A Field Guide to the Snails of Lord Howe Island

97 Parmellops perspicuus Hyman & Ponder, 2016 Transparent Semislug Shell. Size: H = 0.5 mm, D = 11.7 mm. Colour: Reddish (pale gold in juveniles). Shape: Reduced, plate-like. Sculpture: Absent. Animal. Body white, with grey tail. Black and white pigmentation absent. Shell lappets transparent; reddish shell clearly visible through lappets. Juveniles white with two black lines running along neck and one central black line on tail. Key distinguishing features. Differs from all other species in its reduced shell and flattened, slug-like body. Differs from congener P. etheridgei in its more transparent shell lappets and darker reddish shell, the absence of black and white pigmentation on the body, and its grey tail. Habitat and occurrence. This species is limited to the summit of Mt Gower. Remarks. This species is most easily seen at night or after rain, when it will be actively crawling on palm leaves and trunks. Huge numbers of this species and its eggs were observed in February 2020, possibly as a result of the rodent eradication in 2019 (see image on page 95). Parmellops perspicuus adult . Image I. Hutton. Parmellops perspicuus juvenile