Shells from the Emerald Green Snail, Papustyla Pulcherrima

These strikingly green shells belong to the Emerald Green Snail, Papustyla pulcherrima. The species is endemic to (only found on) Manus Island off the shores of Papua New Guinea. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as near threatened.

Habitat destruction is the primary threat, as the rainforest trees the species relies on are felled for logging and other industries. Because of the threats to their survival, these snails can no longer be collected, so preserving the specimens already in existence is particularly important for research and conservation.

These specimens collected before the IUCN listing were donated to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History by an amateur shell collector. Many of the museum’s shells – over 2.5 million specimens in all – come from the donated collections of shell collectors who were most active in the twentieth century. Associate Curator of Invertebrate Zoology Vanessa Delnavaz, MA, helps scientists from around the world access specimens for research.