This species belongs to the Austropyrgus cooma group, whose members are characterised by generally pupiform to conical, small to medium-sized shells, where the last whorl and base are evenly convex. A. bullerensis differs from other members of the group in the following combination of characters: shell with straight to weakly convex spire outline and slightly convex whorls; rectum of short S-shape; distal and medial penis pigmented; oviduct bent just before bursal duct joins, and coiled oviduct and bursal duct join just in front of posterior pallial wall.
Austropyrgus bullerensis Clark, Miller & Ponder, 2003
Class Gastropoda
Infraclass Caenogastropoda
Order Littorinida
Suborder Rissoidina
Superfamily Truncatelloidea
Family Tateidae
Genus Austropyrgus Cotton, 1942
Original name: Austropyrgus bullerensis Clark, Miller & Ponder, 2003. In Clark, S. A., Miller, A. C. & Ponder, W. F. (2003). Revision of the snail genus Austropyrgus (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae): A morphostatic radiation of freshwater gastropods in southeastern Australia. Records of the Australian Museum Supplement 28: 1–109.
Type locality: Tributary of Delatite River, at Mt Buller Road, Victoria.
In streams on water weeds, hard substrata (rocks etc.) and crawling on litter and sediment. Can be locally abundant. Assumed to feed by scraping bacteria and microalgae. Lay solitary capsules containing a single egg. Direct development.
This species is currently known from a single small stream near the base of Mt Buller, eastern Victoria.
Most species of Austropyrgus are geographically isolated and have restricted ranges, but this one has a reasonable range. No other species of Austropyrgus is recognised in a radius of at least 80 km around the Mt Buller area of central Victoria. The species of closest geographical proximity are A. macedonensis from Mt. Macedon area, central Victoria, about 150 km to the west, and A. cooma from the Cooma area, southern New South Wales, about 250 km to the east.
The most similar species in Victoria are A. daylesfordensis, A. macedonensis, A. grampianensis, A. colensis and A. otwayensis.
Clark, S. A., Miller, A. C. & Ponder, W. F. (2003). Revision of the snail genus Austropyrgus (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae): a morphostatic radiation of freshwater gastropods in southeastern Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 28: 1–109.
