Climocella


Climocella is a genus of land snails belonging to the family Charopidae. The genus is endemic to New Zealand

Description

Members of the genus have subdiscoidal shells with four whorls that are up to in size, with flat or slightly convex spires. Climocella has either sharp ribs, or rounded ribs with microscopic spiral lirae, and a protoconch with up to 12 spiral striae. The shells of the species are typically uniformly white, brown, or a reddish-brown pattern of axial bands or blotches on a white or off-white background. The animal is white, and has a prominent epiphallus.

Taxonomy

Climocella was first described by James Frederick Goulstone in 1995, who named Patula corniculum var. maculata as the type species. Goulstone named the genus after malacologist Frank Climo. Describing five in the original paper, Climo described ten new species in the genus within the next two years.

Distribution

The genus is endemic to New Zealand.

Species

Species within the genus Climocella include:Climocella akarana Climocella barkeri Climocella cavelliaformis Climocella haurakiensis Climocella hukutaia Climocella intermedia Climocella isolata Climocella kaitaka Climocella kenepuruensis Climocella maculata Climocella manawatawhia Climocella mayhillae Climocella prestoni Climocella puhore Climocella pukanui Climocella rata Climocella reinga Climocella runga Climocella segregata Climocella triticum