The land snail fauna of a South American rainforest biodiversity hotspot: the Panguana conservation area in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

Abstract We investigated the land snail fauna of the Panguana conservation area on the western rim of the Amazonas basin in Peru. A total of 2,322 individuals assigned to 65 land snail species were collected in 32 plots. Ten additional species were found in collections made on previous expeditions to Panguana. On the basis of available data, Panguana is the most species rich locality for land snails in South America. The species density of 75 land snail species in c. 2 km2 of rather homogeneous rainforest is also high on a global scale. The land snail fauna of Panguana is characterized by a very high proportion of species belonging to the carnivorous family Scolodontidae, many of which are likely to be new to science. The fauna includes seven species that are new records for Peru, and the species Hirtudiscus sp., Xenodiscula venezuelensis, Geostilbia aperta, Guppya gundlachii and Thysanophora plagioptycha represent genera not previously recorded from the country. The synanthropic species Allopeas gracile, Opeas hannense, Subulina octona, Geostilbia aperta and Gastrocopta servilis form an ecologically distinct group that occurs mainly in sites strongly modified by humans. The presence of these species on the margin of the Amazon rainforest is evidence of the ongoing homogenization of the global fauna.