Paralaoma turbotti is a species of land snail in the family Punctidae.[2] The species was first described by Baden Powell in 1948, and is endemic to Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands in New Zealand.

Paralaoma turbotti

Naturally Uncommon (NZ TCS)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Punctidae
Genus: Paralaoma
Species:
P. turbotti
Binomial name
Paralaoma turbotti
Powell, 1948

Taxonomy

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The species was identified by Powell in 1948, based on a shell collected from Manawatāwhi / Great Island in 1945 by Graham Turbott, who discovered the shell on the underside of decaying wood in leaf mold, in an area of kanuka scrub.[3][4] Powell named the species after Turbott.[5]

In 1999, specimens that had previously been identified as P. turbotti by Frank Climo in 1973 were described two new species, Paralaoma manawatawhia and Paralaoma raki.[6] These species share a habitat and have overlapping distributions, suggesting that Quaternary sea level changes may have fragmented populations of Paralaoma, leading to speciation.[7]

Description

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Powell's original text (the type description) reads as follows:

Shell minute, depressed-turbinate, narrowly umbilicated, closely radially costate, microscopically densely spirally striate, thin, shining, uniformly light brown. Spire slightly taller than height of aperture. Suture deeply impressed. Whorls 4½, slowly increasing, including a low rounded protoconch of 1½ microscopically spirally striated whorls. Post-nuclear sculpture of numerous somewhat irregular rounded radial ribs, stronger on dorsal surface; about 60 on the penultimate and approximately 90 on the body-whorl. The whole surface crowded with dense, microscopic, spiral, linear-spaced lirations, interstial on the dorsal surface but crossing the weakened radials of the base. Umbilicus deep, narrow and straight sided, about one-eighth major diameter of the base. Aperture lunate, with thin outer lip. Inner lip reflexed, partly concealing the umbilicus. Major diameter, 1.6 mm (0.063 in).; minimum diameter, 1.45 mm (0.057 in).: height, 1.00 mm (0.039 in) (holotype).[3]

The shell of the species is morphologically very similar to Paralaoma buddlei, however is much smaller compared to P. buddlei.[8] They can be distinguished from P. manawatawhia due to the shells of this species being brown, bigger and having heavier ribbing.

Distribution and habitat

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The species is endemic to New Zealand,[2] found on islands of the Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands group: Manawatāwhi / Great Island and Moekawa / South West Island.[8] The snail lives primarily in broaflead forest and kanuka leaf litter.[8][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Paralaoma turbotti Powell, 1948". New Zealand Threat Classification System. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Paralaoma turbotti Powell, 1948". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b Powell, A. W. B. (1948). "Land Mollusca of the Three Kings Islands". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 3: 273–290. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906016. Wikidata Q58676663.
  4. ^ "Paralaoma turbotti". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  5. ^ Gill, B. J.; Thwaites, I. G.; Wolfe, R. J. (2015). "Evan Graham Turbott M.Sc., Q.S.O. Ornithologist, museum director – 1914–2014". Records of the Auckland Museum. 50: 77–84. ISSN 1174-9202. JSTOR 90014736. Wikidata Q58628992.
  6. ^ Goulstone, J. F.; Brook, F. J. (March 1999). "Description of five species of terrestrial molluscs (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Punctidae, Charopidae, Rhytididae) discovered in the Three Kings Islands, northern New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 29 (1): 23–39. doi:10.1080/03014223.1999.9517581. ISSN 0303-6758. Wikidata Q54573981.
  7. ^ a b Brook, F. J. (2002). "Changes in the landsnail fauna of Great Island, Three Kings Islands, northern New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 32 (1): 61–88. doi:10.1080/03014223.2002.9517684. ISSN 0303-6758. Wikidata Q129733487.
  8. ^ a b c Climo, F. M. (December 1973). "The systematics, Biology and Zoogeography of the land snail fauna of Great Island, Three Kings Group, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 3 (4): 565–627. doi:10.1080/03036758.1973.10421858. ISSN 0303-6758. Wikidata Q104026163.