This species belongs to the Austropyrgus rectus group, with members characterised by small to medium-sized, narrow to broad shells, with spires of average length to very elongate, a straight outline and typically flattened to slightly convex whorls. The coiled oviduct has one or more bends, loops or twists.
Austropyrgus latus differs from the other members of this group in the following combination of characters: shell broad, with straight spire outline and flattened whorls; pallial vas deferens strongly undulating at base of penis; penis unpigmented; female genital opening of medium length and overlapping anterior end of capsule gland.
Austropyrgus latus Clark, Miller & Ponder, 2003
Class Gastropoda
Infraclass Caenogastropoda
Order Littorinida
Suborder Rissoidina
Superfamily Truncatelloidea
Family Tateidae
Genus Austropyrgus Cotton, 1942
Original name: Austropyrgus latus 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: Surrey River at Princes Hwy, south of Heywood, 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 widespread throughout the streams and rivers of south-eastern South Australia and western Victoria.
Although most species of Austropyrgus are geographically isolated and have restricted ranges, a few such as A. latus have wider ranges.
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.
