Kokikora mimiwhangata

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Kokikora mimiwhangata
Holotype

Relict (NZ TCS)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Punctidae
Subfamily: Laominae
Genus: Kokikora
Species:
K. mimiwhangata
Binomial name
Kokikora mimiwhangata
Climo & Goulstone, 1995

Kokikora mimiwhangata is a species of land snail belonging to the family Punctidae.[2] First described in 1995, the species is endemic to New Zealand, known only to occur in coastal habitats between the eastern Bay of Islands and Deep Water Cove in Northland, often in association nīkau palm leaf litter.

Description

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K. mimiwhangata shells are small (typically having a diameter of 1.4 mm (0.055 in)), typically having 4.25 whorls, and are turbinate, and are greenish brown in colour. In mature specimens, a step can be seen between the last two whorls and the higher whorls. The animals occasionally have blotches of yellow pigment. It can be differentiated from K. angulata due to being much smaller and having regular whorls (no expanded final whorl).[3]

Taxonomy

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The species was described by Frank Climo and James Frederick Goulstone in 1995. In the same paper, Climo and Goulstone described the genus and the other known member of Kokiora.[3] The holotype is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum.[4]

Distribution and habitat

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The species is endemic to New Zealand, occurring in a very restricted range between the eastern Bay of Islands and Deep Water Cove in Northland,[3][5] The species primarily lives in coastal habitats, typically found in association with nīkau palm leaf litter.[3]

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  • Top-down view of K. mimiwhangata holotype
    Top-down view of K. mimiwhangata holotype
  • Underside view of K. mimiwhangata holotype
    Underside view of K. mimiwhangata holotype

References

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  1. ^ "Kokikora mimiwhangata Climo & Goulstone". New Zealand Threat Classification System. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  2. ^ Kokikora mimiwhangata Climo & Goulstone, 1995. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 7 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Climo, F. M.; Goulstone, J. F. (1994). "A New Genus and Two New Species of Northern New Zealand Landsnails (Mollusca: Punctidae)". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 31: 205–214. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906443. Wikidata Q58677468.
  4. ^ Blom, Wilma M. (2025). "Annotated Catalogue of Fossil and Extant Molluscan Types in the Auckland War Memorial Museum". Bulletin of the Auckland Museum. 22. doi:10.32912/BULLETIN/22. ISSN 1176-3213. Wikidata Q135397912.
  5. ^ Booth, Andrea (2005). Natural areas of Whangaruru Ecological District (PDF) (Report). Department of Conservation. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
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