Polymita

Polymita
	A group of shells of Polymita picta
Conservation status
	CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Helminthoglyptidae
Genus:	Polymita; Beck, 1837

Polymita is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails in the family Cepolidae.^[2]

These snails are endemic to Cuba. Their shells are prized by collectors, and in recent years, there have been efforts to protect local populations from overcollection.^[3]

Anatomy

Polymita creates and uses love darts as part of its mating behavior.

Species

There are six recognized species within the genus Polymita:^[2]

Polymita muscarum (Lea, 1834)^[4]
Polymita picta (Born, 1778)^[5] – type species
Polymita sulphurosa (Morelet, 1849)^[6]
†Polymita texana B. Roth, 1984
Polymita venusta (Gmelin, 1786)^[7]
Polymita versicolor (Born, 1778)^[5]

One species has an uncertain status:^[2]

Polymita brocheri (Gutiérrez in Pfeiffer, 1864)^[8]

References

^ Beck H. H. (1837). Index Moll. Mus. Ch. Fred. (1): 44.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O, eds. (2025). "Polymita H. Beck, 1837". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
^ Gill, Victoria. "Mission begins to save snails threatened by own beauty". BBC. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
^ Lea, I. (1834). Observations on the naïades; and descriptions of new species of that, and other families. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. (NS) 5: 23–119, pls 1-19 [August or September 1834].
^ ^a ^b Born, Ignaz; Vienna (Austria). (1778). Index rerum naturalium Musei Caesarei Vindobonensis. Verzeichniss der Natürlichen Seltenheiten des K.K. Naturalien Kabinets zu Wien. Erster Theil, Schalthiere. Pars 1, Testacea. Vindobonae: ex officina Krausiana. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.11581.
^ Morelet, A. (1849). Testacea novissima insulae Cubanae et Americae Centralis, Pars I. Paris: Baillière. 31 pp.
^ Gmelin, J. F. (1791). Vermes. In: Gmelin J.F. (Ed.) Caroli a Linnaei Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Ed. 13. Tome 1(6). G.E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig]. pp. 3021–3910. Systema Naturae. Linneaeus (ed.). Ed. 13., 1: pars. 6.
^ Pfeiffer, L. (1864). Zur Molluskenfauna von Cuba. Malakozoologische Blätter. 11(3): 102–109, 123–131 [July 1864]; 11(4): 157–161 [December 1864].

External links

González Guillén A. (2014). "Polymita, the most beautiful land snail of the world". Carlos M. Estevez & Associates, Miami, 359 pp., ISBN 978-1-63068-516-4.

This Stylommatophora-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Beck H. H. (1837). Index Moll. Mus. Ch. Fred. (1): 44.

[WoRMS-2] Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O, eds. (2025). "Polymita H. Beck, 1837". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 4 August 2025.

[3] Gill, Victoria. "Mission begins to save snails threatened by own beauty". BBC. Retrieved 4 August 2025.

[4] Lea, I. (1834). Observations on the naïades; and descriptions of new species of that, and other families. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. (NS) 5: 23–119, pls 1-19 [August or September 1834].

[:0-5] Born, Ignaz; Vienna (Austria). (1778). Index rerum naturalium Musei Caesarei Vindobonensis. Verzeichniss der Natürlichen Seltenheiten des K.K. Naturalien Kabinets zu Wien. Erster Theil, Schalthiere. Pars 1, Testacea. Vindobonae: ex officina Krausiana. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.11581.

[6] Morelet, A. (1849). Testacea novissima insulae Cubanae et Americae Centralis, Pars I. Paris: Baillière. 31 pp.

[7] Gmelin, J. F. (1791). Vermes. In: Gmelin J.F. (Ed.) Caroli a Linnaei Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Ed. 13. Tome 1(6). G.E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig]. pp. 3021–3910. Systema Naturae. Linneaeus (ed.). Ed. 13., 1: pars. 6.

[8] Pfeiffer, L. (1864). Zur Molluskenfauna von Cuba. Malakozoologische Blätter. 11(3): 102–109, 123–131 [July 1864]; 11(4): 157–161 [December 1864].

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Polymita

Polymita

Polymita

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Hub overview

Root Wikipedia Article

Polymita

Anatomy

Species

References

External links

Polymita

A group of shells of Polymita picta
Conservation status
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Helminthoglyptidae
Genus:	Polymita Beck, 1837^[1]