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Jamaican Land Snail (Pleurodonte excellens)

Caracolus excellens

The Pleurodonte excellens (Jamaican Land Snail, Pancake Snail). It is one of the most unusual and geometrically fascinating terrarium snails: unlike the massive cone of the African species, it possesses a very particular flattened shell shaped like a 'frisbee' or a disk ('pancake'), wide (up to 2.5 inches in diameter) but extremely low and with a very sharp profile. Originating from the hot Caribbean islands, it is a strictly ARBOREAL snail: it shuns muddy soil and spends its life glued vertically to branches, trunks and smooth walls, loving to rest under wide leaves. The shell boasts an exquisite coloring in concentric dark bands (mahogany/black) on a cream-wood background, while the mollusk's body is often an elegant opaque pearl gray. Splendid and harmless, however, it requires abundantly branched vertical setups, very high environmental humidity not to seal itself prematurely and, above all, live mossy barks to thrive, not being basically a fierce eater of only supermarket vegetables like the huge Achatinas.

Taxonomy
Class:Gastropoda
Order:Stylommatophora
Family:Pleurodontidae
Subfamily:Pleurodontinae
Genus:Pleurodonte
Species:Caracolus excellens*
Formerly known as:Pleurodonte excellens
* Source-reviewed taxonomy (MolluscaBase, 2026-07-24): MolluscaBase accepts Caracolus excellens (L. Pfeiffer, 1853). GBIF independently returns the same accepted species (https://www.gbif.org/species/11137492); the prior genus-only value omitted the supported species identity.

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Environment

Terrestrial

Humidity

80 - 90 %

Day temperature

22 - 26 °C

Night temperature

20 - 22 °C

UVB

None

Species description

Geographic Origin and Habitat: This recovery makes no geographic-origin or habitat statement.
Taxonomy and Genetics: GBIF Species API record 11137492 has Caracolus excellens as canonicalName, SPECIES as rank and ACCEPTED as taxonomicStatus. This recovery makes no genetic statement.
Behaviour and Habits: This recovery makes no behavioural statement.
Morphology and Sexual Dimorphism: This recovery makes no morphological or sexual-dimorphism statement.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Terrarium Setup: Guidance about terrarium setup for Caracolus excellens must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Lighting and Heating: Guidance about lighting and heating for Caracolus excellens must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Humidity and Hydration: Guidance about humidity and hydration for Caracolus excellens must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Feeding and Supplementation: Guidance about feeding and supplementation for Caracolus excellens must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Compatibility and Coexistence: Guidance about compatibility and coexistence for Caracolus excellens must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Health and Common Diseases: Guidance about health and common diseases for Caracolus excellens must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

This species originates from: Caraibi (Foreste umide insulari, chiome di banani e vegetazione arborea intricata in Giamaica).

Origin

Central America and CaribbeanAfrica and MadagascarEast Asia

Terrestrial invertebrate profile

Diet
No verified data available
Life expectancy
No verified data available
Adult size
6 cm
The catalog's scalar value is 6 cm. The Nobara — Caracolus excellens source reports a maximum adult measurement of 6 cm for this species, recorded as width or diameter. The taxonomic record consulted is Caracolus excellens. These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Lifestyle/Microhabitat
No verified data available
Activity cycle
No verified data available
Sociality
No verified data available
Reproduction
No verified data available
Venom level
No verified data available
Handling tolerance
No verified data available
Brumation
No verified data available
Molting
No verified data available

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.

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Last updated: 08/10/2026
Jamaican Land Snail (Pleurodonte excellens) (Caracolus excellens) Care Guide & Terrarium Setup | Atlarium