rate and level of maturity, which reveals to its small population size.
Partulina proxima is a small arboreal snail that is 1.5–2.0 cm in length and weighing less than 1 gram.[3] Its polymorphic shell colors are 0.85 mn in length.[4] The species have smooth shell surface, which may aid in protection and movement across leaf surface.[5] It feeds primarily on fungi and algae that grow on leaves rather than on the plant tissue. Partulina proxima has a low reproductive rate, producing only small a few offspring per year.[6] This slow reproduction contributes to small populations and increases proxima's importance to extinction.[7]
Distribution and habitat
Partulina proxima is found only on Moloka'i, Hawai'i. It inhabits humid, tropical forests with consistent rainfall, typically at mid-elevations.[4] The species is arboreal, living on the branches of trees and shrubs instead on the forest floor. Habitat destruction has significantly reduced its natural range.[8] As forests declined, populations disappeared from many areas that were once common, leaving them in an isolated environment.[9]
Hadfield and Miller[who?] have identified that Partulina proxima are extremely sensitive to climate changes, habitat degradation and invasive species.[4] Because of these threats, it now survives only in scattered forest areas.[4] The remaining intact forests are still critically functioning to conserve the species.[10]