Placostylus ambagiosus
Encyclopedia
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)
.
, which is heavily calcified
.
and Motuopao Island.
and a number of undescribed but distinct populations have been recognised; 6 subspecies are now extinct
(marked with a †); conservation status
es are given according to the New Zealand Threat Classification System
for the extant taxa: "nationally critical" and "nationally endangered":
Buckley et al. (2011) found based on molecular phylogeny
research and shell morphology research, that there are no susbspecies of Placostylus ambagiosus.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of flax snail (Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
: pupuharakeke), a large air-breathing land snail
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
, a terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusc
Mollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
in the family Placostylidae
Placostylidae
Placostylidae is a family of land snails, gastropods in the superfamily Orthalicoidea.- Taxonomy :The Placostylidae family is classified within the informal group Sigmurethra, itself belonging to the clade Stylommatophora within the clade Eupulmonata .This family has no subfamilies Placostylidae is...
, according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005)
Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005)
The taxonomy of the Gastropoda as it was revised by Philippe Bouchet and Jean-Pierre Rocroi is currently the most up-to-date overall system for classifying gastropod mollusks...
.
Description
This snail has a large (60 millimetre long) shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
, which is heavily calcified
Calcification
Calcification is the process in which calcium salts build up in soft tissue, causing it to harden. Calcifications may be classified on whether there is mineral balance or not, and the location of the calcification.-Causes:...
.
Distribution
This land snail species occurs in New Zealand. It is restricted to a small fragmented area of Northland Region, including the Aupouri PeninsulaAupouri Peninsula
The Aupouri Peninsula is a tombolo at the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand. It projects between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east...
and Motuopao Island.
Subspecies
Eight extant subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
and a number of undescribed but distinct populations have been recognised; 6 subspecies are now extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
(marked with a †); conservation status
Conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group is still extant and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future...
es are given according to the New Zealand Threat Classification System
New Zealand Threat Classification System
The New Zealand Threat Classification System is used by the Department of Conservation to assess conservation priorities of species in New Zealand....
for the extant taxa: "nationally critical" and "nationally endangered":
- 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 †
Buckley et al. (2011) found based on molecular phylogeny
Molecular phylogeny
Molecular phylogenetics is the analysis of hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree...
research and shell morphology research, that there are no susbspecies of Placostylus ambagiosus.
Further reading
- Powell A. W. B.Arthur William Baden PowellDr Arthur William Baden Powell CBE was a New Zealand malacologist, naturalist and palaeontologist, a major influence in the study and classification of New Zealand molluscs through much of the twentieth century. He was known to his friends and family by his third name, "Baden".Powell was born at...
(1979). New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand, ISBN 0-00-216906-1. - Suter H.Henry SuterHenry Suter was a New Zealand zoologist, naturalist, palaeontologist, and malacologist.- Biography :...
(1913). Manual of the New Zealand Mollusca. Wellington, 1120 pp., page 768.