Tag Archives: Succineidae

Succinea papillata Pfeiffer

Papillary Amber Snail (Succinea papillata)

The Papillary Amber Snail was described in 1850.

The species was endemic to the island of Ra’iatea, Society Islands, where it was apparently already quite uncommon when it was discovered and described, it is now entirely extinct.

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syn. Succinea labiata Pease

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References:

[1] Justin Gerlach: Land and Freshwater Snails of Tahiti and the other Society Islands. Phelsuma Press, Cambridge 2017

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edited: 26.11.2018

Succinea pallida Pfeiffer

Pallid Amber Snail (Succinea pallida)

The Pallid Amber Snail was confined to the sister islands of Ra’iatea and Taha’a, where it was historically very abundant and could be found on any moist places on the ground.

The species, which was described in 1847, is now extinct.

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References:

[1] Justin Gerlach: Land and Freshwater Snails of Tahiti and the other Society Islands. Phelsuma Press, Cambridge 2017

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edited: 26.11.2018

Succinea atollica Hertlein & Allison

Atoll Amber Snail (Succinea atollica)

This very interesting species was described in 1968 based on about 30 specimens that were collected on Clipperton Island in the Pacific Ocean apparently 10 years earlier, when the species appeared to be very abundant on the atoll.

The rather unusal shell (for a member of that genus) reaches a length of about 1,1 cm, it is elongately ovate, thin, andr tanslucent, the upper whorls are light amber-colored, the last whorl is grayish-yellow with iregularely spaced brown lines which parallel the growth lines. [1]

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The Atoll Amber Snail was not found alive since 1958 and it is obviously extinct. [2]

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References:

[1] L. G. Hertlein; E. C. Allison: Descriptions of new species of gastropods from Clipperton Island. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Science 66: 1-33. 1968

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Photo from: ‘Kirstie L. Kaiser: The recent molluscan fauna of Île Clipperton (Tropical Eastern Pacific). The Festivus 39. 2007’

(unter creative commons license (4.0))
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

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edited: 31.10.2020

Succinea guamensis Pfeiffer

Guam Amber Snail (Succinea guamensis)

The Guam Amber Snail was described in 1857, it is thought to be endemic to the island of Guam, Mariana Islands.

The species appears to be extinct now.

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According to another source this species is said to also inhabit Koror, Palau Islands as well as the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, the specimens collected from there, however, are somewhat smaller that those from Guam. [1]

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References:

[1] O. F. von Moellendorff: The land shells of the Caroline Islands. Journal of Malacology 7: 101-126. 1900

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edited: 26.11.2018

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

Catinella rubida (Pease)

Red Catinella Snail (Catinella rubida 

The Red Catinella Snail, which is the type species of its genus, was described in 1870.  

The species is, or rather was restricted to swampy forest areas at Wahiawa in the southern part of the island of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands, where it was found at elevations of about 600 m.  

The Red Catinella Snail was one of the semi-slug-like members of the Succineidae, its shells was typically flattened with the last whorl being extremely enlarged, and the life animal very likely could not pull its body fully into it.  

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There have been intensive field surveys in the early 2000s with the intention to find this and other succeinid species, however, without any results. [1]  

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References:  

[1] Brenden S. Holland; Robert H. Cowie: Land snail models in island biogeography: A tale of two snails. American Malacological Bulletin 27: 59-68.2009  

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Photo from: ‘R. I. Johnson: Types of shelled Indo-Pacific mollusks described by W. H. Pease. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 154: 1-61. 1994’

(under creative commons license (3.0)) 
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

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edited: 29.05.2019