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Liguus fasciatus
Wetland and coastal hardwood hammocks in extreme South Florida and the Keys. Seen mostly on smooth bark trees.
Saw 4 on this particular trail mostly all pale or with a few brown lines. I think most other color varieties (52 of them) are rare now due to illegal shell collecting. "The tree snail is listed as a species of special concern in Florida. They are threatened by illegal collection of their shells, pesticide spraying and destruction of habitat." NOTE: Picture 2 and 3 are two separate individuals seen on the same day at various points in the loop trail shown on map as picture 1.
4 Comments
Thank you, always nice to nominated. It is a shame that the very colorful ones are no longer commonly seen. Here is a link to the most colorful one I've seen. It was a while ago, one of my first spottings.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/826...
Thanks for highlighting how these snails have become endangered.
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Wow. No wonder people take them. :-(