Land Snails

Photo(s): Catinella vermeta shells © Larry Watrous.


Illustration © Kathy Schmidt from her series "Land Snails of New York State".

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Catinella vermeta (Say, 1829)

Family: Succineidae
Common name: Suboval Ambersnail

Identification
Width: 4.0- 6.8 mm
Height: 7-11 mm
Whorls: 3+

This is the smallest member of the Succineidae in the state. Its pale shell has dramatically convex whorls, deep sutures, and a shorter aperture relative to the rest of its shell. Shells often appear dull gray as they are frequently coated with mud.

Ecology
A denizen of lowland streams and wetlands, Catinella vermeta is sometimes found in numbers upon soaked logs, in damp seasonal channels, old beaver ponds, wet meadows, or along the margins of ponds and swamps. It can be found in both shady and sunlit microhabitats (Hubricht, 1985).

Taxonomy
Synonyms for Catinella vermeta include Catinella avara, Succinea avara, S. a. Say forma alba, S. a. var. compacta, S. a. var. major, S. illinoisensis, S. poeyensis, S. venusta, S. vermeta, and S. wardiana.

Distribution
Catinella vermeta is widespread across the lower 48 continental United States and southern Canada, reaching west to British Columbia and California, east to Nova Scotia, and south to Texas and Florida. In Virginia this animal is found mainly in the western mountains and Coastal Plain.

Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G5, Secure.

 

Ken Hotopp, Meegan Winslow 9/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)