Climocella kaitaka
| Climocella kaitaka | |
|---|---|
| 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. kaitaka
|
| Binomial name | |
| Climocella kaitaka Goulstone, 1996
| |
Climocella kaitaka 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 association with C. akarana.
Description
C. kaitaka has a shell that measures up to 2.8 mm (0.11 in) by 1.4 mm (0.055 in), which has a unicoloured shell of four whorls, and a protoconch of 1.25 whorls with 9-10 spiral lirae. It can be identified due to its fine ribbing and secondary protoconch radials.[2]
Taxonomy
The species was first described by James Frederick Goulstone in 1995, who named the species after kaitaka, a traditional Māori cloak.[2] Goulstone collected the holotype of the species from Ngaheretuku Reserve near Clevedon on 1 October 1985, which is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum.[3][4]
Ecology
The species is often found alongside C. akarana.[2]
Distribution and habitat
C. kaitaka is endemic to New Zealand,[5] found in the upper North Island in the Auckland Region and Waikato Region, including the Coromandel Peninsula, Hauraki Gulf Islands, and the Mercury Islands. It lives in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dry to moist, and appears more commonly in limestone from the western Waikato Region.[2]
Gallery
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Underside view of holotype
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Side view of holotype
References
- ^ Climocella kaitaka Goulstone, 1996. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 18 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d 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 kaitaka". Collections Online. Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
- ^ "Details: Climocella kaitaka Goulstone, 1996". NZ Mollusca. Retrieved 18 November 2025.