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''Partula'' is a genus of air-breathing tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Partulidae.〔Myers, P.; Espinosa, R.; Parr, C. S.; Jones, T.; Hammond, G. S. & Dewey, T. A. (2006). The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed at http://animaldiversity.org.〕〔(ITIS Standard Report Page: Partulidae )〕 Many species of ''Partula'' are known under the general common names "Polynesian tree snail" and "Moorean viviparous tree snail".〔Searching for "''Partula''". In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.3. Partulids are spread over of Pacific Ocean islands, from the Society Islands to Palau. Once used as decorative items in Polynesian ceremonial wear and jewelry, these small snails (averaging about one-half to three-quarters of an inch in length) gained the attention of science when Dr. Henry Crampton (along with Yoshio Kondo) spent 50 years studying and cataloging partulids, detailing their remarkable array of morphological elements, ecological niches and behavioral aspects that illustrate adaptive radiation.〔Jung, Younghun, Taehwan Lee, Burch J. B. & Diarmaid Ó Foighil. (2005) "Historical phylogeny of Tahitian ''Partula''". ''Proc. Joint Conference - American Malacological Society and Western Society of Malacologists''.〕 ==Decline== What happened to the partulids of the island of Tahiti is a demonstration of the possible deleterious effects of attempted biological control. After an infestation of the introduced giant African land snails (''Achatina'' spp.), the carnivorous Florida rosy wolfsnail (''Euglandina rosea'') was introduced into Tahiti in an attempt to combat the African species. The wolfsnail chose instead to hunt and eat members of the nearly 76 species of ''Partula'' that were endemic to Tahiti, devouring all but about 5 species in a decade. Several scientists recognized what was going on, and were able to save several species prior to their becoming extinct. Today, the Zoological Society of London runs the Partula Programme Consortium which maintains a captive breeding program in the United Kingdom, France and the United States. The 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species contains 15 critically endangered, 11 extinct in the wild and 48 extinct ''Partula'' species.〔IUCN (2008). ''2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Partula (gastropod)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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