Indrella ampulla

Indrella ampulla

''Indrella ampulla'' is a species of tropical terrestrial air-breathing gastropod mollusk in the family Ariophantidae.

This is the type species of the monotypic genus ''Indrella'', which is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

This is the only species in the genus ''Indrella'', however the animal color is polymorphic: the visible soft parts of the snail can be various colors, including red and pale yellow.
Indrella ampulla Endemic to Western ghats, Polymorphic, present in Nilgiri hills, wyanad, Anamalai hills. Wet grounds and Rainforest dweller. Location- Wyanad. Endemic,Geotagged,India,Indrella ampulla,Rainforest,rainywyanad.,tricolor,western ghats

Appearance

The shell of this species is like that of ''Vitrina'', imperforate, with few whorls and with a very large aperture. The shell consists mainly of proteins with only small amounts of calcium carbonate.

The shell is obliquely ovate and globose in shape and very thin. Half the thickness consists of epidermis, marked throughout with plicate line of growth, crossed by faint impressed spiral lines, and on the last whorl by shallow irregular furrows. The color of the shell is brownish olive, sometimes darker brown. Spire is small, convex and obtuse. The number of whorls is 3 and a half, rapidly increasing, the last much larger, rounded at the periphery and beneath. The aperture is very large, oblique, roundly oval, the same colour within as without, but smooth and glossy. The peristome is thin, membranaceous, columellar margin much curved inwards.

The width of the shell is 38–63 mm. The height is 30 mm. The width of the aperture is 32 mm and the height of aperture is 30 mm.The external soft parts are similar to those of ''Ariophanta'', but larger, and not fully retractile within the shell. The mucous pore is of moderate size, there is no distinct overhanging lobe or a small one. The sole of the foot is undivided and very smooth. There are no shell-lobes. The dorsal lobes are well developed, the left divided into an anterior and a posterior part by a deep sinus. Kalc-sac small, receiving the vas deferens; retractor muscle attached to long straight caecum given off at the junction of the flagellum of the male organ. The spermatheca is oval, very short, on a short stem. The amatorial organ is stout and long.
The red giant - Indrella ampulla These snails are common throughout the western ghats and can be seen in large numbers during the monsoons feasting on the fungi/mushroom that grows on the dead/living tree. It is native species and found only in the western ghats of India. These are one of the largest snails in India. Unlike the invasive species of snails these snails don't destroy the plants instead as i said earlier will feed on fungi, thereby protecting the trees from parasitic fungi. These are snails bright red in color and rarely can be seen in pale yellowish red color. Indrella ampulla,Molluscs,endemic,fungi eaters,giant snail,india,native species,red snail,western ghats

Distribution

This species occurs in the Western Ghats of India, specifically on the wetter western slopes of the Wynaad, Nilgiri, and Anaimalai Hills, at moderate elevations .

Habitat

This species lives in wet woodland, i.e. tropical rainforest.

Food

Colonel Richard Henry Beddome of the British Indian forest service found this snail feeding on large fungi.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionMollusca
ClassGastropoda
OrderPulmonata
FamilyAriophantidae
GenusIndrella
SpeciesI. ampulla
Photographed in
India