Land Snails

Photo(s): The shell of the uncommon Appalachian Mountain endemic Gastrodonta fonticula. Image © Dan Dourson.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Gastrodonta fonticula (Wurtz, 1948)

Family: Gastrodontidae
Common name: Appalachia Bellytooth

Identification
Width: 5.5-6.6 mm
Height: 3-4 mm
Whorls: 7+

The whorls of Gastrodonta fonticula are closely coiled and marked with evenly-spaced, curved radial striae, as in G. interna. However, G. fonticula may be distinguished by an open, well-like umbilicus that allows a view of all the whorls, while its congener has a tiny or closed umbilicus. The base of G. fonticulais smooth and paler in color, with only faint traces of the striae seen above.Two basal teeth obstruct the aperture. The middle of the base is slightly concave, with a ridge around the umbilicus. Above, the spire is not as high as in G. interna.

Ecology
Like G. interna, G. fonticula is found in damp, wooded environments, particularly in deep piles of wet leaf litter and around rotting wood debris (Hubricht 1985).

Taxonomy
Gastrodonta fonticula has also been known as Gastrodonta interna fonticula.

Distribution
Gastrodonta fonticula is reported from the Appalachian Mountains of four states: West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. It is listed as an imperiled species in Virginia, where it is only known from a handful of counties in the westernmost part of the state, though there are no museum records.

Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G3/G4, Vulnerable.
NatureServe State Rank: Virginia, S1S3, Imperiled. Not ranked in West Virginia.
Virginia’s wildlife action plan: Tier III

 

Meegan Winslow 11/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)