Cavellia anguicula

(Reeve, 1852)

Cavellia anguicula was described by Lovell Reeve in 1852 as Helix anguicula. It is the subject of the archive’s first full factsheet, by Frank Climo and Karin Mahlfeld. It belongs to the Charopidae: mostly tiny, finely ribbed snails of forest litter, and the largest family of New Zealand land snails.

Download the full factsheet (PDF)

Family	Charopidae
Authority	(Reeve, 1852)
Threat status	Not Threatened (NZTCS); Indigenous, endemic
Shell	About 4.4 mm across at 5 whorls; discoidal or biconcave, axially ribbed, umbilicated, translucent pale buff with brown axial colour streaks.

Distribution

Widespread in North Island (south of Auckland and Coromandel) and northern South Island, with scattered occurrences along the eastern coast south to Dunedin. This species is relatively common and can reach more than 20 specimens in a leaf litter sample of a few litres.

Habitat

Often associated with decaying wood, found in forest leaf litter from sea level to at least 1000 m. Specimens have also been collected from under ferns and fallen logs, under and next to limestone boulders, off limestone ledges, in detritus from cave entrances and middens.

Shell in detail

Spire height varies from sunken to weakly elevated. Umbilicus wide, about one third of the maximum shell diameter. Protoconch of 1.4 whorls, axially ribbed and spirally lirate. Teleoconch whorls convex, increasing regularly and moderately fast, with primary axial ribs of alternating height crested by a long periostracal blade, and secondary axials between them. Narrowly spaced spiral lirae cross the axials, forming minute beads where they intersect. Aperture obliquely round; outer lip retracted at the suture, leaving a distinct sinus. Columella short, oblique and only slightly reflexed.

Reproductive anatomy

Ovotestis bilobed, the lobes made of smaller lobules. Hermaphroditic duct swollen basally, with a round talon. Albumen gland oblong, nearly as long as the spermoviduct. Spermatheca obovate on a slim, long stalk. Vagina very short. Radula 26-1-26: central tooth tricuspid, laterals bicuspid.

Type material

Lectotype (Climo, 1993, fig. 6) BMNH 1971049 and one paralectotype BMNH 1971050, Natural History Museum, London; “New Zealand” on the original label, H. Cuming collection.

Sources

Described in: Reeve (1852), as Helix anguicula.

Images

Three views of a Cavellia anguicula shell from Hayward's Reserve, Lower Hutt, on a black background, labelled with the collecting details and a 1 mm scale bar — *Cavellia anguicula*, 4.4 mm across, from Hayward’s Reserve, Lower Hutt, collected in 2005. Photo: Dave Roscoe, Department of Conservation.

Three views of a Cavellia anguicula shell from Paengaroa: from above, from below and from the side — *Cavellia anguicula*, 5.0 mm across, from Paengaroa, collected in 2006. Photo: Dave Roscoe, Department of Conservation.

Six scanning electron micrographs of Cavellia anguicula shells, whole and in close-up — Shell sculpture of *Cavellia anguicula* under the scanning electron microscope. Specimens from Kaikoura (NMNZ M.69752) and Opotiki (NMNZ M.4061).

Pen drawing of the lectotype shell of Helix anguicula from below, above and the side — Lectotype of *Helix anguicula* Reeve, 1852, Natural History Museum, London. Drawing from Climo (1993), fig. 6.

Line drawing of the reproductive system of Cavellia anguicula, with details labelled A to E — The reproductive system of *Cavellia anguicula* (A), with details at a larger scale (B to E).