Inconclusive sighting
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Comments from moderator
Not familiar with this species, not a local species.| Insufficient or inconclusive evidence | Michael123 | 7 Nov 2021 | |
| Unverified | TimL | 6 Nov 2021 |
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User's notes
Thanks to Marcus Leach for the initial sighting on a handrail in ANBG's Rainforest Gully, during recent rain.
10 comments
7 Nov 2021
VERY interesting. Not familiar with this helicarionid semi slug at all. The pointed processes on the mantle lappets are quite interesting. Not a local species. May be from Queensland and may have been accidentally imported with sub tropical plants from up north (this happens quite often). Could you please post this on the 'Snails of Australia' Facebook group ? - https://www.facebook.com/groups/971518499592741
One of our helicarionid experts there may be able to help with ID. Thanks.
One of our helicarionid experts there may be able to help with ID. Thanks.
7 Nov 2021
Thanks for the information @Michael123. I'm not a member of the group, but if you're a member then you're welcome to post the images on my behalf, if it helps with identification. Tim
8 Nov 2021
Thanks Tim, not sure how to save these images into a form that can be posted on Facebook. Would you be able to send these images to me via email - michael.shea@austmus.gov.au
Cheers
Michael
Cheers
Michael
8 Nov 2021
Sure Michael. Will email you the originals shortly. Thanks for your help with this. Tim
9 Nov 2021
OK have been in communication with Dr Isabel Hyman and this is her evaluation -
"This looks to me like Helicarion cuvieri (the three warts on the shell lappets are distinctive of this species), but not the Brindabella form. It could easily be a Helicarion cuvieri from elsewhere that is not native to the Canberra area. But I've never seen this colour form before, so I'm not sure where it could be from. It's a very variable species."
I am in agreement with Isabel, the local ACT form of H. cuvieri is charcoal grey to black in colour, so a southern origin, not from the north as I at first thought, just wish we knew where this thing originated from.
"This looks to me like Helicarion cuvieri (the three warts on the shell lappets are distinctive of this species), but not the Brindabella form. It could easily be a Helicarion cuvieri from elsewhere that is not native to the Canberra area. But I've never seen this colour form before, so I'm not sure where it could be from. It's a very variable species."
I am in agreement with Isabel, the local ACT form of H. cuvieri is charcoal grey to black in colour, so a southern origin, not from the north as I at first thought, just wish we knew where this thing originated from.
10 Nov 2021
Thanks for your efforts @Michael123 with trying to get this semi slug identified. If CNM retains the sighting then at least the semi slug is recorded and may be identified by someone in the future. In the meantime, I'll keep looking for more of them (and any other invaders) in ANBG's Rainforest Gully.
10 Nov 2021
I think we should retain the identification as Helicarion cuvieri for the moment. H. cuvieri is extremely variable in colouration but we just don't know precisely where this colour form came from, it is not the local ACT form. Have spoken to a couple of other experts and they don't recognise it either. The only way to really verify it would be through DNA analysis and anatomical dissection.
14 May 2022
Should this sighting be identified as Helicarion cuvieri rather than Inconclusive, as per the associated comments?
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