Land Snails
Photo(s): Views of a Glyphyalinia specus shell.
Click photo(s) to enlarge.
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Glyphyalinia specus (Hubricht, 1965)
Family: Zonitidae
Common name: Hollow Glyph
Identification
Width: 4.8 mm
Height: 1.3 mm
Whorls: 4.5
The flattened shell is depressed heliciform in shape and is a distinctive subhyaline glossy color. It is widely umbilicate, with no teeth present. Indented transverse striae that are well-developed and closely spaced are features shared with its closest ally, Glyphyalinia lewisiana but G. specus differs in its larger size and habitat. The live animal is white and lacks functional eyes.
Ecology
This troglobytic snail is known only from the total darkness zones of caves where it is reported to feed on bat and cricket guano.
Taxonomy
Described by Hubricht in 1965, this species has no other known synonyms.
Distribution
Glyphyalinia specus is currently known in the Northeastern United States only from an historical record in Monroe County, West Virginia. The State of West Virginia considers it to have been extirpated. Other states where it has been documented include Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.
Conservation
NatureServe Rank: G4, Apparently secure.
NatureServe State Rank: West Virginia, SH, considered extirpated.
Dan Dourson 5/2017
RANGE MAP (Click to enlarge)
