Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Mollusca
- Class: Gastropoda
- Order: Stylommatophora
- Family: Microcystidae
- Genus: Fanulena Iredale, 1945
- Species: Fanulena imitatrix (Sykes, 1900)
Synonyms include Lutilodix imitatrix Iredale, 1945 and Medyla imitatrix Sykes, 1900. It is the type species of the genus Fanulena【4†L1-L9】【4†L18-L22】.
Description
Fanulena imitatrix is a small air‑breathing land snail or semislug. The shell is imperforate, elevated‑conical, and measures up to 5.5 mm in length and about 5 mm in diameter. Its surface is marked by rough oblique ribs, with a horn‑colored base adorned with chestnut spots. The protoconch is slightly pointed and flattened. The shell has 5½ flattened whorls; the body whorl is keeled. The aperture is rhomboidal, with a sharp right margin and a thickened columellar margin often bearing a faint whitish tooth【4†L27-L38】.
Distribution
The species is endemic to Norfolk Island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean【4†L45-L48】.
Conservation status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed Fanulena imitatrix as Endangered (IUCN 2.3) in 1996【4†L12-L15】. No more recent assessment is recorded in the available sources.
References
- Sykes, E. R. (1900). “Notes on the Non‑marine Mollusca of Norfolk and Phillip Islands, with Descriptions of New Species.” Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 4: 142‑144.
- Iredale, T. (1945). “The Land Mollusca of Norfolk Island.” The Australian Zoologist 11(1): 63‑64.
- Mollusc Specialist Group (1996). Lutilodix imitatrix. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 1996: e.T12415A3341161.
- MolluscaBase (2024). Fanulena imitatrix (Sykes, 1900). Accessed via World Register of Marine Species.
This entry reflects information available from peer‑reviewed taxonomic literature, the IUCN Red List, and curated databases as of September 2024.