Lissachatina immaculata ( Lamarck, 1822 )

Rapalai, Boikhutso Lerato, 2024, An annotated checklist of molluscs recorded from Botswana, Indago: Investigating nature and humanity in Africa (Oxford, England) 41 (10), pp. 15-44 : 28

44. Lissachatina immaculata ( Lamarck, 1822)

Distribution and year: Mosu 1975 (NMSA 2023); Francistown 1915 (van Bruggen 1966 a), 2018, 2019,

2020 ( GBIF 2023 b); Gaborone 2021 ( GBIF 2023 b); Serowe 2021 ( GBIF 2023 b); east side of Makgadikgadi Salt Pan [MCZ:Mala:184606] 1854 (Harvard University M. & Morris 2024 b); Mmopane 2013 ( GBIF 2023 b); farm ‘Gesond’, Tuli Block, at confluence of “Macloutsi” (Motloutse) and Limpopo rivers 1964 (van Bruggen 1966 a); Maun 2022 ( GBIF 2023 b)

Geographic range: Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe.

Habitat: Terrestrial.

Notes: The species thrives in the Southern African savannas ( Fontanilla 2010) and occurs in leaf debris in dune forests, thickets, woodlands and also in novel habitats such as urban gardens ( Herbert & Kilburn 2004). Lissachatina immaculata has spread and become invasive in other parts of the world, where it acts as an intermediate host for Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Chen, 1935) , a nematode causing meningitis in humans (Wang et al. 2023).

Type locality: Maputo, Mozambique (van Bruggen 1966 b) .

Sources: van Bruggen (1966 a: 109; 1966 b: 374); Govender (2007: 110) (all as Achatina immaculata ); GBIF (2023 b).

Conservation status: Not Evaluated.