| Anguispira nimapuna | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Discidae |
| Genus: | Anguispira |
| Species: | A. nimapuna |
| Binomial name | |
| Anguispira nimapuna H.B.Baker, 1932 | |
Anguispira nimapuna, also known as the nimapuna or nimapu tigersnail, is a rare, range-restricted species of pulmonate land snail endemic to north-central Idaho. The species is listed as critically endangered in the United States. [1]
The nimapuna tigersnail possesses a thin, ribbed, angular shell that ranges from 11 to 12 mm (0.43 to 0.47 in) in diameter. The shell ranges from olive-brown to straw-brown in color, and is defined by faint, dark stripes. [2] It is described as having a greenish tinge that is more obvious in juveniles. [3]
The nimapuna tigersnail is the only full species in the Anguispira genus found west of the Rocky Mountains. Its range is incredibly narrow, with established populations only being found in a small portion of the Clearwater River drainage where the Lochsa and Selway Rivers meet and form a valley in Idaho. [4] It is also known from a single shell found in Wallawa County, Oregon. [5]
Andrew Rankin claims that the current population in Idaho may be a potential relict population that has persisted in the Clearwater drainage due to its lack of glaciation during the last Pleistocene ice age. The populations then did not re-colonize areas outside the drainage following the ice's retreat. This hypothesis aligns with current findings that show that the area serves as a refugium for a number of other rare, narrow-ranged endemics such as Constance's bittercress and the Idaho giant salamander. [4]
The nimapuna tigersnail is found between 1,500 and 2,550 ft (460 and 780 m) in elevation along talus slopes in mixed mesic forests. Individuals are often found around rivers, but not in areas that flood regularly. [1] They are often found under or on fallen wood, under bryophyte mats, among dense ferns, or in leaf litter. [5] In summer and winter, snails may retreat deep into talus refugia to protect themselves from desiccation, freezing, and predators. [5]
Nimapuna tigersnail populations are likely in severe decline due to habitat destruction and alteration. Livestock grazing, logging, talus removal, fire suppression, and road construction and maintenance are cited as the most imminent threats to the species' survival. [1] The issue is likely exacerbated by the snail's limited range and its low (or nonexistent) rates of colonization. [4]
The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About 1,080 miles (1,740 km) long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Beginning in Yellowstone National Park, western Wyoming, it flows across the arid Snake River Plain of southern Idaho, the rugged Hells Canyon on the borders of Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and finally the rolling Palouse Hills of southeast Washington. It joins the Columbia River just downstream from the Tri-Cities, Washington, in the southern Columbia Basin.
Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois. It is a collection of non-contiguous parcels in the vicinity of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
Anguispira picta, common names painted snake-coiled forest snail and painted tigersnail, is a rare species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Discidae, the disc snails. It is a limestone specialist, and is limited to outcrops with suitable mineralogy.
Anguispira, the tigersnails, is a genus of small pulmonate land snails in the family Discidae endemic to North America. Snails in this genus are defined by their striped shells. Anguispira species are either habitat generalists like A. alternata or limestone specialists like A. cumberlandiana.
Newcomb's snail is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, a gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae. This species is endemic to Hawaii, in the United States. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Rich Mountain slitmouth or Pilsbry's narrow-apertured land snail, scientific name Stenotrema pilsbryi, is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Polygyridae. This species is endemic to Ouachita Mountains of the United States.
Anguispira alternata, common name the flamed disc or flamed tigersnail, is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Discidae, the disk snails. Flamed discs are medium-sized snails, with shells ranging from 17 to 25 millimeters in diameter. They are found around logs, hollow trees, and rocks in wooded areas throughout eastern North America, ranging from New Brunswick, Canada, south to northern Florida, and west to northeastern Texas, Kansas and western Minnesota. Flamed disks are herbivores that feed on decaying plant material, fungi, and algae.
Elimia virginica, common names the Piedmont elimia or Virginia river snail, is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Pleuroceridae.
Anguispira cumberlandiana, also known as the Cumberland tigersnail or the Cumberland disc, is a range-restricted species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae, the disk snails. The species is named after the Cumberland Plateau, a section of the Appalachian Plateau that overlaps with its range.
Anguispira kochi, the banded tigersnail, is a species of pulmonate terrestrial gastropod belonging to the family Discidae, the disk snails. There are two recognized subspecies: Anguispira kochi kochi or the eastern banded tigersnail, and Anguispira kochi occidentalis, the western banded tigersnail.
Anguispira alabama, also known as the Alabama tigersnail or Alabama disc, is a rare, range-restricted species of pulmonate land snail found in Alabama and Tennessee. Due to its rarity and the difficulty of locating new populations, the species is listed as vulnerable in both states.
Anguispira jessica, also known as the mountain tigersnail or mountain disc, is a species of pulmonate land snail– a gastropod mollusk in the family Discidae, the disk snails. The species is named after G.M. Kutchka's wife Jessica; he was the first to describe the species in 1938. It was originally considered a subspecies of Angusipira alternata, but has since been elevated to species status.
Anguispira fergusoni, also known as the coastal plain tigersnail or coastal plain disk, is a species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae, the disk snails. It is found in multiple states along the east coast of the United States.
Cardamine constancei is a rare, narrow-ranged species of perennial rhizomatous forb known by the common name Constance's bittercress. It is endemic to select tributaries of the Clearwater and Coeur d'Alene Rivers in Idaho.
Anguispira knoxensis, also known as the rustic tigersnail or rustic disk, is a rare species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae, the disk snails. It is endemic to the Great Smoky Mountains in southeastern Tennessee. It was originally considered a subspecies of Anguispira alternata.
Anguispira macneilli, also known as the Tombigbee tigersnail, is a species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae, the disk snails. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of Anguispira alternata.
Anguispira mordax, also known as the Appalachian tigersnail, is a species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae endemic to the southeastern United States. It is named after the Appalachian mountain range.
Anguispira strongylodes, also known as the southeastern tigersnail, is a species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae, the disk snails.
Anguispira rugoderma, also known as the Pine Mountain tigersnail, is a rare, narrow-ranged species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae, the disk snails. It is named after the Pine Mounatin ridge, a section of the Appalachian Mountains that overlaps with the snail's range.
