Powelliphanta superba

Powelliphanta superba is a species of large, carnivorous land snail in the family Rhytididae, which is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Five subspecies are recognised,[1] all of which are classified by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as being Nationally Endangered.[2]

Powelliphanta superba
Powelliphana superba superba in its native habitat
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Rhytididae
Genus: Powelliphanta
Species:
P. superba
Binomial name
Powelliphanta superba
Powell, 1930
Synonyms

Paryphanta superba (Powell, 1930)

Taxonomy

Powelliphanta superba was originally described as Paryphanta superba by Arthur William Baden Powell in 1930.[3] The paratype specimens are located at Auckland War Memorial Museum.[3]

There are five subspecies of P. superba:

  • Powelliphanta superba harveyi
  • Powelliphanta superba mouatae
  • Powelliphanta superba prouseorum
  • Powelliphanta superba richardsoni
  • Powelliphanta superba superba

Description

The eggs are oval and seldom constant in dimensions 14 by 12 millimetres (0.55 in × 0.47 in).[4]

Conservation status

Each of the five subspecies are listed as Threatened under the most recent assessment (2007) of the New Zealand Threatened Classification for Powelliphanta.[5][6] Four are listed as Nationally Endangered, while P. superba superba is listed as Serious Decline.[5][6]

See also

References
  1. Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
  2. "New Zealand Threat Classification System lists - 2002 - Terrestrial invertebrate - part one". New Zealand Department of Conservation. 2002. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  3. Powell, A. W. B. (1930). "The Paryphantidae of New Zealand: their Hypothetical Ancestry, with descriptions of New Species and a New Genus". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 1: 17–56. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42905933. Wikidata Q58676532.
  4. A. C. O'Connor (1945). "Notes on the eggs of New Zealand Paryphantidae, with description of a new subgenus". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 5: 54–57.
  5. "NZTCS". nztcs.org.nz. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  6. "New Zealand Threat Classification System Database". www.wikidata.org. Retrieved 2024-02-10.


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