Powelliphanta gilliesi, one of the "amber snails", is a species of large, carnivorous land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Rhytididae.
Distribution This species is endemic to the West Nelson area of the South Island of New Zealand.
There are nine subspecies,Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand 1979 some of which are listed by the New Zealand Department of Conservation:
Powelliphanta gilliesi aurea Powell, 1946 Powelliphanta gilliesi brunnea Powell, 1938 Powelliphanta gilliesi compta Powell, 1930 – Nationally Vulnerable Powelliphanta gilliesi fallax Powell, 1930 – National Decline Powelliphanta gilliesi gilliesi Smith, 1880 Powelliphanta gilliesi jamesoni Powell, 1936 Powelliphanta gilliesi kahurangica Powell, 1936 Powelliphanta gilliesi montana Powell, 1936 Powelliphanta gilliesi subfusca Powell, 1930 – Gradual Decline
Life cycle The eggs of this species are oval in shape and are rarely constant in dimensions, varying from , to , and .O'Connor A. C. (June) 1945. Notes on the Eggs of New Zealand Paryphantidae, With Description of a New Subgenus. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, volume 5, 1945-46, pages 54-57.
References