Lord Howe Flax Snail
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lord Howe Placostylus, Placostylus bivaricosus, is a large terrestrial snail found only on Lord Howe Island off the east coast of Australia. Its status has declined from common to endangered since rats were accidentally introduced to the World Heritage island in 1918.
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[edit] Description
The genus Placostylus is a group of large ground dwelling gastropods with a disjunct distribution in the South west Pacific from the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and New Caledonia, to Lord Howe Island and the northern extremity of New Zealand. The Lord Howe Placostylus has a brown, pointed shell up to 7cm long and 2 cm in diameter.
[edit] Species decline
Historical accounts and fossil evidence indicate that the Lord Howe Island Placostylus was formerly widespread and abundant on the island. The decline was first noted in the 1940’s and the species is now listed as critically endangered.
The Ship rat or Black rat Rattus rattus is considered to be the major predator of the Placostylus and likely to be a significant threat to its survival. European Blackbirds and Song Thrushes (self introduced around 1950) are also thought to be predators of Placostylus.
Habitat clearing and modification and habitat disturbance, possibly herbicides and pesticides also add to the species decline.
[edit] Recovery
In 2001 a recovery plan was completed to protect and recover the Lord Howe Island Placostylus in the wild. Actions include habitat and population surveys, community awareness raising and a captive breeding program.
The Lord Howe Island Board, responsible for implementation of the recovery plan, has since constructed a rodent and bird proof enclosure for the project and the first generation of captive bred Lord How Island land snails has hatched.
Over a period of two years, school children will closely monitor the captive snail population their eggs and then measure growth rates and survival rates of the juvenile snails.
Rodent control or eradication on the island is crucial for the long-term survival of the Placostylus in the wild.
