Partula faba
Partula faba was a species of air-breathing tropical land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Partulidae. This species was endemic to Ra'iātea and Tahaa, neighbouring islands which share the same lagoon, in French Polynesia. It is now extinct. The species was the first Partula to be recorded.In captivity
From 1991 UK zoos fought to save this species from extinction. For a while this was successful but a slow decline set in. Bristol Zoo and then Edinburgh Zoo were entrusted with the last-known colony of these snails. Unfortunately, this was not a success and the last snail died in February 2016.Subspecies
The species contained two subspecies.
- Partula faba ssp. faba – Raiatea
- Partula faba ssp. subangulata – Tahaa
Reasons for decline
The introduction of the small carnivorous snail Euglandina rosea in the 1980s caused the decline of many native species of Partulidae, among them Partula faba.
