Assessment Rationale:

This species is endemic to the Madeiran Islands, where it is restricted to southern Deserta Grande and Bugio (Cameron and Cook 1999). Whilst the overall extent of occurrence (EOO) meets a threatened category, the number of subpopulations is large, the species is quite persistent and may have benefited from the habitat rehabilitation programmes. It is hence assessed as Least Concern (LC). 

Geographic Range:

This species is endemic to the Madeiran Islands, where it is restricted to southern Deserta Grande and Bugio (Groh and Hemmen 1984, Cameron and Cook 1999, Bank 2002, Cameron et al. 2006, Seddon 2008). There is an additional record from the northern end of Deserta Grande (Neubert and Groh 1998), although this subpopulation has slight differences in shell characters. 

Population:

The current trend is unknown. However new data from surveys of land snails currently being carried out on the island as part of a LIFE project will establish trends by 2018 (Teixeira pers. comm. 2016).

Habitat and Ecology

The species is found to be conspecific with B. deltostoma, with which it coexists in different habitats, namely on the rock faces, or in the vegetation on the offshore islets (Neubert and Groh 1998, Cameron pers. comm. 2008).

Major Threat(s):

There are minor threats on the Desertas Islands, where habitat instability and soil erosion were problematic in the 1990s to 2000s after decades of overgrazing by introduced species (Goats, Rabbits). However, there has been a major programme of habitat rehabilitation conducted by the local agencies using fundings from LIFE and other sources.

Conservation Actions

Whilst this species is not listed as a species of conservation interest by the EU, it does occur within a protected areas with a major programme of rehabilitation conducted by the local agencies using LIFE funding. A part of the current programme aims to survey the land snails on the island (Teixeira pers. comm. 2016).