Distribution of an arboreal snail, Rhachistia bengalensis (Lamarck, 1822) in managed and unmanaged habitats: implications for conservation

The distribution of the arboreal snail Rhachistia bengalensis was observed from randomly selected sites of an unmanaged and a managed garden of India. The relative abundance of the snail on different host plants was counted and recorded with height gradients and various positions on the host plants. Although R. bengalensis was encountered in ten different plants in unmanaged garden and three different plants in the managed garden, the snail distribution varied significantly in different host plants and different plant parts. The snail preferred Cascabela thevetia, Aegle marmelos, Musa acuminata and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis in the unmanaged and Terminalia arjuna and T. elliptica in the managed garden. Based on the variance to mean ratio (s(2)/m), negative binomial aggregation parameter k and Lloyd mean crowding (m), the distribution of the snail showed more or less clumped distribution in the host plants. Apparently, the snail exhibited various degrees of preference with different host plants and fit with arboreal habit. Information on the abundance and preference of the host plant species can be used for the conservation management of the R. bengalensis in managed and unmanaged habitats.

Automated summary

The distribution of the arboreal snail Rhachistia bengalensis varied significantly on different host plants in managed and unmanaged gardens, showing different degrees of preference. Statistical analysis based on variance to mean ratio, negative binomial aggregation parameter k, and Lloyd mean crowding revealed a mostly clumped distribution of the snail on the host plants.