Virginia Land Snails

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

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Ventridens theloides (Walker and Pilsbry, 1902)

Family: Gastrodontidae
Common name: Copper Dome

Identification
Width: 7.5-8 mm
Height: 4.5-5 mm
Whorls: 7+

Ventridens theloides has a glossy, dome-shaped shell. Its whorls are narrow and closely-coiled, strongly sculptured with radial striae on the top. The striae continue onto the slightly concave base, where they are faintly visible. The umbilicus is open but very narrow. The basal lip is straight, creating a triangular-shaped aperture that does not contain teeth but is lined with a thick rim on the inside. Dourson (2010) notes that this is a characteristic of younger shells. The animal is pale-colored.

Ecology
Like Ventridens pilsbryi, V. theloides prefers leaf litter and logs on wooded slopes. It is also found on floodplains (Dourson, 2010). Though their habitats are similar, V. pilsbryi and V. theloides are rarely found together (Hubricht, 1985).

Taxonomy
Synonyms for V. theloides include Ventridens gularis form nodus, V. gularis theloides, V. nodus, and Zonitoides (Ventridens) theloides.

Distribution
Ventridens theloides is a native of the southeastern Appalachian states, ranging from West Virginia in the north, to Alabama in the south. In Virginia this animal is found in some of the far southwestern counties.

NatureServe Global Rank: G4G5
NatureServe State Rank: S2S4

 

Meegan Winslow 11/2012

 

Range Map