Partula faba (bean snail,[2] Partula snail,[2] or Captain Cook's bean snail[3][a]) is an extinct[4] species of air-breathing tropical land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Partulidae. This species was endemic to Ra'iātea and Tahaa, neighbouring islands which share the same lagoon, in French Polynesia. The species was the first Partula to be recorded.[4]
| Partula faba | |
|---|---|
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| Shell of Partula faba | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Partulidae |
| Genus: | Partula |
| Species: | †P. faba
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| Binomial name | |
| †Partula faba (Gmelin, 1791)
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In captivity edit
From 1991 zoos in the United Kingdom fought to save this species from extinction. For a while this was successful but a slow decline set in. Bristol Zoo and then Edinburgh Zoo were entrusted with the last-known colony of these snails.[5] This was not a success and the last snail died in February 2016.[4]
Subspecies edit
The species contained two subspecies.
Reasons for decline edit
The introduction of the small carnivorous snail Euglandina rosea in the 1980s caused the decline of many native species of Partulidae, among them Partula faba.
Notes edit
- ^ Thomas Martyn, on the voyage of discovery with James Cook, named the snail Limax faba (bean snail) but left no record as to why.[3]
References edit
- ^ Coote, T. (2009). "Partula faba". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T16288A5597344. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T16288A5597344.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Captain Cook and Partula snails." London and Whipsnade Zoos. July 18th, 2018. Accessed July 31, 2022.
- ^ a b "Captain Cook's bean snail." Island Biodiversity. Accessed July 31, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Captain Cook's bean snail Partula faba".
- ^ "Bristol Zoo hopes to save last colony of tree snail ", BBC News, April 15, 2010.
External links edit
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