Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Orobophana pacifica

Pūpū (AT)

Yellow Necklace-Shell

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult (Rarotonga)	45KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Yellow Necklace-Shell

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pūpū (RR AT MK), Pūpū Rengarenga (MT)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Cook Islands (Southern Group) - ?Australs - Societies

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of se.Polynesia; Land, coastal forests; on tree trunks and under rubble and debris

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Locally endangeredCultural, Adornment

SIMILAR SPECIES: False necklace-Shell (Pleuropoma parvula) shell red-brown (vs. yellow); very small, to 3mmSØ (vs. to 6mmSØ).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++	++++	^++++	+++		+

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-			++

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Orobophana pacifica (Pease, 1865)
SYNONYMS: Helicina flavescens Pease, 1865; Helicina tahitensis Pease, 1871[per Garret 1881]; Orobophana flavescens Pease, 1865

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; MOLLUSCA; GASTROPODA; PROSOBRANCHIA; Archaeogastropoda; Neritacea; HELICINIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Locally endangered
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Cultural, Adornment. Comments: This landsnail is collected after rain on the makatea islands to make shell necklaces (‘ei).

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimens, "near sea-shore...in prodigious numbers on stony ground", and listed for Rarotonga, Aituaki, Mangia and Atiu, 1865-69, Garrett with ID as Helicina flavescens; specimens, 2005/10, locally abundant, existence threatened by coastal development, Fred Brook rpt 2005/11 ID as Orobophana flavescens. Mangaia: specimens, "near sea-shore...in prodigious numbers on stony ground", and listed for Rarotonga, Aituaki, Mangia and Atiu, 1865-69, Garrett with ID as Helicina flavescens Rarotonga: specimens, "near sea-shore...in prodigious numbers on stony ground", and listed for Rarotonga, Aituaki, Mangia and Atiu, 1865-69, Garrett with ID as Helicina flavescens; field-specimens, College collection, 10/2000, ID G.McCormack as Orobophana flavescens. Aitutaki: specimens, "near sea-shore...in prodigious numbers on stony ground", and listed for Rarotonga, Aituaki, Mangia and Atiu, 1865-69, Garrett with ID as Helicina flavescens Pukapuka: specimens+photo, 3/2004, G.McCormack with tentative ID as Orobophana flavescens - to be confirmed.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zupB07a, zM05b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List