# Achatina

Achatina is a genus of medium-sized to very large, air-breathing, tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinidae.

## Distribution

There are some 200 species of Achatinidae in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some species are kept as terrarium animals due to their size of three inches, and colourful shells.

## Shell description

Snails in this genus have medium to large shells which are ovate in shape and often colourfully streaked.

## Species

Species within the genus Achatina include:
* Achatina achatina Linnaeus, 1758 or giant African snail, agate snail or Ghana tiger snail, from Western Africa (Liberia through Nigeria) grows to be the largest land snail on Earth.
* Achatina ampullacea Böttger, 1910
* Achatina balteata Reeve, 1849 - Cameroon to Central Angola.
* Achatina bandeirana Morelet, 1866
* Achatina bayaona Morelet, 1866
* Achatina bayoli Morelet, 1888
* Achatina bisculpta E. A. Smith, 1878
* Achatina connollyi Preston, 1912
* Achatina coroca Bruggen, 1978
* Achatina craveni E. A. Smith, 1881 - Congo, Tanzania.
* Achatina dammarensis L. Pfeiffer, 1870 - Botswana
* Achatina dohrniana L. Pfeiffer, 1870
* Achatina greyi Da Costa, 1907
* Achatina hortensiae Morelet, 1866
* Achatina inaequalis L. Pfeiffer, 1855
* Achatina iostoma L. Pfeiffer, 1854 - Cameroon
* Achatina morrelli Preston, 1905
* Achatina obscura Da Costa, 1907
* Achatina osborni Pilsbry, 1919
* Achatina passargei von Martens, 1900
* Achatina perfecta Morelet, 1867
* Achatina pfeifferi Dunker, 1845
* Achatina polychroa Morelet, 1866
* Achatina randabeli Bourguignat, 1889
* Achatina rugosa Putzeys, 1898
* Achatina schinziana Mousson, 1888 - Botswana
* Achatina schweinfurthi von Martens, 1873 - East Africa.
* Achatina semisculpta Dunker, 1845 - East Africa
* Achatina smithii Craven, 1881
* Achatina spekei Dohrn, 1864
* Achatina stuhlmanni von Martens, 1892 - Uganda.
* Achatina tavaresiana Morelet, 1866 - Angola
* Achatina tincta Reeve, 1842 - Congo, Angola
* Achatina tracheia Connolly, 1929 - Southeast Africa
* Achatina transparens Da Costa, 1907
* Achatina vignoniana Morelet, 1874
* Achatina virgulata Da Costa, 1907
* Achatina welwitschi Morelet, 1866
* Achatina weynsi Dautzenberg, 1891 - Congo
incertae sedis:
* Achatina vassei Germain, 1918 - The internal anatomy of this species is not known, and therefore the generic classification of ‘Achatina’ vassei cannot be made.

## Species brought into synonymy

* Achatina albopicta E. A. Smith, 1878 - along the coast of Kenya and Tanzania: synonym of Lissachatina albopicta (E. A. Smith, 1878)
* Achatina allisa Reeve, 1849: synonym of Lissachatina allisa (L. Reeve, 1849)
* Achatina antourtourensis Crosse, 1879 : synonym of Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822: synonym of Lissachatina immaculata (Lamarck, 1822) (junior synonym)
* Achatina arctespirata Bourguignat, 1890: synonym of Achatina randabeli Bourguignat, 1890
* Achatina barbigera Morelet, 1866: synonym of Petriola marmorea (Reeve, 1850)
* Achatina bloyeti Bourguignat, 1890: synonym of Lissachatina bloyeti (Bourguignat, 1890)
* Achatina capelloi Furtado, 1886: synonym of Lissachatina capelloi (Furtado, 1886)
* Achatina fulgurata Pfeiffer, 1853 - Senegal: synonym of Achatina eleanorae Mead, 1995
* Achatina drakensbergensis Melvill & Ponsonby, 1897 : synonym of Cochlitoma drakensbergensis (Melvill & Ponsonby, 1897)
* Achatina eleanorae Mead, 1995: synonym of Lissachatina eleanorae (Mead, 1995)
* Achatina ellioti E. A. Smith, 1895: synonym of Oreohomorus ellioti (E. A. Smith, 1895)
* Achatina fulica Bowdich, 1822 or giant East African snail from Eastern Africa is a serious pest in the many tropical countries where it has been introduced, and is listed as an invasive species by some governments: synonym of Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822)
* Achatina glaucina E. A. Smith, 1899: synonym of Lissachatina glaucina (E. A. Smith, 1899)
* Achatina glutinosa Pfeiffer, 1854 - Mozambique: synonym of Lissachatina glutinosa (L. Pfeiffer, 1854)
* Achatina gruveli Dautzenberg, 1921: synonym of Achatina iostoma L. Pfeiffer, 1854
* Achatina gundlachi L. Pfeiffer, 1850: synonym of Geostilbia gundlachi (L. Pfeiffer, 1850)
* Achatina hamillei Petit de la Saussaye, 1859: synonym of Lissachatina fulica hamillei (Petit de la Saussaye, 1859)
* Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822 - Southeastern Africa: synonym of Lissachatina immaculata (Lamarck, 1822)
* Achatina iredalei Preston, 1910: synonym of Lissachatina allisa (Reeve, 1849)
* Achatina ivensi Furtado, 1886: synonym of Achatina pfeifferi Dunker, 1845
* Achatina johnstoni E. A. Smith, 1899: synonym of Lissachatina johnstoni (E. A. Smith, 1899)
* Achatina kilimae Dautzenberg, 1908: synonym of Lissachatina kilimae (Dautzenberg, 1908)
* Achatina lowei Paiva, 1866: synonym of Amphorella oryza (R. T. Lowe, 1852)
* Achatina lechaptoisi Ancey, 1894: synonym of Lissachatina immaculata (Lamarck, 1822)
* Achatina letourneuxi Bourguignat, 1879: synonym of Lissachatina fulica hamillei (Petit de la Saussaye, 1859)
* Achatina lhotellerii Bourguignat, 1879: synonym of Lissachatina zanzibarica (Bourguignat, 1879)
* Achatina marginata Swainson, 1821: synonym of Archachatina marginata (Swainson, 1821)
* Achatina milneedwardsiana Revoil, 1885: synonym of Lissachatina fulica hamillei (Petit de la Saussaye, 1859)
* Achatina minima Siemaschko, 1847: synonym of Cochlicopa lubricella (Porro, 1838)
* Achatina monochromatica Pilsbry (Deprecated. Old historical synonym of Achatina achatina var. monochromatic)
* Achatina moreletiana Deshayes, 1851: taxon inquirendum
* Achatina mulanjensis Crowley & Pain - Malawi: synonym of Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822 (junior synonym)
* Achatina nigella Morelet, 1867: synonym of Homorus nigellus (Morelet, 1867)
* Achatina nyikaensis Pilsbry, 1909 - Malawi: synonym of Bequaertina pintoi (Bourguignat, 1889) (junior synonym)
* Achatina panthera Férussac, 1832 - Zimbabwe, Mauritius: synonym of Achatina immaculata Lamarck, 1822
* Achatina pellucida L. Pfeiffer, 1840: synonym of Blauneria heteroclita (Montagu, 1808)
* Achatina purpurea (Gmelin, 1790): synonym of Archachatina purpurea (Gmelin, 1790)
* Achatina raffrayi Jousseaume, 1883: synonym of Leptocallista raffrayi (Jousseaume, 1883)
* Achatina rediviva Mabille, 1901: synonym of Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822)
* Achatina reticulata Pfeiffer, 1845 - Zanzibar: synonym of Lissachatina reticulata (L. Pfeiffer, 1845)
* Achatina semitarum L. Pfeiffer, 1842: synonym of Laevaricella semitarum (L. Pfeiffer, 1842)
* Achatina sylvatica Putzeys, 1898 - Congo: synonym of Leptocalina putzeysi (Dautzenberg & Germain, 1914)
* Achatina varicosa Pfeiffer, 1845 - South Africa: synonym of Cochlitoma varicosa (L. Pfeiffer, 1861)
* Achatina variegata Lamarck, 1801: synonym of Achatina achatina (Linnaeus, 1758)
* Achatina variegata var. minima Germain, 1912: synonym of Achatina achatina elegans (Link, 1807)
* Achatina wildemani Dautzenberg, 1907: synonym of Leptocalina specularis (Morelet, 1866)
* Achatina yalaensis Germain, 1936: synonym of Oreohomorus connollyi (Odhner, 1932)
* Achatina zanzibarica Bourguignat, 1879 - Tanzania: synonym of Lissachatina zanzibarica (Bourguignat, 1879)
* Achatina zebra Bruguiere, 1792 - South Africa: synonym of Cochlitoma zebra (Bruguière, 1792)