†Partula pearcekellyi, also known as Pearce-Kelly's tree snail, is an extinct species of arboreal gastropod in the family Partulidae which was endemic to Raiatea in the Society Islands of French Polynesia.[2] It has been recently listed as extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in June 2024, though it most likely went extinct between 1991 and 1992.
| Partula pearcekellyi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Partulidae |
| Genus: | Partula |
| Species: | †P. pearcekellyi
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Partula pearcekellyi (Gerlach, 2016)
| |
Like many other snails of the Society Islands, its extinction can be attributed to the introduction of the rosy wolfsnail (Euglandina rosea) which invaded its only known habitat in 1990.[1][3]
Anatomy
editAlthough all material consists of juvenile specimens, they all appeared to be developing an anatomical structure similar to that of Partula hebe.
Distribution
editP. pearcekellyi is known from six specimens collected in the Toahiva Valley, four of which were live-collected juveniles found upon low shrubs and ferns, in leaf litter, and on the stumps of dead trees. During the same collection, 1 juvenile and 26 adult P. hebe specimens were taken alive, suggesting that pearcekellyi was a "rare canopy species".
Etymology
editPartula pearcekellyi was named after Paul Pearce-Kelly of the Zoological Society of London, a renowned conservationist.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Gerlach, J. (2024). "Partula pearcekellyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024: e.T102425893A102425916. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Partula pearcekellyi Gerlach, 2016". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". 27 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ Justin, Gerlach (2016). Icons of evolution: Pacific Island tree-snails of the family Partulidae. Cambridge. ISBN 9780993220340. OCLC 960192902.
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