Diet of the giant African land snail Archachatina marginata Swainson, 1821, in Ivory Coast: preferences and estimate of damages

Abstract

Summary . — An inventory of wild plants consumed by the edible giant snail Archachatina marginata was compiled and tested in the laboratory. Juvenile and adult snails were fed on the four most edible plants during a dietary preference experiment. The chemical components of these plants were also determined. Damage caused by these snails was estimated according to daily consumed quantity, thus mean number of young and adult leaves consumed per day by these snails. Plant diversity was also noted and field observations conducted within the forest of the University of Abobo-Adjamé (Abidjan, Ivory Coast). A. marginata consumed miscellaneous wild plants but prefers Clerodendrum paniculatum and Laportea aestuans which offered the best phosphorus, sodium and potassium contents. The plants most consumed were Laportea aestuans, Phaulopsis falcisepela and Palisota hirsuta. This snail is a secondary forest flora pest and has an influence on the plant biodiversity in this forest.