Land Snails

Photo(s): Views of the shell of Ventridens gularis © Dan Dourson.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Ventridens gularis (Say, 1822)

Family: Gastrodontidae
Common name: Throaty Dome

Identification
Width: 7.8 – 9.0 mm
Height: 5.0 - 6.3 mm
Whorls: 6.5 - 8.0

The shell of Ventridens gularis is similar to many others of its kind, a medium-sized rounded dome with a thin lip, but it has a tiny umbilicus - sometimes closed - and two teeth in the aperture. The shell’s surface is glossy, horn-colored and mostly smooth, with few growth wrinkles. The aperture is not particularly large, and the lip has a callus lining. The two basal laminae are recessed in the aperture.

Ecology
This species is found in a range of habitats, including ravines and wooded hillsides with leaf litter, as well as roadsides and floodplains.  In Tennessee it has been found especially in areas of shale and acid soils with moderate moisture content, but is not limited to those habitats (Coney et al, 1982). In Kentucky it is reported from both limestone and sandstone areas (Dourson, 2010).

Taxonomy
Synonyms for V. gularis are Gastrodonta gularis, Helix bicostata, H. gularis, Ventridens suppressus magnidens, Zonites cuspidatus, Zonites gularis, and Zonitoides (Ventridens) gularis.

Distribution
Ventridens gularis ranges inland from Ohio and Pennsylvania south to northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. In Virginia it is mostly spread through the central part of the state, edging into the northwest.

NatureServe Global Rank: G5
NatureServe Sate Rank: S3S4

 

Greg Kimber, Ken Hotopp, Meegan Winslow 11/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)