Land Snails

Photo(s): Views of Fumonelix christyi’s sturdy shell with covered umbilicus, © Dan Dourson. Live animal © Bill Frank.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Fumonelix christyi (Bland, 1860)

Family: Polygyridae
Common name: Glossy Covert

Identification
Width: 8.5-10.0 mm
Height: 4.0-5.0 mm
Whorls: 4.5

The flattened heliciform shell of Fumonelix christyi is small and sturdy. It has a long parietal tooth, in a widely reflected aperture. The umbilicus is covered. The shell surface is glossy and lacks spiral lines. The animal is dark gray.

Ecology
Fumonelix christyi is most commonly found in leaf litter. It prefers oak woodland (Hubricht, 1985).

Taxonomy
Synonyms for F. christyi include Helix christyi, Mesodon christyi, and Polygyra christyi.

Distribution
This snail is native to the southeastern Appalachian Mountains, reported from only a handful of counties from Virginia to Georgia. It is reported only from Patrick County (Hubricht, 1985), in the mountainous southwestern part of the state, though we have not found museum records.

Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G3, Vulnerable
NatureServe State Rank: S1, Critically Imperiled
Virginia’s wildlife action plan: Tier III
Fulmonelix christyi is listed as globally vulnerable, and critically imperiled in Virginia.

 

Meegan Winslow, Ken Hotopp 8/2012