Succinea archeyi
The amber snail is a small and attractive-looking species and is under threat from habitat changes.
The amber snail, not to be confused with a much larger member of the genus Powelliphanta with the same common name, is a small, attractive-looking species that is in decline. The only New Zealand member of the family Succineidae (amber snail), this species lives in Spinifex and open shrubland in northeastern North Island dune systems.
Amber snails were once more widely distributed. Fossil evidence indicates they once, ranged from Northland to the western Bay of Plenty and a population near Cape Kidnappers in Hawke’s Bay. This latter population appears to have died out before human settlement. Over the last 150 years, humans have changed the environment in ways that have severely impacted this species over the rest of its range. This species is now confined to a small number of sites in Northland and the Coromandel Peninsula. Taken together, the area of this habitat is less than a square kilometre. With their greatly reduced range and population size, amber snails are ranked as Nationally Critical under the Department of Conservation’s threat classification system.
Amber snail shells may be up to 12 mm in height, although in drought years, they may be much smaller Their tapered shells are yellow-olive to pale orange. After death, the colouring often wears away, leaving the shells looking white. The flesh of the snail is pale pinkish brown.
Young snails appear in the spring. They are not very active during the comparatively dry time of late spring and summer, although they will feed on Spinifex during rainy periods. Most growth occurs in the cooler, wetter time of year when supplies of blue-green algae are available to feed on. The life span of an amber snail is about a year.
Check these links for more info on the Amber Snail in NZ
Wikipedia: Information on the Amber Snail
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