LAND SHELLS - FAVORITES

I first became interested in land shells about ten years ago, when I started trading some local specimens for my seashells, just so that I would have something else to sell. Not long after, I was hooked. As arbitrary as you know this is, I have assembled a list of the top 20 most beautiful land shells, with representatives from my drawers. Then off course, there are a few missing species that might well qualify but I don´t have them yet.

Papustyla pulcherrima

Rensch, 1931

38.7mm. Manus Is. Papua New Guinea.

There is just something jading about the solid saturated chartreuse green on this species; Nothing comes even close!

Calocochlia festiva

Donovan, 1825

50.8mm. Cagayan, Luzon. Philippines.

A very handsome, large and inflated shell. The depicted shell had the thin layer of cuticle removed to reveal the deep-magenta shell.

Liguus fasciatus

f. goodrichi Clench, 1934

56.2mm. Trinidad, Cuba.

With all the shells flooding the market, it is really hard to pick a shell, but this one  is really the best I ever saw in terms of color.

Amphidromus mariae 

Thach, 2017

39.1mm. Khanh Hoa. Vietnam.

An unbelievably beautiful  new discovery. Colors in this species are extremely vibrant and saturated. The sutural band is usually red.

Sultana yatesi

sublabeo Ancey, 1890

89.5mm. Molinopampa, Peru.

For decades, this large, rare, superb species was impossible to obtain, adding to its legendary status. Certainly among the best.

Porphyrobaphe iostoma

Sowerby, 1824

75mm. Manabí, Ecuador.

A handsomely proportionate and rather large tree snail, with a mostly discreet color, except for the flaring purple mouth.

Drymaeus expansus vanattai

Linnaeus, 1758

36.8mm. Tarapoto, Peru.

This is a standout species among all other Drymaeus: It has a really unique lacey texture and an  extremely large, purple apperture.

Polymita sulphurosa

Morelet, 1849

21mm. Baracoa. Cuba.

A green cousin of the usual cuban Polymita. The original description was based on a fully yellow shell, hence the name sulphurosa.

Polymita picta

f. nigrolimbata Torre, 1950

28.7mm. Oriente. Cuba.

I decided to exhibit a solid cadmium yellow shell, but it was hard leaving the cherry red, orange, chartreuse, gray or black ones out.

Syndromus adamsii

f. superbus Fulton, 1896

23.3mm. Sabah, Malaysia.

An ultra-beautiful species, which is endemic to a very small area, and is extremely hard to obtain today.

Asperitas bimaensis 

f. viridis Schepman, 1892

34.2mm. East Sumba Island. Indonesia.

A beautiful species that is quite variable. The depicted shell is uniform turquoise blue, which is a rather uncommon form.

Liguus blainianus

Linnaeus, 1758

40.8mm. Pinar Del Río, Cuba.

One of the most stunning species of snail: with extremely contrasting orange flames on black background and white spiral ribbons.

Acavus haemastoma

Linnaeus, 1758

43.6mm. Galle, Sri Lanka.

A classic Sri Lankan species. These are good sized and have a striking pattern of brown and white, with a vivid dark pink mouth.

Polymita venusta

f. sanguinolenta Torre, 1950

27.5mm. Oriente. Cuba.

Another extremely flamboyant species of this genus, which rarely exceeds an inch; so this particular specimen is a true giant.

Liguus virgineus

Linnaeus, 1758

36.1mm. El Lara, República Dominicana.

An extremely attractive species. In fact the depicted specimen does this species no justice. Green bands still present.

Papustyla xanthochila

Pfeiffer, 1861

44.2mm. Bougainville Is. Papua New Guinea.

A very large papuina, with a quite simple, yet stunning color scheme. When live, the gloomy white shell appears almost green.