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From Cuban Nature - The Polymitas



Polymitas are endemic snails of Cuba, considered the most beautiful land mollusks in the world due to the extraordinary variations and color combinations that their shells present. Naturalists recognize six species of Polymita, which are distributed in some areas of eastern Cuba.


The word Polymita, formed by two roots derived from the classical Greek language, means "many lines". The most notable feature of this snail is precisely the color of its shells and its multiple lines, although they are not always present.


It is a mollusk with nocturnal and arboreal habits, it feeds on fungi and is sensitive to changes in humidity, light, temperature and salinity of the environment, so it has not been able to adapt to other territories.


Polymita species have pulmonary respiration and, like a high percentage of terrestrial mollusks in Cuba, they are hermaphrodites. When the time of reproduction arrives, which usually coincides with the rainy season, two individuals unite and proceed to their cross-fertilization, and both are fertilized.

Once the eggs have reached maturity inside the animal, these snails descend through the branches or trunk of the plants to the ground, to dig small holes in the ground, and carefully deposit their eggs there, or among the fallen leaves. A few days later, the small animals, about 2 or 3 millimeters in size, will come out and look for the trunk of a plant to climb in search of mushrooms or lichens and begin their arboreal life.


These Cuban snails are found throughout the eastern provinces, especially in the northeastern part of Camaguey and in the regions of Baracoa and Maisí.


Since these mollusks feed on fungi and lichens that attach to the bark of trees and leaves, they perform a very beneficial function. For example, four adult polymites on a coffee tree are enough to keep its leaves free of fungi.


To feed, they need the mushrooms to be moist; therefore, they are more active on rainy days or in high humidity. On the contrary, during the dry season or at less than 20 °c, they are collected inside their shell and stick to the bark of trees or leaves.


At this time, the conservation situation of the Polymitas is becoming critical, as some populations of this endemic species of Cuba have almost completely disappeared. Excessive collections of Polymitas, often for informal commercial purposes, make the extinction of such a precious treasure of Cuban nature more likely every day.

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