Classification

The classification of Allogona townsendiana commonly known as the Oregon Forestsnail is as follows:
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Pulmonata
Family: Polygyridae
Genus: Allogona
Species: Allogona townsendiana

             Allogona townsendiana is the snail’s scientific name, which is usually in either Latin or Greek. This system is used as a universal code for identifying snails all over the world. Allogona is translated from Greek to mean ‘different genitalia’ while townsendiana is named after John K. Townsend (Evergreen, 2008). The common name originated due to the fact that the snail is typically found in forests specifically in western Oregon and Washington as well as north into southwestern British Columbia.
            Allogona townsendiana is classified in the Domain Eukarya due to the fact that it possesses attributes such as an internal membranous system, mitochondria, and the presence of organelles. The most important characteristic being that it is multicellular (Hickman et al. 2009).
            The Oregon Forestsnail is classified in the Animal kingdom because it is a heterotrophic organism that most likely consumes plants and fungi for food. The snail reproduces sexually and is in fact hermaphroditic, and lastly organisms in this kingdom have cells that lack cell walls (Hickman et al. 2009).
            Furthermore, the snail is classified in the Phylum Mollusca due to the fact that it has a mantle that secretes the shell and a ventral muscular food, which used for swimming, crawling, or burrowing (Hickman et al. 2009).
            This snail is classified in the Class Gastropoda, which translates to mean “stomach-foot.” Due to the fact that it possesses a radula that is used for scraping algae from surfaces and the shell consists of three layers made of calcium carbonate (Leonard, 1959). Gastropods are also identified by the process known as torsion, which is a 180° rotation of the internal organs and results in the anus being positioned above the snail’s head. This can cause a serious fouling problem for many snails.
            Allogona townsendiana is found in the Order Pulmonata due to the fact that within the mantle cavity a lung has developed and replaced the gills. Pulmonates also possess one or two pairs of tentacles on which the olfactory organs are located (Leonard, 1959).
            A characteristic that identifies the Oregon Forestsnail in the Family Polygyridae is that it is a terrestrial and therefore an air-breathing snail. Also, they have the ability to retract their entire body into their shell (Hickman et al. 2009).
            Characteristics that classify Allogona townsendiana in the Genus Allogona are its shell width, which ranges from 21 to 31 millimeters, as well as the shell surface which is malleated (Living Landscapes). The characteristics that this particular snail possesses are specific to the habitat it thrives in.

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