Mystivagor
Mystivagor is a monotypic genus in the subfamily of the pinwheel snails[1]
| Mystivagor | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Superfamily: | Punctoidea |
| Family: | Charopidae |
| Subfamily: | Charopinae |
| Genus: | Mystivagor Iredale, 1944 |
The sole species is M. mastersi, also known as the slug-like pinwheel snail or Master's charopid land snail. It is classified as Critically Endangered under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Description
The reduced, globosely ear-shaped shell of this snail is 5.4–6.7 mm in height, with a diameter of 5.6–5.7 mm. The colour is chestnut-brown with zigzag cream flammulations (flame-like markings). The sutures are impressed, with wide radial ribs. The umbilicus is absent. The aperture is teardrop-shaped.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The species is endemic to Australia's Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. The snail is very rare and is known from only a few scattered localities across the island, in plant litter in rainforest and moist woodland.[2]
References
- MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Mystivagor Iredale, 1944. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=818402 on 2021-07-12
- Hyman, Isabel; Köhler, Frank (2020). A Field Guide to the Land Snails of Lord Howe Island. Sydney: Australian Museum. ISBN 978-0-9750476-8-2.