Virginia Land Snails

Photo(s): Views of a Glyphyalinia picea shell by Jeffrey C. Nekola ©.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Glyphyalinia picea Hubricht, 1976

Family: Zonitidae
Common name: Rust Glyph

Identification
Width: 7.1 mm
Height: 3.0 mm
Whorls: 5.5

Glyphyalinia picea is a moderate to large Glyphyalinia. It has a depressed shell with moderately rapidly increasing whorls with a low spire. The inner edge of the aperture curves over and nearly fills the small umbilicus, leaving only a small perforation. The shell is sculptured with widely and regularly spaced narrow indentations that run parallel to the weak growth lines and extend from the apical surface to the umbilicus. Additionally, the shell has a microsculpture of distinct spiral lines. The color of the shell is translucent light reddish brown. Internally, the distal end of the epiphallus is bifurcate and the species lacks a penial appendage.

Ecology
Glyphyalinia picea is found in moist leaf litter on wooded hills and mountains.

Distribution
The species is found from western Maryland, eastern West Virginia and northeastern Virginia with an unlikely report from Delaware.  In Virginia the species is known from a single roadside site near Lexington. More survey work is needed to determine the range of this species in the state.

NatureServe Global Rank: G3
NatureServe State Rank: S1/S3
Virginia’s wildlife action plan: Tier II

 

John Slapcinsky 10/2012

Range Map