Placostylus ambagiosus

Placostylus ambagiosus
A shell of the subspecies Placostylus ambagiosus priscus
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
informal group Sigmurethra

Superfamily: Orthalicoidea
Family: Placostylidae
Genus: Placostylus
Species: P. ambagiosus
Binomial name
Placostylus ambagiosus
Suter, 1906[2][3]

Plagiostylus ambagiosus is a species of flax snail (Māori: pupuharakeke), a large air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Placostylidae, according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

Contents

Description

This snail has a large (60–95 millimetres or 2.4–3.7 inches long) shell, which is heavily calcified.

Distribution

This land snail species occurs in New Zealand. It is restricted to a small fragmented area of Northland Region, including the Aupouri Peninsula and Motuopao Island.[4]

Subspecies

Eight extant subspecies and a number of undescribed but distinct populations have been recognised;[4] 6 subspecies are now extinct[5] (marked with a †); conservation statuses are given according to the New Zealand Threat Classification System for the extant taxa: "nationally critical" and "nationally endangered":[6]

Buckley et al. (2011)[7] found based on molecular phylogeny research and shell morphology research, that there are no susbspecies of Placostylus ambagiosus.[7]

References

  1. ^ Sherley G. (1996). "Placostylus ambagiosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/17444. Retrieved February 6, 2010. 
  2. ^ Suter H. (1906). J. de Conch. 54: 253, plate 8, figure 1-3.
  3. ^ "Object: Placostylus ambagiosus Suter, 1907; lectotype; lectotype of Placostylus hongii ambagiosus Suter, 1907". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=158444. Retrieved February 5, 2010. 
  4. ^ a b I. A. N. Stringer & E. A. Grant (2007). Captive rearing and biology of the endangered giant land snails Placostylus ambagiosus and P. hongii (Pulmonata: Bulimulidae). DOC Research & Development Series 279. Department of Conservation. ISBN 978-0-478-14288-4. http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/science-and-technical/drds279.pdf. 
  5. ^ "Extinct Species of New Zealand". Natural Heritage Collection. http://www.nhc.net.nz/index/extinct-new-zealand/extinct.htm. Retrieved February 5, 2010. 
  6. ^ "Terrestial invertebrate - part one". New Zealand Threat Classification System. Department of Conservation. 2002. http://www.doc.govt.nz/publications/conservation/archive/new-zealand-threat-classification-system-lists-2002/terrestial-invertebrate-part-one/. 
  7. ^ a b Buckley T. R., Stringer I., Gleeson D., Howitt R., Attanayake D., Parrish R., Sherley G. & Rohan M. (2011). "A revision of the New Zealand Placostylus land snails using mitochondrial DNA and shell morphometric analyses, with implications for conservation". New Zealand Journal of Zoology 38(1): 55-81. doi:10.1080/03014223.2010.527997.

Further reading