Achatina schweinfurthi var. gracilior (Pilsbry, 1904), Much of the information on this page was sourced of paraphrased from: Studies in the Achatininae. egregia (Bequaert and Clench, 1936), This form was originally described from an immature shell, from the Gaboon as "uniformly straw-yellow, also at apex, without any indication of streaks or spots. Immature shells are often more slender and lighter than nominate marginata of about the same age; but these differences tend to disappear with age. long (range 10.6 - 25.1 mm.) Archachatina marginata var. The main visceral nerve is on the snail's back and connects to a large group of nerve cells to transmit information in the body. 1. They produce as many as 40 eggs, which are yellow in color with dark blotches, and their incubation period is about 40 days. Archachatina (Magachatina) marginata var. The summit of the spire (first three whorls) also is often suffused with yellow or orange-yellow. Inner margin of columella vinaceous-red. However, the more prevalent problem with the spread of the snail as an invasive species is that it is often a carrier of the parasitic rat lungworm, which causes angiostrongyliasis, which in turn is the most common cause of the eosinophilic meningitis or eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, which is the public health issue that makes the snails' spread to North America problematic. The eggs are yellowish in color and may have dark blotches. egregia (Dautzenberg, 1921), Outer lip white or bluish-white. Outer lip bluish-white inside over the paler, and darker bluish over the brown area. Similar to nominate race in size (170 mm. Inner margin of outer lip bluish-white or darkened. fourneaui (Spence, 1928), Archachatina have a raised V ridge on their tail that you can feel clearly if you run a wet finger over it. eduardi Pilsbry. subsuturalis (Hidalgo, 1910), Original description of egregiella Bequaert and Clench (1936): "Agrees in general type of coloration with var. In: Barker, G. M. ed. This is because natives prefer to eat the dark-skinned ones, based on the belief that they are tastier and that there is something undesirable or freakish about the white-skinned ones. Since shown to be Achatina achatina (Linné)], egregia, but the first three whorls are vinaceous-red like the columella and the outer lip is broadly margined inside with the same vinaceous color. suturalis (Bequaert and Clench, 1936), Locality: West Africa. long. Lower half of body-whorl, or of earlier whorls in immature shells, mostly very dark chestnut-brown, except for a narrow, well-defined straw-yellow zone at the base of the columella; remainder of shell (above the periphery) marked as in the typical form. Shell fairly uniformly marked with numerous chestnut-brown or pale brown vertical streaks, stripes, zigzag lines, or blotches on a straw-yellow background. Archachatina (Magachatina) marginata var. Columella, parietal wall and outer lip bluish-white. Personal takeover in Prague is still possible. Achatina (Archachatina) marginata var. wide, of 6 whorls, with the aperture 47.5 by 26 mm. Sometimes single infertile eggs are laid on the surface. Shell fairly uniformly marked with numerous chestnut-brown or pale brown vertical streaks, stripes, zigzag lines, or blotches on a straw-yellow background. Archachatina marginata var. Length. This species has not yet become established in the United States, but it is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species that could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health, or commerce. An interesting variant of egregia, from Loldorf, is fairly uniformly straw-yellow, with a few narrow, widely spaced pale brown vertical streaks on the penultimate and the upper part of the body-whorl; below the periphery the body-whorl is at first streaked like the upper part; but in the terminal half it has a fairly distinct, very pale-brown, darkened band, sharply set off in the usual manner from the straw-yellow base.