Land Snails

Photo(s): Gastrocopta procera shell © Jeff Nekola. Illustration © Kathy Schmidt from her series "Land Snails of New York State."

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Gastrocopta procera (Gould, 1840)

Family: Vertiginidae
Common name: Wing Snaggletooth

Identification
Height: ~2.5 mm
Width: ~1.1 mm
Whorls: 5

This species has a narrow, dark brown shell. It has an angulo-parietal lamella in the top of the aperture with a prominent angular lobe, and a deeply inserted lower palatal lamella. The long axis of this palatal lamella runs parallel to the lower margin of the aperture.

Ecology
Gastrocopta procera is an obligate calciphile (limited to calcium-rich habitats) that occurs under stones, in thatch, and in leaf litter accumulations on scrub-covered and exposed sites, such as bedrock glades, dry prairie, and roadside verges. It also occurs in sandy river floodplain scrub and forest (Nekola & Coles, 2010).

Taxonomy
A synonym for this animal’s name is Pupa procera.

Distribution
This animal ranges from west Texas and far northeastern New Mexico north to western Wisconsin and east to northern Florida and eastern New York State (Nekola & Coles, 2010). In Virginia this species has been reported from most of the state. It is unclear whether its apparent absence from the Piedmont is related to a lack of calcium-rich habitats in that region, or is simply due to under-reporting.

Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G5, Secure.

 

Jeff Nekola 9/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)