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Stirling Ranges Bothriembryontid Land Snail (Bothriembryon glauerti)

Bothriembryon glauerti is a native land snail known from the Stirling Range area of Western Australia. It is listed as DBCA Priority 2, reflecting limited knowledge and records from few locations. Development work in its known range should include careful searches and cautious handling of potential finds.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Priority 2.

Seasonal survey guidance

Activity or breeding months have not been documented specifically for Bothriembryon glauerti. General observations for the genus include rainfall and winter searches, and can be used only as survey-planning cues.

Species-specific timing: Not documented.

Planning approach: Use rainfall and site conditions to inform searches; no calendar period is confirmed as an activity season for this species.

A seasonal calendar has not been established for B. glauerti.

  • Survey planning: No species-specific months are known. This is a planning window only; consider general Bothriembryon search cues during or after rainfall.

Identification: Appearance and size

Species-specific field identification features have not been documented. Shells and live snails require expert confirmation.

The shell shape, colour and size of Bothriembryon glauerti have not been documented.

Bothriembryon shells are generally described as 1 to 5 cm long, with shapes ranging from ovate to elongate-conical and sculpture from smooth to nodulose. This range is not confirmed for B. glauerti.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

Species-specific features for distinguishing B. glauerti from other land snails have not been documented.

A honeycomb-like sculpture on the shell tip is noted for Bothriembryon generally. Identification should be confirmed by a suitably experienced person.

  • Photograph live animals and shells, including a scale reference where practical.
  • Record the precise location and the immediate ground cover or shelter where the animal was found.

Distribution: Known range

Records place the species in a restricted area of southern Western Australia. Its full range is not established.

The DBCA common name refers to the Stirling Ranges. A post-fire invertebrate survey of the eastern Stirling Range includes a section on this species.

Atlas of Living Australia records show 67 Western Australian records at 10 distinct 0.1-degree locations, between latitude -34.4 and -34.2 and longitude 118 and 118.4. Records outside Western Australia were excluded as likely errors.

Distribution: WA region and limits

The DBCA list flags the South Coast region. Whether the species occurs elsewhere, and the full extent of its occupied habitat, are not established.

Habitat: Site context

Species-specific habitat has not been documented. Use broader genus information as a search guide, not as confirmation of this species' habitat.

A survey of threatened and endemic invertebrates in the eastern Stirling Range does not give habitat details for B. glauerti.

Habitat: Genus-level habitat cues

Bothriembryon species occur in varied settings, including rocky terrain, woodlands, gorges or gullies, and coastal scrub or heath. These general examples are not confirmed habitat records for B. glauerti.

Foraging habitat: Known information

The diet and feeding habitat of Bothriembryon glauerti have not been documented.

Species-specific diet, food plants and feeding behaviour have not been documented.

Foraging habitat: Precaution during searches

Avoid removing or damaging litter, vegetation or shelter while searching for snails. Photograph any apparent feeding evidence in place and record it as an observation rather than assigning a food source.

Breeding habitat: Species information

Breeding dates, egg numbers and breeding sites have not been documented for this species.

Breeding habitat and timing for B. glauerti have not been documented.

Breeding habitat: Genus-level information

Bothriembryon snails are generally described as hermaphroditic and egg-laying in soil. This is genus-level context, not a confirmed account of the breeding biology of B. glauerti.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter information

Shelter sites have not been confirmed specifically for Bothriembryon glauerti. General Bothriembryon observations can guide careful searches.

Bothriembryon snails shelter during hot, dry conditions, including by sealing the shell with an epiphragm and resting in soil or under rocks. This behaviour has not been established specifically for B. glauerti.

Sheltering habitat: Search carefully

As general genus-level search cues, look for snails or shells under fallen branches, logs and other cover, and on vegetation after rainfall. Replace moved cover carefully and avoid excavating soil.

Threats: Known conservation context

Specific threats to B. glauerti and impacts at particular sites have not been identified.

The species is DBCA Priority 2: poorly known and known from few locations. Some species in this priority category occur on conservation lands. This is a DBCA priority category, not a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

Threats: Work-site risks

Because the species' habitat and shelter sites are poorly documented, treat clearing, soil disturbance and removal of ground cover in the known range cautiously. These are precautionary work-site considerations, not documented species-specific threat findings.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Target survey effort to the known range and record it carefully. Species-specific detectability and survey effectiveness are not documented.

Check current DBCA information and available records for the work area, noting the South Coast regional flag and the restricted Atlas record envelope described here.

Identify potential search areas with intact ground cover, litter, logs, rocks and vegetation. These are general Bothriembryon search cues, not confirmed habitat for this species.

Survey methodology: 2. Field search

Bothriembryon snails may be easier to find during or after rainfall, often on vegetation. Searches under fallen branches or logs, early in the morning or later in the day, are also useful general approaches. These cues are not confirmed specifically for B. glauerti.

  • Search slowly and inspect surfaces and existing cover without digging or breaking habitat.
  • Record live snails and shells separately, with photographs, location, date, weather and micro-site notes.
  • Arrange expert identification for uncertain records and retain no specimens unless authorised.

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 occur in varied settings, 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 occur in varied settings, 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 occur in varied settings, 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 occur in varied settings, 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.

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 risk and survey needs

Plan works on the basis that the snail may be difficult to detect and its habitat requirements are poorly known.

Review the proposed disturbance footprint against known records and the South Coast regional flag. Seek ecological advice where works are within or near the Stirling Range record area.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Prepare the work area

Complete an appropriately timed pre-clearance search before ground disturbance. Where practical, use rainfall and general genus-level activity cues to plan searches, recognising that no activity season is confirmed for this species.

Brief crews to recognise and report snails or shells, avoid unnecessary removal of logs and litter, and stop locally if a potential individual is found.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Respond to a find

Use a cautious, stop-and-check approach if potential snails or shells are encountered during works.

Pause work immediately around the find and prevent vehicles, machinery and foot traffic from entering the immediate area. Notify the site ecologist or fauna spotter catcher for identification and direction.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Protect the find and nearby cover

Do not handle, relocate, open or expose a live snail or sealed shell unless an authorised specialist directs this. Avoid moving surrounding litter, logs, rocks or soil until the site has been assessed.

Record photographs and coordinates before any authorised action. Resume work only after the responsible environmental lead has confirmed the response.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Record and report

Document findings and check whether protection measures were effective. Do not assume the species is absent because no individuals were observed.

Keep a record of search effort, conditions, locations, live animals, shells, identification outcomes and any work stoppages. Submit verified records through the relevant reporting pathway.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Review controls

Inspect protected areas and retained ground cover for inadvertent disturbance. If a potential snail is found after works, pause nearby activity and follow the same identification and protection process.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Retain suitable structure

Species-specific rehabilitation requirements have not been documented. Avoid assuming that a particular treatment will benefit this snail.

Where consistent with the approved rehabilitation plan, retain or reinstate native ground cover, litter and natural shelter features without moving material from occupied areas or introducing unverified material.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and adapt

Record rehabilitation actions and monitor for snails or shells using consistent, non-destructive searches. Seek specialist advice before changing the site or handling potential individuals.

Sources