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 rectus differs from the other members of this group in the following combination of characters: shell medium in size, with slightly convex whorls; pallial vas deferens with several coils at prostate gland; female genital opening of medium length.
This species is found in sympatry with A. turbatus from which its shell differs in its very slightly convex (almost flattened) whorls.
Austropyrgus rectus (Ponder, Colgan, Clark, Miller & Terzis, 1994)
Class Gastropoda
Infraclass Caenogastropoda
Order Littorinida
Suborder Rissoidina
Superfamily Truncatelloidea
Family Tateidae
Genus Austropyrgus Cotton, 1942
Original name: Fluvidona recta Ponder, Colgan, Clark, Miller & Terzis, 1994. In Ponder, W.F., Colgan, D. J., Clark, G. A., Miller, A. C. & Terzis, T. (1994). Microgeographic, genetic and morphological differentiation of freshwater snails—the Hydrobiidae of Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 42: 557–678.
Type locality: Squeaky Beach Creek, about 60m above road, Wilsons Promontory, 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 only known from a few small coastal streams on Wilsons Promontory, Victoria.
Most species of Austropyrgus are geographically isolated and have restricted ranges, and this one is no exception.
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.
Ponder, W. F., Colgan, D. J., Clark, G. A., Miller, A. C. & Terzis, T. (1994). Microgeographic, genetic and morphological differentiation of freshwater snails - the Hydrobiidae of Wilson's Promontory, Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 42: 557-678.
