Image of Potamopyrgus oppidanus

Description:

The infamous Potamopyrgus antipodarum is the larger species in this image. If you google Potamopyrgus antipodarum you will see that this little freshwater species causes a lot of trouble overseas. The smaller, slimmer species in the image is Potamopyrgus oppidanus, a Wellington endemic species! It is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN red list. Its habitat is a little stream covered in Tradescantia before it enters a pipe under the road. The stream gets cleaned out in heavy rain and the population has taken a hit after the last heavy rainfalls in November. It would be useful to keep an eye on the population dynamics of P. oppidanus. Any volunteers?