#indrella

Red Giant (Indrella ampulla), family Ariophantidae, order Stylommatophora, Karnataka, India

Red Giant Snail (Indrella ampulla), family Ariophantidae, endemic to the Western Ghats of India

The soft body of the snail can also be white and yellow.

Land Snail (Indrella ampulla), family Ariophantidae, North Wayanad, Kerala, India

Indrella ampulla

Indrella ampulla (Ariophantidae) is a large terrestrial snail endemic to Western Ghats in India, found in the western slopes of Wyanaad, Nilgiri and Anaimalai.

Shell of this species is obliquely ovate and globose in shape, very thin and imperforate, with few whorls and a very large aperture. The color of the shell is brownish olive, sometimes darker brown, or shining black. The soft body parts of the mollusk are very variable - either red, orange, browinsh or cream in color. The cream color morph is found only in Wyanad region of Kerala.

Length of the land snail is 15cm when fully extended; the width of shell is 38–63 mm, and its height is 30 mm.

Observations made on turtles endemic to India have corroborated the fact that Indrella ampulla is an important component of cane turtle diet (Vijayachelys silvatica).

References: [1] - [2]

A beautiful specimen of the Indian land snail Indrella ampulla (Ariophantidae), photographed in Coorg, Karnataka, India.