Placostylus ambagiosus

Placostylus ambagiosus is a species of flax snail (Māori: pupuharakeke), a large air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Bothriembryontidae.

Placostylus ambagiosus
A shell of the subspecies Placostylus ambagiosus priscus
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:
Bothriembryontidae
Subfamily:
Placostylinae
Genus:
Placostylus
Species:
P. ambagiosus
Binomial name
Placostylus ambagiosus

Description

This snail has a large (60–95 millimetres or 2.4–3.7 inches long) shell, which is heavily calcified. Placostylus ambagiosus is highly valued by Te Aupōuri me Ngāti Kurī (the indigenous people of northern New Zealand) as a food source, musical instrument and in the past this snail provided alarm calls at night warning of approaching invaders.[4]

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.[5]

Biology

This snail feeds on fallen leaves on the forest floor. A favorite plant species is hangehange (Geniostoma ligustrifolium). Placostylus ambagiosus needs year round moisture provided by deep leaf-litter. The species is slow-growing with a lifespan of 10-22 years and strong site fidelity[6] The same individual snail has been found under the same food plant for 12 years[7]

Hypothetical subspecies

In 2011, Buckley et al.[8] established, based on molecular phylogeny research and shell morphology research, that there are in fact no subspecies of Placostylus ambagiosus.[8] However, in the past, what were thought to be eight extant subspecies and a number of undescribed but distinct populations were named;[5] 6 of these "subspecies" are now extinct[9] (marked with a †); conservation statuses were given according to the New Zealand Threat Classification System for the extant taxa: "nationally critical" and "nationally endangered":[10]

  • Placostylus ambagiosus "Herangi Hill" †
  • Placostylus ambagiosus "nouvelle" - nationally endangered
  • Placostylus ambagiosus "Haupatoto" - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus "Kauaetewhakapeke Stream" - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus "Kohuronaki" - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus "Poroiki" - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus "Te Paki" - nationally endangered
  • Placostylus ambagiosus "Tirikawa" - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus ambagiosus Suter, 1906 - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus annectens Powell, 1938 2
  • Placostylus ambagiosus consobrinus Powell, 1938 - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus gardneri †
  • Placostylus ambagiosus hancoxi 1
  • Placostylus ambagiosus hinemoa †
  • Placostylus ambagiosus keenorum Powell, 1938 - nationally endangered
  • Placostylus ambagiosus lesleyae †
  • Placostylus ambagiosus michiei Powell, 1951 - nationally endangered
  • Placostylus ambagiosus pandora Powell, 1951 - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus paraspiritus Powell, 1951 - nationally endangered
  • Placostylus ambagiosus priscus †
  • Placostylus ambagiosus spiritus †
  • Placostylus ambagiosus watti Powell, 1947 - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus whareana Powell, 1951 - nationally critical
  • Placostylus ambagiosus worthyi †

References
  1. Sherley, G. (1996). "Placostylus ambagiosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T17444A7072200. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T17444A7072200.en.
  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. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  4. Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "2. – Snails and slugs – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  5. 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) (PDF). DOC Research & Development Series 279. Department of Conservation. ISBN 978-0-478-14288-4.
  6. Stringer, Ian Alexander Noel; Parrish, Glen Richard; Sherley, Gregory Howard (2018). "Homing, dispersal and mortality after translocation of long-lived land snails Placostylus ambagiosus and P. hongii (Gastropoda: Bothriembryontidae) in New Zealand". Molluscan Research. 38 (1): 56–76. doi:10.1080/13235818.2017.1323368. ISSN 1323-5818.
  7. Parrish, G. Richard; Stringer, Ian A. N.; Sherley, Greg H. (2014). "The biology of Placostylus ambagiosus (Pulmonata: Bulimulidae) in New Zealand: Part 1. Behaviour, habitat use, abundance, site fidelity, homing and the dimensions of eggs and snails". Molluscan Research. 34 (3): 139–154. doi:10.1080/13235818.2014.888980. ISSN 1323-5818.
  8. 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.
  9. "Extinct Species of New Zealand". Natural Heritage Collection. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  10. "Terrestrial invertebrate - part one". New Zealand Threat Classification System. Department of Conservation. 2002.

Further reading
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