Athoracophorus bitentaculatus (Quoy & Gaimard 1832)
Most common, wide-ranging athoracophorid in New Zealand (Burton 1980).
Active at night (Powell 1979). .
External: Body light brown or yellow; orange mantle surrounded by parallel black stripes (Burton 1963); dorso-ventrally flattened; mantle extends to perinotum on the right side; anus near perinotum and with preanal groove; 10-18 lateral grooves on each side of the dorsum, sometimes with red-brown color in the grooves; thin skin with hemispherical papillae (Burton 1980); pointed tail; 3-part, off-white sole with a broad middle section and two narrow lateral sections (Burton 1963).Internal: Jaw with long, cigar-shaped central plate with blunt ends and narrow, rounded, striated wings; male and female ducts partly combined; oviduct muscular, twisted, and with ridges inside; vas deferens and retractor muscle attached at apex of penis; penis wide, surrounded by a sheath, twisted; spermatheca with short duct attached to anterior end of oviduct (Burton 1980).Similar to A. suteri but lighter in color and with more lateral grooves (Burton 1963).Eggs: pale yellow, round, gelatinous, 2-3 mm diameter; laid in clutch of 15-20 eggs (Burton 1963).Juveniles: 9-10 mm long at hatching (Burton 1963).
External: Body light brown or yellow; orange mantle surrounded by parallel black stripes (Burton 1963); dorso-ventrally flattened; mantle extends to perinotum on the right side; anus near perinotum and with preanal groove; 10-18 lateral grooves on each side of the dorsum, sometimes with red-brown color in the grooves; thin skin with hemispherical papillae (Burton 1980); pointed tail; 3-part, off-white sole with a broad middle section and two narrow lateral sections (Burton 1963).
Internal: Jaw with long, cigar-shaped central plate with blunt ends and narrow, rounded, striated wings; male and female ducts partly combined; oviduct muscular, twisted, and with ridges inside; vas deferens and retractor muscle attached at apex of penis; penis wide, surrounded by a sheath, twisted; spermatheca with short duct attached to anterior end of oviduct (Burton 1980).Similar to A. suteri but lighter in color and with more lateral grooves (Burton 1963).
Eggs: pale yellow, round, gelatinous, 2-3 mm diameter; laid in clutch of 15-20 eggs (Burton 1963).
Juveniles: 9-10 mm long at hatching (Burton 1963).
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To 38 mm long, 9 mm wide, head shield 5 mm long, head to renal orifice 8.5 mm (Burton 1963).
New Zealand (North, South, and Stewart Ids.) (Powell 1979).
Inhabits rainy areas (Powell 1979) in bush (Burton 1963). Because they are flat, they are able to seek shelter among leaves (Burton 1980).
Feeds on fungus (Powell 1979).