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Rumina decollata

Basic information
Scientific name Rumina decollata

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オオクビキレガイ
Common names Decollate snail
Higher taxon Subulinidae, Stylommatophora, Gastropoda, Mollusca
Natural range Mediterranean coast. S Spain, N Africa.
Habitat Somewhat dry habitat such as vacancy, shrub, gravelly grassland, etc.
Invasion information
Range in Japan Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, Aichi, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, Wakayama, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Tottori, Yamaguchi, Kagawa, Ehime, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Kumamoto Prefs. Range in Japan
Origin Unknown.
Date The first record in Japan was in 1988 at Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Pref.
Route Accidental: Unknown. In quarantine record on freshwater and land snails in 1995-2005 (2349 records, 61 species) by the Plant Protection Station, there was no record on this species. In foreign countries, hitchhiking on lavender seedling (from Italy to UK) and roof tile (from Spain to USA) are recorded.
Impact Potentially: Predation on and competition with native species. Damage on agriculture.
Native organism(s) affected: Land snails, slugs, earth worms, crops, etc.
Regulation in Japan Subulinidae is designated as a Quarantine Pest (the Plant Protection Law). An official certification of identification by the exporting country government is required for import of snails of the family Subulinidae to Japan (the Invasive Alien Species Act).
Introduced range in other countries USA (North Calorina, Florida, Texas, etc.), Cuba, Hispaniola Is., Bermuda Is., Cape Verde, Azores Islands, Madeira Islands, Canary Islands, etc.
Reference Notes
  • Matsukuma et al. (2006) The accidentally introduced land snail Rumina decollata (Gastropoda: Subulinidae) in Fukuoka Prefecture. Chiribotan. 37, 7-12 (in Jpn)
  • Matsukuma & Takeda (2007) Invasion and dispersal of Rumina decollata. VENUS. 66(1-2), 124
  • Minato & Uozumi (1991) Rumina decollata (Linnaeus, 1758), a new intruder to japan. CHIRIBOTAN. 22(3), 72-74 (in Jpn)
  • Plant Protection Station (2011) The Plant Protection Act. Quarantine Pest List. (Accessed on 2012-5-16) http://www.pps.go.jp/law_active/Notification/basis/5/245/html/245.html (in Jpn)
  • etc.
 Populations of this species seems expanding recently.
In USA, this species is commercially distributed as a biocontrol agent against slugs in gardening, golf course, etc.