Photo: Simon Grove/ Australian Museum

Photo: James Morgan

This beautiful Tasmanian snail Attenborougharion rubicundus was named in honour of Sir David Attenborough. This colourful semi-slug’s usual habitat is restricted to a small area of south-east Tasmania in wet forests on the Tasman and Forestier peninsulas. The species was first described in 1978 and classified in the genus, Helicarion. However, recent work by the Australian Museum scientists have shown it is a separate genus.

This is the first genus to be named after Sir David who already has been named in 12 species.

During this visit to Sydney in early February, 2017, he was honoured by being named patron of Australia’s first museum, The Australian Museum.

Here are some of our beautiful helicarionids [semi-slugs and glass snails] from eastern Australia.

L to R: Thularion semoni, Mt Sorrow, Queensland. J. Stanisic; Mysticarion porrectus, Point Lookout, NE New South Wales. Photo: Fran Guard; Macularion albimaculosa, Lamington, South Queensland. Photo: IBISCA; Parmavitrina megastoma, east of Tenterfield, eastern, New South Wales. Photo: Jan White.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Enjoy 2 opportunities to hear the Snail Whisperer next weekend:

Saturday, 30 April, 2016

• 7am on ABC Radio
• 10:15am John is speaking at the Planting, Woodfordia [Sunshine Coast hinterland, Queensland]

63 Earlyactors and Interactors spent time with the Snail Whisperer at the recent Earlyact/Interact Conference for Rotary District 9600 at Caboolture, Queensland. Sharing what they wrote:

ABC 612

Congratulations to 1C at Samford State School – our newest Junior Snail Whisperers. They have been learning about nocturnal and diurnal animals in science and have found out that snails are mainly nocturnal but have many interesting features!

Photo: Brian Hawkins

Found by Brian Hawkins of ABRS Bush Blitz, this beautiful semi-slug [F. Helicarionidae] was found in the Brindabella Ranges.

The Brindabella Range, commonly called The Brindabellas, is a mountain range located in Australia, on a state and territory border that separates New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

Most people’s first interaction with snails and slugs is of those that are eating their plants, their crops or the vegetables in their garden. Sometimes, the culprits can’t be found as these animals, often slugs, bury themselves in the soil during the day and only come out when conditions are more favourable at night.

Our native snails are NOT vegetarian. They eat fungi, micro-algae on the leaves of plants and biofilm on most surfaces. Some are carnivorous and will even follow the slime trail of other snails to have a feast.

 The major problems in our backyard gardens are two species:

• The common garden snail or European Garden Snail, Cornu aspersum,  which is related to the ones that are eaten there in huge quantities. These can, with careful preparation, be eaten also but are farmed at the Glasshouse Mountains at Glasshouse Gourmet Snails.

• The Asian Tramp Snail, Bradybaena similaris which is serious vine and market garden pest, has become well-established in eastern Australia.

Our largest land snail, the Giant Panda Snail (Hedleyella falconeri), happily searching for food in the rainforest. It won’t eat your garden.