Virginia Land Snails

Photo(s): Views of the fragile shell of Mesodon mitchellianus by Dan Dourson ©.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Mesodon mitchellianus (I. Lea, 1839)

Family: Polygyridae
Common name: Sealed Globelet

Identification
Width: 15.0- 17.5 mm
Height: 11.5- 13.0 mm
Whorls: 5+

This species has a small, very rounded, thin shell.  Its shell has no teeth and its umbilicus is closed, covered by the lip callus.

Ecology
Mesodon mitchellianus prefers grassy habitats. It may be found in meadows, roadsides and floodplains (Hubricht, 1985).

Taxonomy
Mesodon mitchellianus has also been known as: Helix mitchelliana, Mesodon mitchelliana, and Polygyra mitchelliana.

Distribution
This Mid­western native ranges from southern Michigan and eastern Indiana east to the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, North Carolina (Emberton, 1991), and Virginia. An anomalous report from Westmoreland County may be an introduction.

NatureServe Global Rank: G4
NatureServe State Rank: S4

 

Ken Hotopp, Meegan Winslow 9/2012

 

Range Map