Land Snails

Photo(s): Views of a Ventridens lawae shell © Dan Dourson.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Ventridens lawae (W.G. Binney, 1892)

Family: Gastrodontidae
Common name: Rounded Dome

Identification
Width: 8- 8.5 mm
Height: 4.5- 4.7 mm
Whorls: 7- 8

The shell of Ventridens lawae is notable for its deep, well-like umbilicus. It has a strong basal lamella often approximately 1/3 the length of the final whorl, and a callus at the columellar margin of its thin lip. Both of these features can be seen thru the base of the yellow, glossy shell. It has a relatively low shell, very tightly coiled, and closely striate above. The animal is pale.

Ecology
This is yet another species that is found on wooded hillsides and steep valleys in hardwood forests. It is found in leaf litter and on logs, on a variety of sites but more common on limestone-derived soils (Hubricht, 1985; Dourson, 2010).

Taxonomy
Synonyms for V. lawae are Gastrodonta gularis lawae, Zonites lawae, Z. lawi, and Z. placentula.

Distribution
Ventridens lawae occurs in the Appalachian Mountains from Kentucky and Virginia to northern Alabama. In Virginia it is reported from only Dickinson and Washington Counties.

NatureServe Global Rank: G4
NatureServe State Rank: S1S3
Virginia’s wildlife action plan: Tier III

 

Ken Hotopp, Meegan Winslow 11/2012

Range Map (click to enlarge)