Climocella rata
| Climocella rata | |
|---|---|
| Holotype from the Auckland War Memorial Museum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Superfamily: | Punctoidea |
| Family: | Charopidae |
| Genus: | Climocella |
| Species: | C. rata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Climocella rata Goulstone, 1996
| |
Climocella rata is a species of land snail belonging to the family Charopidae.[1] Endemic to New Zealand, the species is found in the Auckland and Waikato Regions, often in northern rātā leaf litter.
Description
C. rata has a shell that measures up to 3 mm (0.12 in) by 1.8 mm (0.071 in), with a subdiscoidal shell of 3.75 whorls, and a protoconch of 1.5 whorls with 9-10 spiral lirae. It has a flat spire, and broad indistinct brown bands against a light brown background. The animal has a broad area of black pigmentation. The species can be identified due to its shell colour, flat to slightly depressed spire, and black pigmentation of the pallial cavity roof.[2]
Taxonomy
The species was first described by James Frederick Goulstone in 1995, who named the species after the northern rātā, a prominent tree at the species' type locality in the Hunua Ranges.[2] Goulstone collected the holotype of the species from the upper Whakatīwai Regional Park in the Hunua Ranges at a height of approximately 160 m (520 ft) above sea-level on 11 May 1995, which is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum.[3][4][2]
Ecology
The species is often found in northern rātā leaf litter, and occasionally in Astelia leaf litter.[2]
Distribution and habitat
C. rata is endemic to New Zealand,[5] found in the upper North Island in the Auckland Region and Waikato Region, including the Coromandel Peninsula, Hapuakohe Range, Hunua Range, Kaimai Range, and on Great Barrier Island and Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf.[2]
Gallery
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Underside view of holotype
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Side view of holotype
References
- ^ Climocella rata Goulstone, 1996. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 18 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Goulstone, J. F. (1995). "Five New Species of Climocella n. gen. (Punctoidea: Charopidae)". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 32: 63–90. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906453. Wikidata Q58677487.
- ^ Blom, Wilma M. (2025). "Annotated Catalogue of Fossil and Extant Molluscan Types in the Auckland War Memorial Museum". Bulletin of the Auckland Museum. 22. doi:10.32912/BULLETIN/22. ISSN 1176-3213. OCLC 1550165130. Wikidata Q135397912.
- ^ "Climocella rata". Collections Online. Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
- ^ "Details: Climocella rata Goulstone, 1996". NZ Mollusca. Retrieved 18 November 2025.