Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Potamopyrgus acus (Potamopyrgus acus), recorded as Critically Endangered
Potamopyrgus acus (Potamopyrgus acus). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Potamopyrgus acus

Potamopyrgus acus

Potamopyrgus acus is a snail in the family Tateidae (order Littorinimorpha), recorded as Critically Endangered and tied to New Zealand.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Potamopyrgus acus
Recorded from
New Zealand
Taxonomy
Gastropoda · Littorinimorpha · Tateidae · Potamopyrgus

The sea or spring snail

Potamopyrgus acus is a snail in the family Tateidae (order Littorinimorpha).

Range and habitat

This snail has been found in only one location in a gully, on a very small and steep limestone bank, at Limestone Downs Station in the Waikato. Potamopyrgus acus is a critically endangered species of fresh water snail native to New Zealand.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet

Snails move on a single foot and feed with a rasping tongue. Island and spring species rarely recolonise once the site is emptied.

In crisis

In November 2018 the Department of Conservation classified Potamopyrgus acus as Nationally Critical under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. The species was judged as meeting the criteria for Nationally Critical threat status as a result of it occupying a total area of less than 1 hectare.

Potamopyrgus acus is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Potamopyrgus acus, Wikidata item Q21786410. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Potamopyrgus oppidanus (Potamopyrgus oppidanus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Potamopyrgus oppidanus

Potamopyrgus oppidanus
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii

Quick answers

What is Potamopyrgus acus?
Potamopyrgus acus is a snail in the family Tateidae (order Littorinimorpha).
What is the conservation status of Potamopyrgus acus?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Potamopyrgus acus. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Potamopyrgus acus live?
This snail has been found in only one location in a gully, on a very small and steep limestone bank, at Limestone Downs Station in the Waikato.
Why is Potamopyrgus acus in crisis?
In November 2018 the Department of Conservation classified Potamopyrgus acus as Nationally Critical under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Potamopyrgus acus?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Potamopyrgus acus a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.