Hawaii supports a spectacular land snail radiation with 754 species, and many more awaiting description. The Achatinellidae are among the most well-known Pacific Island land snail, and most are endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago. Achatinellid research has contributed substantially to our understanding of evolution, island biogeography, and conservation. Historically, researchers relied heavily on shell morphology to distinguish among species, but shell traits may vary substantially within species, and overlap among species, creating inconsistencies in species delineation.

Identification of individuals from fresh collected or well-preserved museum specimens can be verified using DNA barcoding or anatomy, however, for most historical collections, from which baselines of ranges and diversity are established, this is often not possible. At the Bishop Museum we are exploring maximize information extraction from the historical, snail collections in Malacology. My research focuses on two approaches for using mollusc shells: quantitative shape analysis and advanced DNA extraction methods. These approaches allow us to more fully understand patterns of evolution and provide baseline data for making conservation management decisions. The ability to understand the past, assess the present, and predict the future allows us to inform conservation plans and understand evolutionary pressures and trends of these jewels of the Pacific.

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