Gyropena Explained

Gyropena is a genus of two species of tiny pinwheel snails that are endemic to Australia's Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. ^[1]

Species

• Gyropena minuta Shea & Griffiths, 2010 – Mount Gower pinwheel snail
• Gyropena verans Iredale, 1944 – sunken-spired pinwheel snail

Description

The shells of these snails are 0.9–1.5 mm in height, with a diameter of 1.9–2.9 mm. The colour is golden-brown to pale fawn. The shape is discoidal with a low or sunken spire, whorls shouldered and sutures impressed, with prominent radial ribs. The umbilicus is widely open. The aperture is roundly lunate.^[2]

Habitat

These snails are found at the southern end of the island, on the summits and slopes of Mount Lidgbird and Mount Gower, in leaf litter.^[2]

Notes and References

1. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Gyropena Iredale, 1944. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=818299 on 2021-07-12
2. Book: Hyman . Isabel . Köhler . Frank . 2020 . A Field Guide to the Land Snails of Lord Howe Island . Sydney . Australian Museum . 978-0-9750476-8-2.