Tag Archives: Rotuma

Succinea rotumana Smith

Rotuma Amber Snail (Succinea rotumana)

The Rotuma Amber Snail is endemic is to the island of Rotuma, Fiji, including at least one of the offshore islets.

The species was described in 1897 based on six specimens that were collected on the island of Rotuma, another specimen was collected in 1938 on the offshore islet of Uea, this is also the last record for this species, that now is considered most likely extinct.

There is, however, the chance that the species indeed survives on Uea or one of the other offshore islets.

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References:

[1] Gilianne Brodie; Gary M. Bakker; Froseann Stevens; Monifa Fiu: Preliminary re-survey of the land snail fauna of Rotuma: conservation and biosecurity implications. Pacific Conservation Biology 20(1): 94-107. 2014

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edited: 26.11.2018

Sinployea rotumana (E. A. Sm.)

Rotuman Sinployea Snail (Sinployea rotumana)

This species was described in 1897; it is endemic to the island of Rotuma (apparently including some of the smaller offshore islets) north of the Fijian Islands, as far as I know it is known from seven or eight specimens only.

The Rotuman Sinployea Snail inhabited the leaf litter on the forest floors.

The shells reach sizes of about 0,26 to 0,33 cm in diameter.

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The island’s snail fauna was surveyed in 1938 when a single empty shell was recovered; none was found in the next survey in 2012, it is clearly extinct today. [1][2]

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References:

[1] Alan Solem: Endodontoid land snails from Pacific Islands (Mollusca: Pulmonata: Sigmurethra). Part II, Families Punctidae and Charopidae, Zoogeography. Field Museum of Natural History Chicago, Illinois 1983
[2] Gilianne Brodie; Gary M. Bakker; Froseann Stevens; Monifa Fiu: Preliminary re-survey of the land snail fauna of Rotuma: conservation and biosecurity implications. Pacific Conservation Biology 20(1): 94-107. 2014

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edited: 02.08.2022