Scientific name Placostylus Higher classification Bulimulidae | Subfamily Placostylinae Rank Genus | |
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Lower classifications New Zealand flax snail, Placostylus hongii | ||
Placostylus, or flax snails, are a genus of very large, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Bothriembryontidae.
Contents
The shells of the snails in this genus can be as large as 4.5 inches (11 cm) in maximum dimension.
Many species within this genus are now extinct.
Taxonomy
Placostylus is the type genus of the family Placostylidae. It was placed within Placostylidae.
Breure et al. (2010) moved Prestonella and Bothriembryon to Placostylidae. Subsequently Breure & Romero (2012) confirmed previous results from 2010 and they renamed Placostylidae to Bothriembryontidae.
Distribution
This genus of snails occurs in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Lord Howe Island, and Northland in New Zealand. There are three species in New Zealand and no susbspecies.
Species
Species within this genus include:
subgenus Basileostylus Haas, 1935
subgenus Maoristylus Haas, 1935
subgenus ?