Ten new species of Mascarene land snails (Mollusca : Gastropoda) and their conservation status

Abstract

Ten new species of Mascarene land snails are described from surveys carried out between 1990 and 2000 in the three islands of the Mascarenes. Eight of the species are endemic to Mauritius, one to Réunion and one to Rodrigues. While most of these species are assignable to genera already present in the archipelago, three of them belong to new genera. Apart from the Réunion species and one from Mauritius, which are critically endangered, all are known only as old shells from subfossil deposits and are presumed extinct. Some differences in diversity and extinction rates between the three islands are discussed.