Land Snails

Paravitrea tridens (Pilsbry, 1946)

Photo(s): You can see the base of three internal "teeth" through the bottom of Paravitrea tridens' shell. Image © Dan Dourson.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Family: Pristilomatidae
Common name: White-foot Supercoil

Identification
Width: 5.5-6.5 mm
Height: 2.5-3.5 mm
Whorls: 6+

The spire of Paravitrea tridens is low but distinctively dome-shaped and somewhat pointed. The shell is lined with radial growth wrinkles and the periphery appears a bit oblong. The aperture is larger than in other Paravitrea species. As a juvenile, the shell may have between one and three sets of three teeth each, radially-aligned inside the final whorl. These disappear with age, however, and the adult shell is toothless.

Ecology
This animal may be found in moist leaf litter on mountain hillsides (Hubricht, 1985).

Taxonomy
Paravitrea tridens has also been known as Paravitrea capsella tridens.

Distribution
Paravitrea tridens is only known from a few counties in the easternmost Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee (Hubricht, 1985). It might be found in nearby western Virginia, perhaps Washington, Grayson, or Smyth Counties. The species is not yet reported.

NatureServe Global Rank: G2
NatureServe State Rank: SNR

 

Meegan Winslow 11/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)