Land Snails

Photo: Aperture view of Triodopsis burchi shell © Bill Frank.

Click photo to enlarge.

Triodopsis burchi (Hubricht, 1950)

Family: Polygyridae
Common name: Pittsylvania Threetooth

Identification
Width: 7.5-15+ mm
Height: 4.0-7.5 mm
Whorls: 4+

The shell of Triodopsis burchi has a low, cone-shaped spire. The three denticles in the aperture are weak or may be absent. When they are present, a small, cone-like tooth can be found on both the upper and basal lips, and the parietal tooth is short. The final whorl does not descend in front and is guttered behind the flat, reflected lip. While the earlier whorls are smooth, the final two whorls have fine radial striae. There are no spiral lines. It is much smaller and more glossy than Triodopsis tennesseensis (Hubricht, 1950).

Ecology
This snail prefers oak forests and may be found on mountainsides and in ravines under logs and leaf litter (Hubricht 1985).

Taxonomy
Taxonomic work looking at this animal’s proteins and reproductive anatomy suggests that it is unique in its genus (Emberton, 1988). Triodopsis burchi has also been known as T. tennesseensis burchi.

Distribution
Triodopsis burchi is known only from West Virginia, North Carolina and the middle counties of Virginia, where it is listed as a vulnerable species.

Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G3
NatureServe State Rank: S3
Virginia’s wildlife action plan: Tier IV

 

Ken Hotopp, Meegan Winslow 10/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)