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Moore River Bothriembryontid Land Snail (Bothriembryon perobesus)

Bothriembryon perobesus is a native terrestrial land snail in the family Bothriembryontidae, recorded from Moore River National Park and the Wheatbelt. It is a DBCA Priority 1 taxon, poorly known and recorded from few locations, so works in potentially suitable native vegetation warrant careful searches and precautionary handling.

Conservation status

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

Seasonal activity and planning

Species-specific seasonal information is not available. The rows below use general Bothriembryon observations as planning cues only and should not be treated as confirmed activity periods for B. perobesus.

Evidence limit: Seasonal notes apply to the genus, not confirmed observations of this species.

Survey implication: Failure to detect active snails outside favourable conditions does not establish absence.

seasonal guidance is general planning advice, not species-specific phenology.

  • Active searching: General Bothriembryon guidance reports winter activity and better chances of finding crawling snails during or after rainfall. This is a planning window only, not a confirmed species-specific season.
  • Summer inactivity: Summer aestivation is reported for the genus, but its timing and expression in B. perobesus are not documented. Do not use seasonal inactivity to infer absence.

Identification: Appearance and size

Species-specific identification details are sparse. Treat records as provisional unless checked by a suitably experienced land-snail identifier.

The shell and body of Bothriembryon perobesus have not been described separately. In the genus, shells are 1 to 5 cm long, ovate to elongate-conical, with sculpture ranging from smooth to nodulose and colour that may be uniform, striped or banded. These are genus-level features, not a confirmed description of this species.

Identification: Similar species

Other Bothriembryon occur in Western Australia, and the genus has many described species. Characters distinguishing B. perobesus from similar species are not documented. Do not identify a shell or live animal to species from general genus features alone.

Identification: Field signs

A live snail or an intact shell may provide a record, but species-specific field signs are not documented. General Bothriembryon guidance notes that members of the genus may be seen crawling during or after rainfall and that shells may also be encountered. Photograph the find and record its location for expert review. Do not collect specimens unless authorised.

Distribution: Known range

The known distribution is based on sparse records and should not be treated as a complete range map.

The species is reported from the Wheatbelt, and a WA Museum presentation labels B. perobesus at Moore River National Park. Atlas of Living Australia records show nine Western Australian records at seven distinct 0.1-degree locations, spanning latitude −33.6 to −29.8 and longitude 115 to 125.1. Records outside Western Australia were excluded as likely errors.

Distribution: WA regions and status

The DBCA list flags the Midwest region for this taxon. Its WA status is Priority 1: poorly known, known from few locations, with none on conservation lands. This is a DBCA priority-list category, not a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. No national listing is given.

Habitat: Recorded context

Habitat use by B. perobesus is poorly documented. Broader habitat descriptions for the genus can guide searches but are not confirmed species requirements.

The species is included among Bothriembryon known from the Wheatbelt. The vegetation, soil and landform occupied by B. perobesus at its recorded locations are not documented.

Habitat: Genus-level settings

Bothriembryon species are reported from varied habitats, including rocky terrain, woodlands, gorges or gullies, and coastal scrub or heath. These settings are search prompts only; occurrence of B. perobesus in each is not established.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding

The diet and feeding sites of B. perobesus have not been documented.

Do not assume a food plant, food source or foraging substrate for this species. Ecological information, including diet, is sparse for Bothriembryon.

Foraging habitat: Work-site precaution

During site inspections, record the vegetation and ground conditions around any live snail or shell without disturbing it. Keep photographs and precise location information so an expert can assess the record and its context.

Breeding habitat: Known information

Species-specific breeding sites, timing and reproductive output are not documented.

Bothriembryon species are described as hermaphroditic and egg-laying in soil. This is genus-level information; the breeding behaviour and egg-laying site of B. perobesus are not confirmed.

Breeding habitat: Precaution

Avoid unnecessary soil disturbance where a live snail or shell is found. Document the location and associated ground conditions, and refer any proposed handling or relocation to the relevant fauna specialists and regulatory authorities.

Sheltering habitat: Potential search places

No species-specific shelter site is documented. General observations of Bothriembryon can help identify places to inspect, but do not confirm that this species uses them.

General guidance for Bothriembryon notes that individuals may shelter beneath fallen branches or logs during the day. This has not been confirmed for B. perobesus. If inspecting such cover, lift it carefully and replace it in its original position.

Sheltering habitat: Seasonal dormancy

Summer aestivation, sometimes with a mucoid or calcareous epiphragm, is reported for the genus. This has not been documented specifically for B. perobesus. Do not interpret an absence of active snails as evidence that the species is absent.

Threats: Conservation context

The species is poorly known, and taxon-specific threats have not been identified.

The DBCA Priority 1 category indicates that the species is poorly known and known from few locations, with none on conservation lands. Long-term agriculture and highly modified landscapes are challenges for native land snails generally, but a particular impact on B. perobesus has not been established.

Threats: Implications for works

Because known locations are few and records are sparse, do not assume that an unrecorded site is unoccupied. The species' response to clearing, fire, grazing or other individual pressures is not established, so site-specific risk assessment is needed.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Use targeted, low-impact searches and treat the result as an assessment of detectability, not proof of absence. Species-specific survey methods have not been documented.

Check DBCA and other current records, including the known Moore River National Park and Wheatbelt context. Review proposed clearing against native vegetation and the broad habitat settings reported for Bothriembryon, while recognising that species-specific habitat requirements are unknown.

Survey methodology: 2. Timing and conditions

General Bothriembryon guidance reports that the genus is most active during winter and may be found during or after rainfall, often on vegetation. Use these as planning cues only, not as confirmed seasonal requirements for B. perobesus. Record recent weather and search conditions.

Survey methodology: 3. Search and record

Search slowly for live snails on vegetation and for shells or individuals around logs, branches and other ground cover, using general genus guidance as a prompt. Work carefully, minimise handling and return any cover to its original position.

Photograph live animals and shells with a scale where possible, record accurate coordinates, date, weather, microhabitat and observer details, and seek expert confirmation. Do not rely on shell appearance alone for species identification.

Vegetation associations: Woodland

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

Bothriembryon species are reported from varied habitats, including rocky terrain, woodlands, gorges or 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 are reported from varied habitats, including rocky terrain, woodlands, gorges or 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 are reported from varied habitats, including rocky terrain, woodlands, gorges or 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 are reported from varied habitats, including rocky terrain, woodlands, gorges or 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.

Soil and substrate associations: Calcareous or limestone ground

Summer aestivation, sometimes with a mucoid or calcareous epiphragm, is reported for the genus.

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: sheltering

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. Plan and brief

Plan works on the assumption that small land snails or shells could be overlooked, particularly where suitable native vegetation and ground cover remain.

Review records and proposed clearing boundaries with the project ecologist and fauna spotter catcher. Brief crews on the priority status, the limited species-specific information, and the need to stop and report any suspected Bothriembryon.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Inspect the footprint

Arrange a careful pre-disturbance search in suitable conditions, using general Bothriembryon search guidance and recording its limitations. Mark any confirmed or suspected records and consider avoiding or retaining the occupied area while advice is obtained.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Prepare controls

Set out clear stop-work and escalation steps for live snails or shells. Avoid moving animals, shells, logs or soil away from their location unless an authorised plan and suitably qualified personnel direct the action.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Watch the work area

Maintain active supervision and pause work if a possible B. perobesus is found.

Have the fauna spotter catcher check the active footprint and any material being moved for live snails and shells. Pay particular attention to ground cover and vegetation, guided by general Bothriembryon observations rather than assumed species-specific shelter use.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Stop and assess

If a possible snail or shell is found, stop work in the immediate area, prevent further disturbance and record the location. Photograph the find and contact the project ecologist or an appropriate land-snail specialist for identification and instructions.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Handle cautiously

Do not crush, collect or relocate a suspected individual or shell as routine practice. Any handling or translocation must follow the relevant approvals and advice from qualified personnel.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Document outcomes

Close out each find with accurate records and check that agreed protection measures remain in place.

Record search effort, conditions, observations, identification advice and any work stoppages. Keep photographs and coordinates with the project fauna records and submit verified records through appropriate channels.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Review controls

Inspect any retained or temporarily protected area after nearby works to confirm that barriers and site instructions remain effective. Seek ecological advice before restarting work where identification or the extent of an occurrence remains unresolved.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Retain suitable ground cover

Species-specific rehabilitation requirements have not been documented. Rehabilitation should be cautious and avoid claiming that a particular treatment will benefit this snail.

Where consistent with the approved project design, retain native vegetation and existing ground cover around areas of concern. Avoid unnecessary removal or rearrangement of logs, branches and soil, which general Bothriembryon guidance identifies as potential search places.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and report

Record rehabilitation actions and any later live-snail or shell observations. Obtain specialist advice on monitoring design because the species' habitat requirements and detectability are poorly known.

Sources