PLIGHT OF THE POLYNESIAN TREE SNAIL (): A SMALL SNAIL IN NEED OF BIG HELP

A. Goe, DVM,¹* C. Rodriguez, DVM, Dipl ACVP,² N. Mylniczenko, DVM, Dipl ACZM,² J. Sincage,² H. Stockdale Walden, PhD,¹ and J. Wellehan, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACZM, Dipl ACVM¹

¹College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 USA; ²Department of Health, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Bay Lake, FL 32830 USA

ABSTRACT

Partula nodosa is a Polynesian terrestrial snail, listed as extinct in the wild by IUCN.² Partula species suffered a dramatic decline in the 1970’s, following introduction of the Florida rosy wolf snail () to Polynesian islands. The carnivorous snail was originally imported to control the introduced giant African land snails ( fulica). However, a clear preference for native snails existed and over 50% of Partula species are now extinct. Thanks to captive breeding programs in the U.S.A and U.K., the population has increased and there is now an opportunity for reintroduction efforts. During pre-release screening on clinically healthy snails at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK) in 2013, findings included microsporidial cysts (consistent with Steinhausia sp.) throughout the digestive gland of all necropsied snails. Correlation with other histopathologic findings was elusive. Few diseases have been described in gastropods, but Steinhausia was reported in 1996 as the cause of death in a P. turgida population.¹,³ The knowledge base on diseases affecting Partula spp. is limited, making interpretation of findings difficult. In order to better understand the significance of these findings, a more controlled assessment is being performed on the DAK population. Efforts are focused on confirming and quantifying the microsporidian organism, through electronmicroscopy and development of a qPCR, as well as evaluating corresponding histopathology on a random sampling from all life stages. This information is crucial to have and understand, prior to their return to Tahiti, as introduction of novel disease(s) could possibly lead to disastrous consequences for native species.

LITERATURE CITED

1. Cunningham A, Daszak P. 1998. of a species of due to infection with a microsporidian parasite. Conserv Biol, 12(5): 1139-1141. 2. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2 Web. 21 Mar. 2014. 3. Smolowitz R. 2011. Gastropods. In Lewbart, G. Invertebrate Medicine, Second Edition. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK:71.

2014 Proceedings Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians 37