Placostylus
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Placostylus, or flax snails, are a genus of very large, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Bulimulidae.
The shells of the snails in this genus can be as large as 4.5 inches (11 cm) in maximum dimension.
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[edit] Distribution
This genus of snails is endemic to the island groups of the Melanesian Plateau; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Lord Howe Island, and Northland in New Zealand including offshore islands.
[edit] Habitat
In this genus there are some arboreal (tree-living) species which are thin-shelled, and some ground-dwelling species which are solid and often massive in their shell structure.
All of the New Zealand species are ground dwelling in their adult stages, but the juveniles are sometimes found in Astelia and other epiphytic growth on trees.
[edit] Conservation status
Many species in this genus have become extinct.
[edit] Species
- Placostylus ambagiosus ambagiosus Suter, 1906
- Placostylus ambagiosus annectens Powell, 1938
- Placostylus ambagiosus consobrinus Powell, 1938
- Placostylus ambagiosus gardneri † Powell, 1951
- Placostylus ambagiosus hinemoa † Powell, 1947
- Placostylus ambagiosus keenorum Powell, 1947
- Placostylus ambagiosus lesleyae † Powell, 1947
- Placostylus ambagiosus michiei Powell, 1951
- Placostylus ambagiosus pandora Powelll, 1951
- Placostylus ambagiosus paraspiritus Powell, 1951
- Placostylus ambagiosus priscus † Powell, 1938
- Placostylus ambagiosus spiritus † Powell, 1947
- Placostylus ambagiosus watti Powell, 1947
- Placostylus ambagiosus whareana Powell, 1951
- Placostylus ambagiosus worthyi † Powell, 1947
- Placostylus bivaricosus Gaskoin, 1855
- Placostylus bollonsi arbutus Powell, 1948
- Placostylus bollonsi bollonsi Suter, 1908
- Placostylus bollonsi caperatus Powell, 1948
- Placostylus caledonicus Petit, 1845
- Placostylus cuniculinsulae Cox, 1872
- Placostylus eddystonensis Pfeiffer, 1855
- Placostylus fibratus Martyn, 1789
- Placostylus hongii (Lesson, 1830)
- Placostylus manni Clapp, 1923
- Placostylus miltocheilus Reeve, 1848
- Placostylus porphyrostomus Pfeiffer, 1851
[edit] References
- Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
- NZ Molluscs
