Basileostylus bollonsi explained

Basileostylus bollonsi, common name the New Zealand flax snail or Maori: pupuharakeke, is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Bothriembryontidae. ^[1]

Distribution

This species is endemic to the Three Kings Islands group off the northern tip of New Zealand's North Island.

Subspecies

A number of subspecies were recognised; Placostylus bollonsi arbutus and P. b. bollonsi are classified by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as being Nationally Endangered, while Placostylus bollonsi caperatus is classified as Nationally Critical.^[2]

Buckley et al. (2011) found based on molecular phylogeny research and shell morphology research, that there are no subspecies of Placostylus bollonsi.^[3]

References

• Suter, H. (1908). A new Placostylus from New Zealand. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, 40: 340-343, pl. 25.

Notes and References

1. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Basileostylus bollonsi (Suter, 1908). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=863080 on 2022-01-22
2. Web site: New Zealand Threat Classification System lists - 2002 - Terrestrial invertebrate - part one . . 2002 . March 3, 2010.
3. 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. .