Anguispira mordax
| Anguispira mordax | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Discidae |
| Genus: | Anguispira |
| Species: | A. mordax
|
| Binomial name | |
| Anguispira mordax (Shuttleworth, 1852)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Helix mordax (Shuttleworth, 1852) | |
Anguispira mordax, also known as the Appalachian tigersnail, is a species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae endemic to the southeastern United States. It is named after the Appalachian mountain range.
Appearance
[edit]The Appalachian tigersnail has a dull, slightly depressed shell ranging from 13 to 18 mm in diameter.[1][2] It is heavily ribbed, with the ribs being roughly 1-1.5mm apart.[3] This gives the shell a distinct ′wavy′ look. It is striated with a defined carina and a narrow, deep umbilicus. The shell is yellowish or "buckthorn brown" in color, defined by darker brown or reddish streaks that radiate outwards across the shell, running parallel to the radial ribs.[1][2]
Ecology
[edit]Populations of Appalachian tigersnail have been found across Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia.[4] It is listed as vulnerable in Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina and as imperiled in West Virginia.
The Appalachian tigersnail is found in a wide range of habitats similar to those of its close relative, Anguispira alternata.[5] It is typically found in mesic hardwood forests on or around decaying logs, hollow trees, or limestone outcrops.[2][6]
There is some uncertainty surrounding the Appalachian tigersnail's taxonomy due to its tendency to hybridize with close relatives Anguispira alternata and Anguispira stronglyoides.[2] Malacologist Leslie Hubricht claims the only ′pure′ populations of Appalachian tigersnail exist in the mountains of North Carolina.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Kutchka, G. M. (1938). New varieties of Anguispira and Discus. The Nautilus. 52(1): 11-14, pl. 2.
- ^ a b c d "Virginia Land Snails: Anguispira mordax". Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
- ^ Pilsbry, Henry A. (1948). Land Mollusca of North America (North of Mexico). Vol. 2, Part 2. Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
- ^ "Anguispira mordax". NatureServe Explorer.
- ^ a b Hubricht, Leslie (1985). The distributions of the native land mollusks of the Eastern United States. Field Museum of Natural History.
- ^ Dourson, D.C. 2013. Land snails of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and southern Appalachians. Goatslug Publications, Bakersville, NC. 336 pp.