THE LIGUUS PROJECT

Liguus and zoogeography

The gastropod collection has large lots of the Florida tree snail, Liguus fasciatus, collected in the first part of the 20th century. Aside from their recent rarity, this species poses interesting (and confusing) zoogeographic questions and pushes the species concept to its limits. Liguus are arboreal and exist in islands of trees, called hammocks, in southern Florida -- particularly in the Everglades. As the species spread from hammock to hammock, chance variations in genetics have given rise to a plethora of unique shell color patterns, some limited to single hammocks, some more widespread.

Many of the original populations have been extirpated, particularly those from the hammocks of Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and many of the Keys. Now protected by law, efforts to conserve the diversity of forms have involved transplanting populations to remote regions within the Everglades National Park. Although this is necessary to preserve the species, it obscures the original zoogeographic patterns.

The OSU collection is important because of the large lots collected in their original ranges prior to most human-mediated movement. Our goals are 1) to produce an educational display demonstrating the problems this group poses to zoogeography, genetics, and systematics, and 2) make this material available to OSU instructors teaching relevant courses.