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Montalivet Island Camaenid Land Snail (Amplirhagada montalivetensis)

The Montalivet Island camaenid land snail is an Australian land snail in the family Camaenidae, recorded on Walker Island. Its biology and habitat requirements are poorly documented. Its WA Priority 1 status reflects that it is poorly known, known from few locations and not recorded on conservation lands, so works in potential habitat warrant precautionary checks.

Conservation status

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

Seasonal planning

Seasonal activity, breeding and movement have not been documented. Use year-round precautionary planning rather than assuming a lower-risk period.

Seasonal activity: Not documented.

Planning approach: Maintain survey and encounter procedures throughout the year.

No species-specific seasonal information is available; the planning row is precautionary and does not indicate observed activity.

  • Precautionary checks and work controls: No species-specific activity season is recorded; this is a year-round planning window only.

Identification: Appearance and size

This is a terrestrial land snail, but field-identification information is limited.

It is an air-breathing land snail in the family Camaenidae. Shell colour, shape, markings and adult size are not documented.

  • The information in this profile is not sufficient to identify the species from shell appearance alone.

Identification: Similar species

Field characters for distinguishing this species from other land snails, including other Amplirhagada, have not been documented.

Identification: Field signs

Species-specific field signs have not been documented. As general land-snail survey practice, crews can note live snails and intact shells, photograph them in place and avoid treating an unverified shell as a confirmed identification.

Distribution: Known range

Records indicate a restricted and poorly documented distribution in the Kimberley.

Specimens of this species are recorded from Walker Island. Atlas of Living Australia records show 16 WA records at three distinct 0.1-degree locations, between latitude -14.3 and -14.2 and longitude 125.3 and 125.4. Those aggregated coordinates do not establish additional named localities.

Distribution: WA region and status

The DBCA list flags the Kimberley region. The species is listed as Priority 1, described as poorly known and known from few locations, with none on conservation lands. This is a DBCA priority category, not a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

Distribution: Record limitations

The full range, population size and possible occurrence beyond recorded locations are not established. The geographic data do not provide a complete distribution map.

Habitat: Documented setting

The species' preferred habitat has not been documented.

Specimens are recorded on Walker Island, but vegetation, substrate, landform and microhabitat at collection sites are not described.

Habitat: Information gaps

Do not assume that a particular vegetation type or ground-cover feature is required by this species. Record habitat conditions at any survey or works site rather than extrapolating from the island locality.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Foraging habitat and diet have not been documented.

Food items and feeding behaviour have not been documented for this species.

Foraging habitat: Field recording

If snails are observed feeding during general site checks, record the observation and its immediate setting without assuming that the food source is typical of this species.

Breeding habitat: Known information

Breeding biology and breeding habitat are poorly known.

The breeding period, egg-laying site, clutch size and juvenile habitat have not been documented.

Breeding habitat: Precaution

Do not schedule works on the assumption that there is a known low-risk breeding season. Treat live snails and any suspected eggs or juveniles as requiring assessment by a suitably qualified ecologist.

Sheltering habitat: Information available

Species-specific sheltering sites and resting behaviour are not known.

Where this snail rests, shelters or aestivates, and whether it uses particular plants, crevices or ground-cover features, are not documented.

Sheltering habitat: General search cues

As general land-snail survey practice, inspect suitable ground cover and sheltered surfaces carefully where access is authorised. Do not present any particular shelter feature as confirmed habitat for this species.

Threats: Recorded threats

Specific threats to this species have not been documented.

No species-specific threats are documented. Its WA Priority 1 status reflects limited knowledge and few known locations, not a stated threat diagnosis.

Threats: Works-site risk

Ground disturbance or vegetation removal at an occupied site could affect individual land snails or their immediate surroundings. This is a general precaution for land snails, not a documented species-specific impact.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Use targeted, low-impact checks and make uncertainty explicit because the species' habitat and detectability are not documented.

Check current DBCA information, the project footprint and occurrence records for the Kimberley and the recorded Walker Island locality. Do not interpret the Atlas 0.1-degree cells as precise collection points.

Survey methodology: 2. Field inspection

Have a suitably experienced ecologist inspect the proposed disturbance area and any adjacent ground likely to be affected. As general land-snail practice, search carefully for live snails and shells in accessible ground cover and sheltered places, minimising handling and disturbance.

Survey methodology: 3. Record and verify

Photograph observations in place, record coordinates and immediate site conditions, and distinguish confirmed identifications from possible records. Seek expert verification where identification is uncertain.

Survey methodology: 4. Interpret non-detections

Detectability and required survey effort are not documented. A survey that finds no snails should not by itself be treated as proof that the species is absent.

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 records and approvals

Plan works on the basis that species-specific habitat and seasonal requirements are unknown.

Review the latest DBCA listing and occurrence information, and confirm applicable approvals and project procedures before works begin.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Survey and map

Arrange a proportionate pre-disturbance inspection by a suitably experienced ecologist. Map confirmed observations, possible records and the areas proposed for disturbance.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Brief the crew

Explain that this is a small terrestrial invertebrate with limited identification and habitat information. Mark no-go areas and explain how to report a live snail or suspected record.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Maintain controls

Use staged, controlled work practices and pause if a possible individual is found.

Keep machinery and foot traffic within approved disturbance boundaries. Avoid unnecessary disturbance to ground cover and sheltered surfaces outside the work footprint.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Respond to observations

If a live snail or suspected individual is encountered, stop work in the immediate area, protect it from trampling or machinery and notify the environmental lead. Do not move or collect it unless this is authorised and directed by a suitably qualified person.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Document and escalate

Record the location, photographs, circumstances and action taken. Seek expert identification and follow the project's approval conditions and fauna procedures before restarting affected work.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Review records

Close out records and check that site controls remain effective after works.

Compile survey and encounter records, including locations, photographs, identification confidence and any work pauses or follow-up actions. Submit records through the relevant project and agency processes.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Inspect affected areas

Check disturbed and retained areas for unintended damage to ground cover or boundary controls. Report any further snail observations to the environmental lead for assessment.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore the site

Rehabilitation should avoid claiming a species benefit unless the site's use by this species is established.

Reinstate disturbed areas in accordance with project requirements, using locally appropriate methods and avoiding unnecessary additional disturbance to retained areas.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and adapt

Where the species was confirmed or considered possible, have an ecologist assess whether follow-up checks are warranted. Record outcomes and update site procedures if new information about the species or its habitat becomes available.

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