Saturday, August 2, 2014

SPECIES OF THE MONTH: AUGUST 2014

                    SNAILS MUST BE CRAZY
                                                  


Phylum   : Mollusca
Class       : Gastropoda
Family     : Achatinidae
Subfamily: Achatininae
Genus      : Achatina
Species    : Achatina fulica

Armies of African snails are marching across the State of Kerala, devouring crops, fouling water sources, crawling through houses.
They have come, as usual, along with the monsoon. Heavy infestation has been reported from Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts and pockets in Thiruvananthapuram. 

With the common name, Giant African snail, these are one among the worst invasive species in the world. Giant African snail is known to attack more than 500 plant species, including vegetables, coconut, cocoa, papaya, banana, arecanut, coffee, and even rubber. 

African snail infestation in Kerala was first reported from Palakkad in the 1970s. The typical climatic conditions of Kerala are conducive to the proliferation of the snail. Farmers use wet gunny bags and papaya leaves as bait to collect the snails and then sprinkle common salt, dehydrating it to death.

SOURCE          : http://www.thehindu.com

Photo Courtesy: http://img829.imageshack.us

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