Species

BackLeiostyla ferraria Lowe, 1852

Leiostyla ferraria Lowe, 1852

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum:
  • Class: Mollusca
  • Order: Gastropoda
  • Family: Lauriidae
VU Vulnerable
IUCN Red List Status:

Countries of Occurrence:
Portugal - Madeira

Archipelago(s):
Madeira

Assessor/s:
Seddon, M.B.

Reviewer/s:
Cameron, R., Groh, K., Cuttelod, A. & Neubert, E.

Contributor/s:

Facilitators / Compilers/s:


Assessment Rationale:

This species is endemic to Porto Santo, where it is found in only two locations. Most recent visits to the island show that the habitats where this species is found at the western end of the island are still stable (Cameron, pers. comm., 2010). As a consequence, the species is still considered to be Vulnerable (VU) D2, due to lack of protected area status increasing the chances of habitat change (overgrazing, recreational impact from trampling, small fires).

Geographic Range:

This species is endemic to Porto Santo. It has been recorded by Wollaston (1878) from the Pico de Ana Ferreira and Espigao; Wollaston (1878) discounted the records listed in Paiva from other areas. The pecies is still present on Pico de Ana Ferreira and Espigao, two hills at the western end of the island of Porto Santo (Seddon 2008).

Regions:
Portugal - Madeira
Extent of Occurrence (EOO):
(km2)
Area of Occupancy (AOO):
8 (km2)
Elevation Lower Limit:
(m)
Elevation Upper Limit:
(m)
Biogeographic Realms:
Palearctic
Presence:
Extant
Origin:
Endemic Madeira
Seasonality:
Resident

Population:

The species has been present on these two hills for at least 140 years, and so is seen as being stable.

Habitat and Ecology

This species was found in the crevices and in the leaf-litter on the rock ledges of the low crags within grassland.

Major Threat(s):

These two hills do not lie in a protected area, although Espigao is further from the tourist area, Pico do Ana Ferreira is closer to the tourist area, and so is subject to more pressure. The threats are not considerable, mainly light recreational use and although fire is a possible threat, it probably would not impact the species over the entire area, given the presence on rock crags and in fissures.

Conservation Actions

Conservation actions include habitat monitoring for indication of population trends, and non destructive-sampling based methods for population monitoring. The area would benefit from protected area status.