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Bradshaw's Bothriembryontid Land Snail (Tambellup) (Bothriembryon bradshawi)

Bradshaw's bothriembryontid land snail is a terrestrial snail known from its type locality at Tambellup and a small number of Western Australian records. It is poorly known, so development works in suitable snail habitat should include cautious checks. It is in DBCA's Priority 3 category.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Priority 3.

Seasonal survey considerations

No activity calendar is documented specifically for B. bradshawi. Use rainfall and site conditions to plan searches, and treat genus-level activity information as provisional for this species.

Species-specific season: Not documented.

General genus context: Bothriembryon snails are active during winter and may be found during or after rainfall; this has not been confirmed specifically for B. bradshawi.

No species-specific seasonal survey window has been established.

  • Search during suitable moist conditions: Planning window only. The genus overview suggests searches during or after rainfall and describes winter activity, but no months are specified for this species.

Identification: Appearance and size

Identification should be confirmed by a suitably experienced person, especially where only shells or uncertain specimens are found.

The type catalogue records shell dimensions of 19.5 mm in length and 12 mm in breadth. The figured specimen measured 19.0 mm high, 11.4 mm in diameter and 4.7 whorls.

Shell colour and detailed sculpture have not been described for this species. Bothriembryon shells generally range from ovate to elongate-conical, with smooth to nodulose sculpture and variable colour; these features alone do not confirm this species.

Identification: Similar species

Other Bothriembryon species occur in Western Australia. No diagnostic characters are available to reliably distinguish B. bradshawi from similar species.

Treat field identifications as provisional where necessary and retain clear photographs or a record of the shell for expert review.

Identification: Field signs

Look for a live land snail or an empty, intact shell. Species-specific tracks, feeding signs and other field signs have not been described.

As general land-snail survey practice, inspect vegetation, leaf litter and sheltered surfaces carefully, and photograph any specimen in place before handling it.

Distribution: Known range

Records indicate a Western Australian distribution, but the species' full range is not known.

The type locality is Tambellup, Western Australia. Atlas of Living Australia records show 13 WA records at 11 distinct 0.1-degree locations, spanning latitude -35 to -31 and longitude 116 to 126. These broad bounds do not identify individual sites.

A survey report lists a tentative record as Bothriembryon cf. bradshawi in tall open forest at the Swann Road Walpole project area. Because the identification is qualified as cf., it should not be treated as a confirmed species locality.

Distribution: WA listing region

DBCA's priority list flags the Wheatbelt region for this taxon. Its distribution within that region is not known in greater detail.

Habitat: Recorded habitat

Species-specific habitat information is sparse; use nearby records and on-site habitat observations to guide precautionary checks.

The type catalogue gives Tambellup as the collection locality but does not describe the habitat there.

A survey report records two individuals identified as Bothriembryon cf. bradshawi in tall open forest. This is a tentative identification and does not establish the species' habitat requirements.

Habitat: Habitat context

Bothriembryon species occupy a range of habitats, including woodland, rocky terrain, gorges and gullies, and coastal scrub or heath. These broad examples are not confirmed habitat records for B. bradshawi.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding

The diet and feeding habitat of Bradshaw's bothriembryontid land snail have not been documented.

No species-specific food plants or feeding observations have been recorded. Do not infer a food source from the presence of the snail or from habitat alone.

Foraging habitat: Checks during works

As a general land-snail precaution, inspect vegetation and ground cover gently when searching for animals. Record any observed feeding activity without disturbing the animal or its immediate surroundings.

Breeding habitat: Available information

No breeding site or breeding season is documented specifically for this species.

Bothriembryon snails are hermaphroditic and lay eggs in soil. This genus-level information has not been confirmed specifically for B. bradshawi.

Breeding habitat: Precaution

Where works affect soil and ground cover in areas being checked for land snails, minimise unnecessary soil disturbance. Soil types, nesting sites and egg-laying months for this species are not known.

Sheltering habitat: Known shelter information

Species-specific shelter sites are not documented, so search should not be limited to a single shelter type.

The sheltering behaviour of B. bradshawi has not been described. Bothriembryon snails may be found during the day under fallen branches and logs, but this is general guidance rather than a confirmed species record.

Sheltering habitat: General search approach

As general land-snail practice, inspect beneath loose fallen timber, among leaf litter and on low vegetation where access allows. Replace any moved cover carefully and avoid crushing concealed animals.

Threats: Species-specific threats

Specific threats to B. bradshawi have not been identified.

No direct threat assessment has been made for this species. Its WA Priority 3 category reflects that it is poorly known and known from several locations.

Threats: Broader context

Threats identified for some listed Bothriembryon species have included land clearing, fires and urban sprawl. These have not been established as assessed threats to B. bradshawi.

Survey methodology: 1. Review records

Survey timing and methods should account for limited species-specific ecological information and the possibility of misidentification.

Check records and site information before fieldwork. Give particular attention to the confirmed type locality at Tambellup and treat the Swann Road Walpole record as tentative because it was identified as B. cf. bradshawi.

Survey methodology: 2. Search habitat

General Bothriembryon survey guidance recommends searching during or after rainfall, often on vegetation, and checking sheltered places such as beneath fallen branches or logs. Snails may be easier to find early or late in the day when crawling.

These are genus-level methods, not verified detection conditions for B. bradshawi. Record weather, search effort, habitat and whether each observation is a live animal or shell.

Survey methodology: 3. Document and verify

Photograph the shell and animal, where present, with a scale and location information. Seek expert identification when the species cannot be distinguished confidently from other Bothriembryon.

The species is poorly known, and no validated species-specific survey protocol or detectability estimate is available.

Vegetation associations: Eucalypt forest

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

A survey report records two individuals identified as Bothriembryon cf. bradshawi in tall open forest.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Vegetation associations: Woodland

Bothriembryon species occupy a range of habitats, including woodland, rocky terrain, gorges and gullies, and coastal scrub or heath.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Vegetation associations: Heath

Bothriembryon species occupy a range of habitats, including woodland, rocky terrain, gorges and gullies, and coastal scrub or heath.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Vegetation associations: Shrubland

Bothriembryon species occupy a range of habitats, including woodland, rocky terrain, gorges and gullies, and coastal scrub or heath.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Ecosystem associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific ecosystem association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Soil and substrate associations: Rocky, stony or shallow ground

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

Bothriembryon species occupy a range of habitats, including woodland, rocky terrain, gorges and gullies, and coastal scrub or heath.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Water and wetland associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific water association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Fauna records and mapped habitat: Not yet analysed

Record locations can be overlaid with mapping, but record frequency alone does not measure habitat preference. No species is excluded from desktop assessments by this analysis.

No quality-controlled record-to-map analysis has been completed for this species. The existing generalised distribution dots and indicative range polygons have not been treated as precise occurrence coordinates.

A defensible run needs dated, independently attributable records, coordinate uncertainty, duplicate and captive-record checks, layer versions and regional scope. Preference and absence require additional survey-effort and detection evidence.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: No supported exclusion recorded

Not recorded is not the same as cannot occur. Low suitability, resident habitat, breeding habitat and occasional movement are different conclusions.

This library has not established a vegetation, ecosystem or soil-type exclusion for this species. This does not mean all habitat is suitable; the evidence needed to justify an exclusion has not been assembled.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: Before using a negative association

  • Confirm the taxon, geographic region, life stage and habitat function covered by the evidence.
  • Check survey methods, season, repeated effort and detectability before interpreting non-detection.
  • Investigate credible contradictory records and microhabitats absent from broad mapping.
  • Do not convert a missing map class, low record count or failed data request into species absence.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Review and plan

Plan checks before clearing, particularly where suitable ground cover or woodland habitat may be affected.

Review DBCA records and site assessments, and confirm whether the work area is in the Wheatbelt region flagged on the priority list. A regional listing does not confirm the species' presence at a particular site.

Schedule a suitably experienced fauna survey before disturbance where risk assessment or approvals require it. No species-specific survey season has been prescribed.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Prepare the work area

Brief crews to recognise land snails and shells, avoid unnecessary movement of logs and litter before checks are complete, and establish a clear process for pausing work if a possible specimen is found.

Where practical, retain suitable native vegetation and ground cover until checks have been completed.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Check before clearing

Use a cautious, pause-and-check response if a live snail or a potentially relevant shell is encountered.

Inspect vegetation and ground cover in the active work area using general land-snail search methods. Move loose cover gently only where authorised and replace it carefully after inspection.

Do not assume that a shell or snail is B. bradshawi based on appearance alone.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Respond to a find

Pause work locally, protect the animal and its immediate shelter from disturbance, and record the location and photographs. Notify the project ecologist or fauna lead for identification and direction.

Do not relocate an animal unless the responsible ecologist has established an appropriate authorised procedure.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Record and report

After works, document findings and check that agreed protective measures were followed.

Document survey effort, habitat, weather, live animals, shells, identifications and any disturbance response. Submit verified records through the project reporting pathway and the relevant agency or museum process.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Review outcomes

Review any unexpected find with the project ecologist and adjust work controls if needed. Keep uncertain records clearly labelled as provisional rather than reporting them as confirmed B. bradshawi.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore ground cover

Rehabilitation can reduce habitat damage, but species-specific restoration requirements are not documented.

Where rehabilitation is required, reinstate native vegetation and suitable existing ground cover in accordance with the project plan. Avoid introducing unverified materials or moving snails between locations.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and adapt

Record rehabilitation actions and monitor the site as required by the project plan. Species-specific rehabilitation targets and monitoring intervals have not been set.

Sources