Powelliphanta lignaria, known as one of the amber snails, is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of large, carnivorous land snail

Snail

Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...

, a terrestrial

Terrestrial animal

Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...

 pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Rhytididae

Rhytididae

Rhytididae is a taxonomic family of medium-sized predatory air-breathing land snails, carnivorous terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Rhytidoidea.This family has no subfamilies.-Anatomy:...

. The eggs of P. lignaria are oval and seldom constant in dimensions 10 × 8.25, 9 × 7.75, 9 × 8, 8.75 × 7.75 mm.

P. lignaria is endemic

Endemic (ecology)

Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...

 to the west coast of the South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

 of New Zealand. There are seven subspecies, all of which are listed by the New Zealand Department of Conservation

New Zealand Department of Conservation

The Department of Conservation , commonly known by its acronym, "DOC", is the state sector organisation which deals with the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage...

 as threatened:

• Powelliphanta lignaria johnstoni Powell
  Arthur William Baden Powell
  Dr Arthur William Baden Powell CBE was a New Zealand malacologist, naturalist and palaeontologist, a major influence in the study and classification of New Zealand molluscs through much of the twentieth century. He was known to his friends and family by his third name, "Baden".Powell was born at...
  
  , 1946 – Nationally Endangered
• Powelliphanta lignaria lignaria Hutton
  Frederick Wollaston Hutton
  Captain Frederick Wollaston Hutton, FRS, was an English scientist who applied the theory of natural selection to explain the origins and nature of the natural history of New Zealand.- Biography :...
  
  , 1888 – Nationally Vulnerable
• Powelliphanta lignaria lusca Powell, 1949 – Nationally Vulnerable
• Powelliphanta lignaria oconnori Powell, 1938 – Nationally Vulnerable
• Powelliphanta lignaria rotella Powell, 1938 – Nationally Endangered
• Powelliphanta lignaria ruforadiata Powell, 1949 – Nationally Endangered
• Powelliphanta lignaria unicolorata Powell, 1930 – Nationally Vulnerable