Genus Pacificella Odhner in Skottsberg, 1922 Pacificella variabilis (Odhner, 1922)

Description

Odhner (1922), Cooke and Kondo (1960).

Distribution

Native to Henderson Island (Preece 1995), widespread in the South Pacific Islands from Western Polynesia (Samoa, Tonga) throughout southeastern Polynesia to Easter Island (Kirch et al. 2009). In Chile this species has been recorded only in Easter Island (39°48 ʹ S, 73°14 ʹ W) (Stuardo and Vega 1985; Stuardo and Vargas-Almonacid 2000), and it was found for the first time in Chile by Odhner (1922).

Possible mechanism of introduction/Status

Human transportation/established (Stuardo and Vargas-Almonacid 2000).

Remarks

Although this species was described as native to Easter Island (Odhner 1922), it is probably native to Henderson Island, where some fossil shells are present in sedimentary deposits pre-dating human settlement (Preece 1995). EA, UI.