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Herbert's Camaenid Land Snail (Amplirhagada herbertena)

Herbert's camaenid land snail is a terrestrial, air-breathing gastropod known from very limited records. It is listed as DBCA Priority 1, a DBCA priority category rather than a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Careful surveys and avoidance of potential snail habitat are warranted before and during site disturbance.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Priority 1.

Seasonal planning

Seasonal activity and breeding information have not been documented. Plan surveys and precautions across the year rather than assuming a species-specific seasonal window.

Breeding season: Not documented.

Seasonal activity: Not documented.

The month values are a general planning prompt, not a prediction of activity, detectability or breeding.

  • Survey and worksite precautions: All-year planning window only; no species-specific seasonal pattern is known.

Identification: Appearance and size

Identification information is sparse, so field teams should avoid relying on an assumed shell appearance.

The species is an air-breathing terrestrial gastropod in the family Camaenidae. Shell shape, colour, markings and adult size have not been documented.

  • Record clear photographs and measurements only where this can be done without harming the animal.

Identification: Similar species

Diagnostic characters for distinguishing this species from other camaenid land snails have not been documented. Treat a field identification as provisional unless confirmed by a suitably qualified malacologist.

Identification: Field signs

Species-specific field signs have not been documented. As general land-snail survey practice, a live snail or an intact shell may provide a record, but an empty shell alone may not confirm current occupancy.

Distribution: Known range

Known records indicate a very limited footprint, but do not establish the full range.

Atlas of Living Australia records show one record in Western Australia in one distinct 0.1-degree location, with the coordinate summary at latitude -15.9 and longitude 123.4. This small record count is not evidence that the species occurs nowhere else.

Distribution: WA region and locality context

The DBCA list flags the Kimberley region. The common name associates the taxon with the Buccaneer Archipelago, but no verified site locality or coordinates for a named collection site are available.

A fauna assessment returned the species in a database search for the vicinity of Irvine Island. The assessment does not report finding or collecting this species there, so this should not be treated as a confirmed site record.

Distribution: Range uncertainty

An assessment described the species as a short-range endemic of conservation significance. It notes generally that island settings can further restrict the distribution of short-range endemic invertebrates.

Habitat: Documented habitat

Species-specific, site-level habitat has not been documented.

The taxon is a land snail, but its vegetation, landform, substrate, moisture conditions and microhabitat have not been documented.

Habitat: Landscape context

Camaenid land snails along the Kimberley coast generally tend to have restricted distributions. This is group-level context, not a description of the species' occupied habitat.

Habitat: Site interpretation

Do not infer that a site is unsuitable solely because it lacks a presumed habitat feature. Where works overlap the Kimberley range or an island setting, investigate potential snail microhabitats before clearing.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding

The species' diet and feeding locations have not been documented.

Food items, feeding behaviour and foraging habitat have not been documented for Herbert's camaenid land snail.

Foraging habitat: Survey implications

Do not use presumed food plants or feeding signs as a species-specific survey indicator. During general land-snail searches, inspect suitable ground-level features without assuming that any one feature is required by this taxon.

Breeding habitat: Known information

Breeding biology and breeding habitat are poorly known.

The breeding season, egg-laying site, clutch size, development time and age at maturity have not been documented.

Breeding habitat: Precaution

Treat potential occupied habitat as important throughout the year. Do not time clearing on the assumption that breeding is restricted to a particular season.

Sheltering habitat: Known information

The species' resting and sheltering sites have not been documented.

Species-specific shelters, aestivation sites and refuge types have not been documented.

Sheltering habitat: General search practice

As general practice for land-snail surveys, carefully inspect ground-level cover and crevices where present, such as leaf litter, loose bark, rocks and debris. These are search suggestions for the animal group, not confirmed shelter sites for this species.

Threats: Status and knowledge gaps

Specific threats have not been identified, but the limited records and priority status warrant a precautionary approach.

The current DBCA list gives the species Priority 1, described as poorly known, known from few locations, and not recorded on conservation lands. Priority 1 is a DBCA priority category, not a threatened listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

No national listing is given in the taxon information.

Threats: Potential disturbance

The fauna assessment explains that short-range endemic invertebrates may have poor dispersal capabilities and may be confined to disjunct habitats. It also identifies habitat destruction or degradation as a general conservation concern in its discussion of priority fauna. These are general considerations, not documented species-specific impacts.

Threats: Worksite risk

Unrecorded habitat use and limited survey knowledge mean that clearing could affect individuals or occupied patches without detection. Apply a cautious approach where works may remove or degrade ground-level habitat.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Design surveys to address the sparse records while avoiding unsupported assumptions about habitat or season.

Check current DBCA information, project records and available museum or atlas records. Map the proposed disturbance footprint against the Kimberley region and the available record summary, noting that the reported coordinate is a 0.1-degree record location rather than a confirmed boundary of the species' range.

Survey methodology: 2. Field inspection

Use a suitably experienced land-snail ecologist to undertake careful visual searches in the proposed disturbance area and nearby comparable ground. As general group practice, search ground-level cover and inspect potential refuges by hand, replacing moved material as found.

Survey methodology: 3. Records and identification

Photograph potential specimens and record coordinates, date, search effort, weather and the precise microhabitat. Avoid collecting or handling live animals unless authorised and necessary for identification; seek expert confirmation where field characters are uncertain.

Survey methodology: 4. Survey limitations

The species' seasonal activity and detectability have not been documented. A non-detection should not be treated as proof of absence without considering survey effort, conditions and the limits of identification.

Vegetation associations

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

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

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

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

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

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. Confirm the footprint

Resolve uncertainty early and keep avoidable disturbance away from potential habitat.

Review the development footprint and access routes with the project ecologist. Identify areas of ground-level cover and other potential snail refuges for inspection, without treating them as confirmed habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Survey and assess

Arrange a targeted land-snail survey before clearing where suitable habitat may be affected. If a possible Herbert's camaenid land snail is found, pause planning for that area until its identification and the appropriate management response have been reviewed.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Brief the crew

Brief fauna spotter catchers and clearing crews on the species' limited known records, identification uncertainty, approved exclusion areas and stop-work process. Mark any agreed no-go areas clearly.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Maintain controls

Use controlled, observable work practices and stop if a possible specimen or occupied refuge is encountered.

Keep clearing within the approved footprint and retain marked exclusion areas. Avoid unnecessary movement or removal of ground cover outside the work area.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Inspect as work proceeds

Have the fauna spotter catcher check exposed ground-level material and debris as work progresses, using careful hand inspection where safe and appropriate. This is a general land-snail precaution, not a species-specific detection method.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Stop and seek advice

If a live snail or potentially relevant shell is found, pause disturbance in the immediate area, protect the find from trampling or machinery, document it and contact the project ecologist. Do not relocate it unless the approved procedure and required authorisations allow this.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Record outcomes

Close out any finds and disturbance records so uncertainty is carried forward into project decisions.

Document the area searched or cleared, effort, conditions, observations, photographs and any identification advice. Distinguish confirmed records from unverified observations and empty-shell finds.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Review controls

If a potential record is confirmed, review the remaining works and exclusion controls with the project ecologist and relevant authorities as required. Do not assume that an individual find represents the full extent of occupied habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Limit further impact

Rehabilitation can reduce general site impacts, but this species' specific habitat requirements are not documented.

Retain undisturbed ground and existing ground cover outside the approved footprint. Prevent rehabilitation works from extending into areas identified for avoidance.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Restore cautiously

Use locally appropriate rehabilitation planning and minimise unnecessary soil disturbance. Do not claim that revegetation or any particular substrate will recreate this snail's habitat without site-specific evidence.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Monitor and report

Where a confirmed record or agreed management commitment applies, monitor the relevant area as specified by the project ecologist and report outcomes. Set monitoring methods and duration for the site because species-specific requirements are not available.

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