Anguispira cumberlandiana
| Anguispira cumberlandiana | |
|---|---|
| |
| A mature Cumberland tigersnail found in Tennessee | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Discidae |
| Genus: | Anguispira |
| Species: | A. cumberlandiana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Anguispira cumberlandiana | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Carocolla cumberlandiana (Lea, 1840) | |
Anguispira cumberlandiana, also known as the Cumberland tigersnail or the Cumberland disc, is a range-restricted species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae, the disk snails. The species is named after the Cumberland Plateau, a section of the Appalachian Plateau that overlaps with its range.
Physical appearance
[edit]The Cumberland tigersnail possesses a thin lens-shaped shell, roughly 13-18 mm (0.51-0.71 in) in diameter and 5-6 mm (0.2-0.24 in) in height.[3] The umbilicus is broad and deep. The shell is deeply striated with a sharply protruding, serrated carina. The embryonic whorls are smooth.[4] The base of the shell is typically pale olive or tan in color, with irregular, radiating chestnut to dark brown stripes and oblique radial streaks. The body is light or dark gray with a reddish foot.[4] The species is visually similar to Anguispira alabama.
Ecology
[edit]
The Cumberland tigersnail is found along in a few counties in southeastern Tennessee and northeastern Alabama along the southern edge of the Cumberland Plateau.[5] Though some previous reports claim that Cumberland tigernsail individuals were found in Pennsylvania, they are now believed to be incorrect.[6] The species is listed as vulnerable in Tennessee and critically imperiled in Alabama.[7] It is possible that the Cumberland tigersnail occupies an area larger than its currently discovered range. However its specific habitat requirements and tendency to exist in elusive, distinct populations– sometimes hundreds of kilometers of apart– make estimating population size and distribution difficult.[8]
Like many other members of the genus Anguispira, the Cumberland tigersnail is a limestone specialist (calciphile).[8] They are most commonly found on or around hillside limestone outcrops near rivers or streams in hardwood forests. Its thin shell allows it to burrow into crevices in limestone boulders where it retreats in order to shelter from the elements and hibernate. Due to their reliance on limestone for suitable habitat, limestone mining on the Cumberland Plateau likely has negative impacts on the species' survival.
References
[edit]- ^ NatureServe (6 October 2023). "Anguispira cumberlandiana". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ Lea, I. (August - October 1840). Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 1(13): 284-289.
- ^ Tryon, G. W. (1866). Monograph of the terrestrial Mollusca of the United States. American Journal of Conchology. 2(3): 218-279.
- ^ a b Pilsbry, Henry Augustus (1948). Land Mollusca of North America (North of Mexico). Vol. 2, Part 2. Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
- ^ Hubricht, Leslie (1985). The distributions of the native land mollusks of the Eastern United States. Field Museum of Natural History.
- ^ Hotopp, K. 2003. Uncommon Pennsylvania land snails: supporting citations for state ranking. Unpublished report submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 40 pp.
- ^ "Anguispira cumberlandiana". Natureserve Explorer. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ a b Haskell, David G.; Pan, Jia W. (2013-02-20). "Phylogenetic analysis of threatened and range-restricted limestone specialists in the land snail genus Anguispira". Conservation Genetics. 14 (3): 671–682. doi:10.1007/s10592-013-0460-4. ISSN 1566-0621.