Samoana burchiis a member of the Partulidae, a family that was once abundant across French Polynesia and attracted the interest of evolutionary biologists due to its high diversity (2). Tragically this is no longer the case as many of the species within this family are now extinct, and those that remain, including Samoana burchi, face a similar fate (6).
In 1977, a carnivorous land snail, Euglandia rosea,was introduced to Tahiti in an attempt to control the giant African snail Achatina fulica, a species considered a pest to crops and gardens (1)(3) (4). Without adequate scientific field trials prior to its release, this carnivorous snail began preying upon all land snails endemic to French Polynesia, and fewer than 20 of the 70-plus Partulidae species are known to have survived (2) (3) (6).
As well as predation by Euglandia rosea, other threats to Samoana burchi include habitat loss due to the installation of communications systems, forest clearance to improve tourist views (1), and the replacement of native plants with non-native species that are unsuitable for partulid snails (4). In addition, Samoana burchi is under threat of extinction because of the low genetic diversity remaining in the few individuals that make up the surviving populations (3).