Partula affinis

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	MOLLUSCA	GASTROPODA	STYLOMMATOPHORA	PARTULIDAE

Scientific Name:

Partula affinis

Species Authority:

Pease, 1868

Common Name/s:

English

–

Polynesian Tree Snail

Taxonomic Notes:

Reclassified by Crampton (1916) as Partula otaheitana affinis. Reinstated as Partula affinis by Johnson, Murray and Clarke (1986).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Critically Endangered B1ab(ii,iv)+2ab(ii,iv) ver 3.1

Year Published:

2009

Assessor/s:

Coote, T.

Reviewer/s:

Cowie, R. & Seddon, M.

Justification:
After the introduction of the carnivorous snail Euglandina rosea to Tahiti in 1977, native snail populations and species began to disappear rapidly as a result of predation by this species. Partula affinis became rarer and no live individuals were found during the intensive surveys on the main island of Tahiti Nui 2003–2005. The only known population remaining occurs in one valley on the Taiarapu Peninsula of Tahiti.

History:

1996	–	Extinct
1994	–	Extinct (Groombridge 1994)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is endemic to Tahiti. The only known surviving population is in the Faaroa Valley on the Peninsula of Tahiti Iti.
Countries:	Native: French Polynesia (Society Is.)
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Only one population is known for certain and there may be less than 50 individuals remaining.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The only known population survives on a patch of the semi-aquatic root plant Alocasia macrorhiza in wet, lowland forest (<100 m altitude), although in the past the species could also be found at higher altitudes.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The carnivorous snail Euglandina rosea has reached the valley but appears not to have progressed far in recent years for reasons unknown. This is the only current threat apart from the intrinsic factors associated with small population size.

Major Threat(s):

The carnivorous snail Euglandina rosea has reached the valley but appears not to have progressed far in recent years for reasons unknown. This is the only current threat apart from the intrinsic factors associated with small population size.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The terrain and difficulty of access make conservation measures very difficult. A reserve was built in this valley for the purpose but was quickly destroyed by a rockfall. For the moment, vigilance is the best option. This species exists in the international breeding programme.

Conservation Actions:

The terrain and difficulty of access make conservation measures very difficult. A reserve was built in this valley for the purpose but was quickly destroyed by a rockfall. For the moment, vigilance is the best option. This species exists in the international breeding programme.

Bibliography [top]

	Coote, T. 2007. Partulids on Tahiti : differential persistence of a minority of endemic taxa among relict populations. American Malacology Bulletin 22: 83-87. IUCN. 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2009.2). Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 3 November 2009). Lee, T., Burch, J.B., Jung, Y., Coote, T., Pearce-Kelly, P. and Ó Foighil, D. 2007. Tahitian tree snail mitochondrial clades survived recent mass-extirpation. Current Biology 17(13): R502-R503. Richardson, C.L. 1990. Partulidae: catalog of species. Tryonia 19(i): 1-96.

Coote, T. 2007. Partulids on Tahiti : differential persistence of a minority of endemic taxa among relict populations. American Malacology Bulletin 22: 83-87.

IUCN. 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2009.2). Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 3 November 2009).

Lee, T., Burch, J.B., Jung, Y., Coote, T., Pearce-Kelly, P. and Ó Foighil, D. 2007. Tahitian tree snail mitochondrial clades survived recent mass-extirpation. Current Biology 17(13): R502-R503.

Richardson, C.L. 1990. Partulidae: catalog of species. Tryonia 19(i): 1-96.

Citation:	Coote, T. 2009. Partula affinis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012.
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