Shell colour luminance of Cuban painted snails, Polymita picta and Polymita muscarum (Gastropoda: Cepolidae)

Abstract

Climate change is a global environmental threat, directly affecting biodiversity. Terrestrial gastropods are particularly susceptible to alterations in temperature and humidity and have develop morph-physiological and behavioural adaptations in this regard. Shell colour polymorphism and its potential implication for thermoresistance constitute an unexplored field in Neotropical land snails. The variation in shell colour luminance is characterized in the threatened endemic Eastern Cuban tree snails Polymita picta and Polymita muscarum using digital tools; being able to discriminate shell luminance between colour morphs for both species, under different image-taking conditions. For P. muscarum, the albino morph presented the highest luminance values (152.7 ± 0.4); while the lowest values correspond to the brown morph with dark bands (112.9 ± 0.8). Otherwise, for P. picta, the morphs showing the highest luminance were yellow with a pink sutural band (112.8 ± 7.1) and pale yellow (112.6 ± 10.3) and the lowest luminance corresponded to the black morph (44.5 ± 1.2). The presence of dark bands decreased the luminance values regardless of their position in the shell, the morph and the species analysed. In general, the shells of P. muscarum have higher luminance than those of P. picta. Luminance variations demonstrate the ’indiscrete’ nature of this trait and highlight the complex interactions between evolutionary mechanisms and shell color polymorphism in Polymita. This supports the hypothesis that colour has adaptive value for thermoregulation, encompassing not only the background colour but also the coloration of the bands. The differences in the shell luminance in both species suggest a correlation with the geographical distribution and corresponding habitats. Based on our findings, yellowish morphs will be more resistant to future climatic conditions in their respective habitats on the island.