Land Snails

Photo(s): Fumonelix wheatleyi shell views © Dan Dourson. Live animals © Bill Frank.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Fumonelix wheatleyi (Bland, 1860)

Family: Polygyridae
Common name: Cinnamon Covert

Identification
Width: 14.5-18.0 mm
Height: 9.5-12.0 mm
Whorls: 5+

Fumonelix wheatleyi has a brown, cinnamon-colored shell with strong radial striae that give the shell a textured feel. Its umbilicus is open, and the aperture has a widely-reflected lip and a small bump-like parietal tooth. There are no spiral lines, and adult shells do not have hairs, though immature shells may.

Ecology
This is a snail that lives above 2,000’, including mountain summits. It may be found under rocks, logs, and leaf litter (Hubricht, 1985). In the Smoky Mountains it is found in a variety of habitats (Dourson & Dourson, 2007).

Taxonomy
Synonyms for F. wheatleyi include: Helix wheatleyi, Mesodon wheatleyi, and Polygyra wheatleyi.

Distribution
Fumonelix wheatleyi is known from Georgia to Virginia, and there is a rare subspecies F. w. clingmanicus in the Great Smoky Mountains. In Virginia, specimens from Grayson and Smyth Counties have been identified as this subspecies, possibly mistakenly.

Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G4
NatureServe State Rank: Virginia, S1/S2 Imperiled(for F. w. clingmanicus, possibly in error)
Virginia’s wildlife action plan: Tier III (for F. w. clingmanicus)

 

Meegan Winslow, Ken Hotopp 8/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)