Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail
CR

Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail

Partula tohiveana

Increasing

Photo: Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Overview

Partula tohiveana, the Tohiea tree snail, is a partulid endemic to Moorea, and therefore one of several species with the common name Moorean viviparous tree snail. This species is a species of air-breathing tropical land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Partulidae. It is endemic to highlands on Moorea, French Polynesia.

Partula tohiveana faces severe threats from invasive predatory snails, particularly Euglandina rosea, which was introduced to control agricultural pests but devastated native Partula populations across French Polynesia. Habitat degradation from human development and introduced plant species further compounds the species' decline. The species' extremely limited range on Tahiti makes it particularly vulnerable to local extinctions from these combined pressures.

Threat summary

Habitat

This endemic tree snail inhabits native montane forests on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, typically found on vegetation in humid forest environments at mid to high elevations. The species requires intact native forest canopy and specific moisture conditions provided by undisturbed tropical mountain ecosystems.

Conservation measures underway

Species reintroductionEx-situ conservation

Other threatened species in PARTULIDAE

Polynesian Tree SnailCR

Polynesian Tree Snail

Partula arguta

Unknown
EN

Fiji Ridged Tree Snail

Partula lirata

Unknown
VU

Palau Rock Snail

Sphendone insolita

Unknown
CR

Partula incrassa

Unknown

Threatened in French Polynesia

EN

Raiatea Fruit-dove

Ptilinopus chrysogaster

Declining
EN

Pocillopora zelli

Declining
VU

White-winged Petrel

Pterodroma leucoptera

Declining
VU

Black Petrel

Procellaria parkinsoni

Stable

Frequently asked questions

Why is Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail classified as Critically Endangered?
Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Partula tohiveana faces severe threats from invasive predatory snails, particularly Euglandina rosea, which was introduced to control agricultural pests but devastated native Partula populations across French Polynesia. Habitat degradation from human development and introduced plant species further compounds the species' decline. The species' extremely limited range on Tahiti makes it particularly vulnerable to local extinctions from these combined pressures.
Where does Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail live?
Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail occurs in French Polynesia. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail?
The main threats to Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail are 7.1, 8.1, ai-1, and ai-2. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.