Land Snails

Photo(s): Views of a Vallonia excentrica shell © Larry Watrous.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Vallonia excentrica (Sterki, 1893)

Family: Valloniidae
Common name: Iroquois Vallonia

Identification
Width: 2.3 mm
Height: 1.1 mm
Whorls: 3

This tiny animal’s shell is smooth or very finely striate, the umbilicus is open, and the apex is low. The edge of the round aperture is reflected toward the inside.

Ecology
Vallonia excentrica is found often in grassy places such as meadows or along roadsides and lawns, frequently accompanied by V. pulchella. This species is holarctic, found around the world at high latitudes (Kerney & Cameron, 1979; Hubricht, 1985), though other authors suggest its presence in anthropogenic habitats makes it a likely introduction in eastern North America (Nylander, 1936; Nekola, 2008).

Taxonomy
A synonym for V. excentrica is V. pulchella var. excentricoides.

Distribution
The range of this species in eastern North America runs from the Northeast to the central Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic states, including coastal areas. It has been found scattered throughout various parts of Virginia. Pilsbry (1946-48) reports presumably introduced specimens from California, Oregon, and Mexico.

NatureServe Global Rank: G5
NatureServe State Rank: S4

 

Ken Hotopp, Greg Kimber 11/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)