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Yammera Gap Camaenid Land Snail (Napier Range) (Kimboraga yammerana)

Kimboraga yammerana is an Australian camaenid land snail. Little is known about its appearance, ecology or exact localities. Its known Western Australian records are from the Kimberley. It is listed as DBCA Priority 1, a priority category rather than a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

Conservation status

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

Seasonal planning

No species-specific activity, breeding or movement months are recorded. Use the following as a works-planning prompt, not as a statement of seasonal biology.

Seasonal knowledge: Unknown for this species.

The month values indicate a general planning prompt only and do not represent known activity or breeding months for Kimboraga yammerana.

  • Plan checks before disturbance: General planning window only. Check the work area before disturbance whenever works are scheduled; no species-specific seasonal window is known.

Identification: Appearance and size

Kimboraga yammerana is a camaenid land snail, but a species-level field description is not available.

Shell shape, colour, measurements and other diagnostic appearance details have not been recorded. Do not assign a size or identify this species from an assumed shell description.

  • It is an air-breathing terrestrial pulmonate gastropod in the family Camaenidae.

Identification: Similar species

Other Kimboraga species are known, but there are no documented comparisons to distinguish K. yammerana from them. Identification characters for this species are not recorded.

  • Shell convergence among Kimberley camaenids can make shell-only identification unreliable. Anatomical information may be needed for meaningful identification; this is general guidance, not a diagnostic description of K. yammerana.

Identification: Field signs

Species-specific live-animal signs, shell features, tracks and other field signs have not been described. A shell find alone should not be treated as a confirmed identification.

Distribution: Known records

Known Western Australian records are few and do not establish the species' full range.

Atlas of Living Australia records show six records in Western Australia at two distinct 0.1-degree locations. The reported coordinate range is latitude -17.4 to -17.4 and longitude 124.8 to 124.9. These are coarse record summaries, not precise site coordinates.

Records outside Western Australia were excluded from the summary as likely errors. The species is described as endemic to Australia.

Distribution: WA region and locality

The DBCA list identifies the Kimberley region. The common name includes Yammera Gap and Napier Range, but no verified named collection locality or type locality is recorded for the species.

  • The small number of mapped records does not show that the species is absent from unsurveyed areas.

Habitat: Known habitat

The species' habitat and the settings in which it has been found have not been documented.

Species-specific information on habitat, vegetation, landform, substrate and elevation has not been recorded.

Habitat: Site interpretation

Do not infer that a particular vegetation type or ground feature is occupied. On development sites, treat habitat suitability as unresolved unless supported by a site assessment or additional reliable records.

  • Use the coarse mapped record area to guide desktop review, not as a boundary for the species' distribution.

Foraging habitat: Diet

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

No food items, feeding behaviour or diet are reported for K. yammerana. Do not assume a diet from its family or from another land-snail species.

Foraging habitat: Foraging areas

Foraging habitat and feeding signs have not been described. Record any observed feeding evidence during a survey, without attributing it to this species unless identification is reliable.

Breeding habitat: Breeding information

Breeding biology, breeding habitat and seasonal timing are poorly known.

Egg laying, mating, development and breeding sites have not been recorded. Do not infer a breeding season or clutch size.

Breeding habitat: Planning implication

Because breeding timing is unknown, avoid scheduling work on the assumption that there is a reliably low-risk season. Apply the same precautionary checks whenever suitable works are planned.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter information

Shelter use and behaviour during dry or inactive periods have not been documented.

Shelter sites, resting behaviour, aestivation, attachment sites and other refuge use have not been reported for K. yammerana.

Sheltering habitat: Precaution

Do not treat the absence of visible live snails as evidence that the species is absent. Kimberley camaenid collectors may find dead, worn and bleached shells on open ground, which can be difficult to identify.

Threats: Recorded threats

Species-specific threats and causes of decline have not been identified.

No species-specific threats, population trends or impact assessments are recorded. The DBCA Priority 1 listing describes a poorly known taxon known from few locations, with none on conservation lands.

Threats: Works risk

Clearing or ground disturbance could affect an individual if one is present, but effects on this species have not been quantified or described. Treat an encounter as a reason to pause and obtain ecological advice.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

No species-specific survey method or detectability information is available. Use cautious land-snail survey practice and report the limits of each check.

Review the coarse Atlas of Living Australia record summary and the DBCA Kimberley listing alongside project plans. Do not interpret the coordinate range as a precise occurrence boundary.

  • Check whether the project footprint is near the recorded area and whether further local records or survey advice are available before works.

Survey methodology: 2. Field search

As general land-snail survey practice, undertake careful visual searches of the ground surface and accessible cover features, recording live snails and shells separately. No particular feature is known to be a refuge for this species.

  • Record search effort, conditions, locations and photographs. Avoid damaging or removing potential shelter features during the search.

Survey methodology: 3. Identification and limits

Worn or bleached shells may lack visible identification characters, and anatomical information can be needed for reliable Kimberley camaenid identification. Seek a suitably qualified malacologist or ecologist for uncertain material.

  • A non-detection is not proof of absence, particularly because species-specific detectability and survey timing are unknown.

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. Pre-start review

Plan works with the uncertainty in the species' distribution and ecology in mind, and brief crews on how to respond to a possible find.

Review the footprint against the coarse records and seek current ecological advice where works are near the known record area. Confirm project approvals and applicable fauna procedures before clearing.

  • The place names in the common name do not establish a confirmed site locality.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Crew briefing

Brief spotter catchers, ecologists and clearing crews that this is a poorly known land snail and that a confident field identification may not be possible from a shell alone.

  • Explain the stop-work and escalation process for a suspected live snail or potentially relevant shell.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Work area checks

Where required by the project ecologist, inspect the work area before disturbance using careful visual searches. Record the area checked and the limitations of the check; no species-specific survey protocol is available.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Pause and protect

Use a precautionary response if a possible snail or shell is encountered during clearing or ground works.

Pause disturbance in the immediate work area if a live snail or potentially relevant shell is found. Keep machinery, foot traffic and material handling away while the site ecologist assesses the find.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Document and escalate

Photograph the find in place where practicable, note the location and work activity, and contact the project ecologist or fauna spotter catcher lead. Do not identify the species from an uncertain shell or move it without ecological direction.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Resume only after review

Follow the project ecologist's advice and applicable approvals before resuming work in the affected area. Record the decision and any additional checks or controls.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Record outcomes

Record findings and review the work response, including where no snail was confirmed.

Document search effort, findings, photographs, locations, identification confidence and any work pause or response. Distinguish confirmed identifications from possible camaenid material.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Review and report

Provide relevant records to the project ecologist and follow project and approval reporting procedures. Where identification remains uncertain, retain that uncertainty in the record and seek expert review.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore disturbed areas

Species-specific rehabilitation requirements are not available, so no particular restoration treatment can be claimed to benefit this snail.

Rehabilitate disturbed ground in line with the approved project plan and ecological advice. Avoid introducing unapproved materials or moving potential fauna shelter features as part of unplanned works.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Check outcomes

Record rehabilitation actions and any subsequent observations of land snails or shells. A lack of observations does not show that the species is absent or that rehabilitation has succeeded for this species.

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