Wainuia Explained

Wainuia is a genus of air-breathing predatory land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Rhytididae. Species in this genus occur in New Zealand.^[1]

Description

The width of the shell of Wainuia is 21–38 mm.^[2]

Species

Species within the genus Wainuia include:^[1]

• Wainuia clarki (Powell, 1936), North Island
• Wainuia edwardi (Suter, 1899), South Island
• Wainuia fallai (Powell, 1946), South Island
• Wainuia urnula
  • Wainuia urnula urnula (Pfeiffer, 1855), North Island
  • Wainuia urnula nasuta (Powell, 1946), D'Urville Island

Ecology

Species of the genus Wainuia are carnivorous.

Wainuia have eggs with a calcareous surface which lacks cuticle.^[3]

References

• Checklist of New Zealand Mollusca
• New Zealand Department of Conservation

Further reading

• Efford M. G. 1998 Distribution and status of native carnivorous land snails in the genera Wainuia and Rhytida. Science for Conservation 101: 1–47.

Notes and References

1. [Arthur William Baden Powell|Powell A. W. B.]
2. Efford M., Howitt R. & Gleeson D. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships of Wainuia (Mollusca: Pulmonata)—biogeography and conservation implications. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 32, Number 3, September 2002, 445–456.
3. [A. C. O'Connor|O'Connor A. C.]