Land Snails

Photo(s): The shell of Stenotrema stenotrema © Larry Watrous.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Stenotrema stenotrema (Pfeiffer, 1842)

Family: Polygyridae
Common name: Inland Slitmouth

Identification
Width: 7.5-11.0 mm
Height: 5.5-8.0 mm
Whorls: 5+

The shell of Stenotrema stenotrema has a depressed globe shape and is covered in short hairs. The slit-like aperture has a high, curved parietal tooth and the straight basal lip is notched near the middle. It is usually a bit larger than its close relative S. hirsutum.

Ecology
This species can be found in a variety of habitats, especially in hilly, wooded areas and in ravines (Hubricht, 1985). In Tennessee it has a mild affinity for woody debris, steep slopes, and oak-hickory-sugar maple forests (Coney et al, 1982).

Taxonomy
Synonyms for S. stenotrema include Helix hirsuta, H. stenotrema, Polygyra stenotrema, P. s. nuda, P. s. seminuda, P. (Stenotrema) voluminosa, Stenostoma convexa, Stenotrema convexa, and S. stenotremum.

Distribution
Stenotrema stenotrema has a wide range that extends throughout much of the Midwest and southeastern United States, as far north as Ohio and Illinois, west to eastern Oklahoma and Texas, and as far south as the Gulf Coast (Pilsbry, 1940; Hubricht, 1985). In Virginia it occurs in the western and northern parts of the state, but is absent from the coast and piedmont.

NatureServe Global Rank: G5
NatureServe State Rank: S4

 

Meegan Winslow, Ken Hotopp 11/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)