Bug Wiki
Bug Wiki / All bugs / Snails, slugs and worms
Sticker of West Indian bulimulus
Bug card No. 4655 of 4,939

West Indian bulimulus

Bulimulus guadalupensis
Name means: “from Guadeloupe, an island in the West Indies”
Eats: PlantsSnails, slugs and wormsGardens and meadowsNo legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The West Indian bulimulus is a tropical land snail from the Caribbean islands. It breathes air, just like a garden snail, and carries its shell on its back. Not all of them look the same, because this snail is very variable.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect at all, it has no legs! But kids find it on every bug hunt, so it lives in Bug Wiki too.
Lives in
The Caribbean islands and Florida, often in gardens and other places changed by people
Top speed
about 0.03 km/h (0.02 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Wash your hands after touching it, like after touching any wild animal.
What does it eat?
Like most land snails, it scrapes up its food with a rough tongue covered in tiny teeth.
For real!Photo of West Indian bulimulus
Picture by Jiter Fou. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It probably started out on the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, and now lives all around the Caribbean Sea and in Florida.

2

On the island of Dominica it was once found only in the botanical gardens, but now it lives all over the lowlands there.

3

It does well in places that people have changed, like gardens and building sites.

you asked

Most asked questions about West Indian bulimulus

?Where does the West Indian bulimulus live?

On the Caribbean islands and in Florida, often near people in gardens.

?Is the West Indian bulimulus dangerous?

No, it is a harmless snail.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Bulimulus guadalupensis
Group
Snails, slugs and worms
Family
Bulimulidae
Classification
Gastropoda > Stylommatophora > Bulimulidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Bulimulus guadalupensis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Jiter Fou. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Snails, slugs and worms

Garden snailSnails, slugs and wormsGiant African land snailSnails, slugs and wormsLeopard slugSnails, slugs and wormsBladder snailSnails, slugs and wormsMedicinal leechSnails, slugs and wormsCommon earthwormSnails, slugs and worms

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

Vashti sphinxMothsDiamond comb-footed spiderSpidersAustralian magpie mothMothsSooty orbweaverSpidersBrassy longhornMothsOrange mint mothMoths
Honey jarfor grown-ups