English Common Name

Flat-spire Nerite Snails

Scientific name

Nerita planospira

Taxonomy

Order: Cycloneritimorpha, Family: Neritidae

Size

Up to 3 cm (width of its shell)

Species Distribution

In Japan, Amamioshima, Miyako and Okinawa Islands and Yaeyama Islands. Overseas distribution areas include Taiwan, the coastal areas of southern China and Indo-Pacific.

Okinawa Red List of Threatened Species:Near Threatened

Japan Red List of Threatened Species:Near Threatened

It attaches to mangrove tree trunks close to roots and aerial roots, roots exposed to the air. The species inhabits mangrove trees under specific conditions, usually within tidal zones that do not get dry often. As the population is only found in certain conditions, this snail species is considered to have a high ecological value.

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Updated March 2019

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