Polymita is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails in the family Cepolidae.
These snails are endemic to Cuba. Their shells are prized by collectors, and in recent years, there have been efforts to protect local populations from overcollection.
Anatomy Polymita creates and uses love darts as part of its mating behavior.
Species There are six recognized species within the genus Polymita: Polymita muscarum (Lea, 1834)Lea, I. (1834). Observations on the naïades; and descriptions of new species of that, and other families. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. (NS) 5: 23–119, pls 1-19 [August or September 1834]. Polymita picta (Born, 1778) – type species Polymita sulphurosa (Morelet, 1849)Morelet, A. (1849). Testacea novissima insulae Cubanae et Americae Centralis, Pars I. Paris: Baillière. 31 pp. †Polymita texana B. Roth, 1984 Polymita venusta (Gmelin, 1786)Gmelin, J. F. (1791). Vermes. In: Gmelin J.F. (Ed.) Caroli a Linnaei Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Ed. 13. Tome 1(6). G.E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig]. pp. 3021–3910. Systema Naturae. Linneaeus (ed.). Ed. 13., 1: pars. 6. Polymita versicolor (Born, 1778)
One species has an uncertain status: Polymita brocheri (Gutiérrez in Pfeiffer, 1864)Pfeiffer, L. (1864). Zur Molluskenfauna von Cuba. Malakozoologische Blätter. 11(3): 102–109, 123–131 [July 1864]; 11(4): 157–161 [December 1864].
References
External links
González Guillén A. (2014). "Polymita, the most beautiful land snail of the world". Carlos M. Estevez & Associates, Miami, 359 pp., .