Report on CT White Lecture 2024 – Following the slime trail…the journey to Figuladra, Dr Lorelle Stanisic 17 June 2024
Global biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate and action must be taken to combat this trend. Invertebrates comprise nearly 99% of all animal diversity and are becoming extinct at an alarming rate. Of the 693 recorded extinctions of animal species since 1500 AD, 42% are molluscs and 99% of these are non-marine species. Non-marine molluscs are amongst the most threatened and under-described animal groups on the planet. You can’t save a species if it doesn’t have a name.
My initial study for a Master of Philosophy investigated the charopid land snails of mid-eastern Queensland. As these tiny snails are very hard to find alive, shell sculpture is still the predominant tool for species delimitation. Shells are studied under electron microscopy. In particular, the protoconch (one and half whorls of the shell attached to the baby snail in the egg) offers a range of different sculptures and these help define genera. The shell that grows after birth (the teleoconch) produces a different pattern and this can be useful in determining different species. Mid-eastern Queensland shows an amazing diversity of this fauna from the off lying Whitsunday Islands to the heights of Eungella. From the twelve known species at the start of the study, 41 species were found by the end of the study, including 27 species new to science and 13 new genera to accommodate both some of the known and the new species.
My second research project for a Doctor of Philosophy investigated Figuladra, a genus of camaenid land snails that are greatly impacted by climate induced reduction of mesic habitat and more recently habitat loss through land clearing and fire regimes. Taxonomic projects such as this are important to conserve our forest biodiversity. The camaenid family of land snails are rock and forest snails inhabiting Australia, with the only exceptions being Tasmania and the southwest of Western Australia. They are found in all ecosystems except the sandy deserts.
The earliest known specimen of Figuladra was collected from the Percy Island Group off the Queensland coast in February, 1843. This shell was later named Helix incei (L. Pfeiffer, 1846) and was only the sixth camaenid to be described from Australia. With Figuladra’s long taxonomic history came problems of nomenclature, designation of type localities and the location of type specimens, affecting the nomenclature of more than half the known species prior to the commencement of this study. Solving the intricacies of these issues required liaison with at least seven museums across the world and resulted in the location of one holotype, naming of three new lectotypes and the designation of type localities for six species.
Global biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate and action must be taken to combat this trend. Invertebrates comprise nearly 99% of all animal diversity and are becoming extinct at an alarming rate. Of the 693 recorded extinctions of animal species since 1500 AD, 42% are molluscs and 99% of these are non-marine species. Non-marine molluscs are amongst the most threatened and under-described animal groups on the planet. You can’t save a species if it doesn’t have a name.
Right Hand Side Images:
1) Differing protoconch sculpture of some of the larger charopids of mid-eastern Queensland:
A. Beaded cancellate Gyrocochlea vinitincta, Border Ranges, SEQ. Pitted cancellate
B. Biomphalopa recava, Finch Hatton Gorge
C. Stanisicaropa chambersae, Diggings Road, Eungella. Radial
D. Radiolaropa danieli, Endeavour Creek E. Radiolaropa eungella, Eungella Dam F. Nodularopa samanthae, Upper Funnel Creek. Scale bars = 100mm
2) Distribution of Figuladra and the two new genera
For a full report of the 2024 CT White Lecture see the QNC News number 372 July-August-September
