Virginia Land Snails

Photo(s): Live Stenotrema altispira and views of its shell by Dan Dourson ©.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Stenotrema altispira (Pilsbry, 1894)

Family: Polygyridae
Common name: Highland Slitmouth

Identification
Width: 8.5-11 mm
Height: 6.5-8 mm
Whorls: 5+

The thin shell of Stenotrema altispira is beehive-shaped, with short, stiff hairs on the lower whorls. The shell is a bit taller than other slitmouth snails. The aperture is very narrow, with a long, slender parietal tooth. A slight indentation can be seen in the basal lip. The umbilicus is imperforate.

Taxonomy
Synonyms for S. altispira include: Polygyra altispira, P. hirsuta altispira, and Stenotrema hirsutum.

Ecology
It lives at higher elevations, in leaf litter and woody debris (Hubricht, 1985). In the Great Smoky Mountains S. altispira is found in various hardwood forest habitats (Dourson & Dourson, 2006).

Distribution
Stenotrema altispira is only known from the mountains of Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. In Virginia it is reported only in Grayson and Smyth Counties.

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

 

Meegan Winslow, Ken Hotopp 11/2012

 

Range Map