Succinea archeyi
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| Succinea archeyi | ||||||||||||||
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| Succinea archeyi Powell, 1933 |
Succinea archeyi is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Succineidae, the amber snails.
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[edit] Distribution
This species is endemic to Northland in the North Island of New Zealand. It is found from Cape Maria van Diemen to Cape Kidnappers. This is the only Succinea species in New Zealand.
[edit] Habitat
This rare snail is found as subfossils and in a few surviving colonies. Its habitat is coastal sand dunes within 600 ft of the beach.
[edit] Shell description
The shell is rather small, thin and fragile. The spire is rather prominent, three quarters the height of the aperture. The whorls are strongly convex, rapidly increasing. The shell colour is creamy-white under a yellowish-olive to pale orange periostracum.
The shell height is up to 12 mm.
[edit] Life habits
This is an annual snail, achieving its adult growth during winter rains that promote the growth of its food plant, the alga Anabaena. From late spring to autumn conditions on the dunes are too dry for the alga, which dries up, and only dead bleached snail shells are to be found on the surface. During the dry period continuity is achieved by the young snails working their way down amongst the roots of Spinifex.
[edit] Conservation status
Succinea archeyi is classified by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as being in Serious Decline.
[edit] References
- Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
- New Zealand Department of Conservation Threatened Species Classification
