#powelliphanta

Oh my gods! They're so cool! IN return you can have... Powelliphanta!

Powelliphanta are land snails native to new zealand (where I'm from!) They're carnivores, and eat mostly earth worms.

Inktober RING.

I chose to depict an example of a Ring Species, Powelliphanta, a genus of large, carnivorous, terrestrial snails endemic to New Zealand.

Originally described by New Zealand malacologist, ornithologist and entomologist Albert Creagh O'Connor as a subgenus of the kauri snails, Paryphanta. They were named from their similarity to Paryphanta and "in recognition of the great service rendered to the study of the family by Mr Arthur William Baden Powell" (another Kiwi malacologist, no relation to the founder of the Boy Scouts). After the subgenus was promoted to a full species, there are only two Paryphanta left and at least 21 species and 51 subspecies of Powelliphanta.

Very large air-breathing snails up to 9 centimetres (3.5 in) across and weighing 90 grams, endemic to Aotearoa, where they devour earthworms and slugs, engulfing them and tearing them to pieces with their radula.

They require damp forest habitat, and usually limestone soils, and some species are very limited in distribution. Powelliphanta gilliesi brunnea, for example, is only found in a 1 hectare (2.5 acres) remnant of coastal forest. They're also seriously endangered because of predation by possums, pigs, hedghogs and rats, and being trod on by cows.