Ampelita gaudens is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Acavidae.
Varieties Ampelita gaudens var. campbelliana (Pilsbry in Tryon, 1890) Ampelita gaudens var. gaudens (Mabille, 1884) Ampelita gaudens var. macrogranulosa Fischer-Piette, C. P. Blanc, F. Blanc & F. Salvat, 1994 Ampelita gaudens var. nossibeensis O. Boettger, 1889
Description The height of the shell attains 27 mm, its diameter 63 mm.
(Original description in Latin) This brown shell features a wide, deep umbilicus that allows a view to the apex. Its shape is discoid-subdepressed, solid yet lightweight. The shell is very finely punctuated near the suture, while the remaining upper surface is malleated and irregularly striated. The apex is only slightly raised. Five and a quarter rapidly growing, convex whorls are separated by a distinct suture. The body whorl is very large, with a slightly fragmented keel along its equator. Near the aperture, the body whorl descends abruptly and significantly. The base exhibits a slight flat area around the umbilicus and small growth riblets covered in tiny granules. A yellowish band encircles the umbilicus. The aperture is very oblique, elongated, with nearly parallel upper and lower edges. Its interior is a pale grayish-blue. The peristome is shortly reflected. The columella is slightly dilated at the top but does not extend over the umbilicus.
Distribution This species is endemic to Madagascar.
References
External links Florida Museum of Natural History: image