Powelliphanta augusta, a new species of land snail, with a description of its former habitat, stockton coal plateau, new zealand)

Abstract

A recently discovered and threatened large land snail, Powelliphanta augusta n. sp. is described from Mt Augustus on the western scarp of the Stockton Plateau, North Westland. On shell characters it is readily distinguishable from all other Powelliphanta, with narrow red spiral lines underlying irregular and variable dark reddish‐brown axial bands, a small adult size and sculptured dorsal surface. Differences in the shell morphology of P. augusta, its closest phylogenetic relative P. lignaria, and its closest geographic neighbour P. patrickensis, were investigated using principal components analysis. P. lignaria is much larger than either P. augusta or P. patrickensis, and there are significant differences in shell shape between the three taxa. Earlier mitochondrial DNA sequencing data, which supported specific status of P. augusta, is discussed. The snail's only habitat on the Mt Augustus ridgeline is described, but most has now been removed by coal mining. Snails salvaged before the destruction of their habitat have been taken into captivity or released in the wild outside their natural range. © 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, Ltd.