The Darling River Snail Notopala sublineata was once common and widely distributed in the Darling River and its tributaries. The species is now restricted to a few populations in irrigation pipes near Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett.
The Darling River Snail is a medium-sized (20-25mm) freshwater snail with a round shell that ends in a conical spire.
The Darling River Snail can be confused with various other freshwater snail species, particularly Notopala suprafasciata and Notopala hanleyi. Prior to recent genetic and morphological analyses, the Darling River Snail and three other species of freshwater snails were considered to be subspecies.
River Snail
*note: prior to the species’ status revision in 2016, the Darling River Snail was referred to as ‘River Snail’.