Post by surroundx on Apr 21, 2014 4:18:43 GMT
This species was described by Smith (1897) from two specimens from an unspecified locality(s) on Rotuma island (43.7 km2) in Fiji. There are no other records of the species. Given a potential distribution throughout the Rotuma archipelago, the species' potential range is approximately 45 km2. Recent satellite imagery (Google Earth, imagery May 2006, January 2009) suggests that while substantial modification of the vegetation of Rotuma Island has occurred, residual snail habitat is present, patchily distributed over as much as 20% of the island. Intact suitable habitat is also present on Solkope, Uea, Hatana, Hofliua and Hauatia slands. The current area of occupancy cannot be accurately determined as the species has not been seen since pre-1897. However, summing the areas of these respective islands, and assuming that this species has been expatriated from 80% of Rotuma Island, gives an estimated area of potential occupancy of approximately 9.8 km2.
The species was evidently uncommon at the time of first collection (pre-1897) and has not been sighted since.
The species was described (Smith 1897) on the basis of two specimens from an unspecified location(s) within Rotuma Island (syntypes NNHMUK 1897.11.8.64-65). Subsequently this species was recovered neither in an extensive survey of Rotuma and Uea Islands by BPBM scientists in 1938 (BPBM collections, Barker and Bouchet 2011) nor in a brief survey of land snails during a Fiji government marine resources survey in mid-1986 (Parkinson 1988).
The species was evidently uncommon at the time of first collection (pre-1897) and has not been sighted since.
The species was described (Smith 1897) on the basis of two specimens from an unspecified location(s) within Rotuma Island (syntypes NNHMUK 1897.11.8.64-65). Subsequently this species was recovered neither in an extensive survey of Rotuma and Uea Islands by BPBM scientists in 1938 (BPBM collections, Barker and Bouchet 2011) nor in a brief survey of land snails during a Fiji government marine resources survey in mid-1986 (Parkinson 1988).
www.iucnredlist.org/species/195520/176232042#population
Only known from four specimens (Smith, 1897; Brodie et al. In Press). It was not found alive in the 1938 survey (St John, 1938:57; Barker & Bouchet, 2010), in mid-1986* (Parkinson, 1988), or in May 2012 (Brodie et al. 2012; Brodie et al. In Press).
* According to (Brodie et al. 2012) this "relatively brief" survey was confined to the off-shore islet of Uea.
References:
Barker, G. M. and Bouchet, P. (2010). A catalogue and identification guide to the land snail fauna of Fiji, and associated database. Unpublished draft.
Brodie, G., Barker, G. M., Stevens, F. and Fiu, M. (In Press, 2014). Preliminary re-survey of the land snail fauna of Rotuma: conservation and biosecurity implications. Pacific Conservation Biology. [automatic download]
Brodie, G., Stevens, F. and Barker, G. (2012). Report on a preliminary survey of the land snail fauna of Rotuma. University of the South Pacific. 21 pp.
Parkinson, B. (1988). Collecting in Fiji. The Papustyla 8: 13.
Smith, E. A. (1897). On a collection of land and freshwater shells from Rotuma Island. Annals of Natural History (series 6) 20: 519-523.
St John, H. (1938). Expedition to Rotuma. Pacific Island Monthly 8(11): 57.