Stenotrema exodon

Stenotrema exodon
Alabama slitmouth shell collected in Marshall County, Alabama
Conservation status
Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Polygyridae
Genus:	Stenotrema
Species:	S. exodon
Binomial name
Stenotrema exodon (Pilsbry, 1900)
Synonyms
Helix stenotrema var. globosaSargent, 1892 (nomen nudum) Polygra stenotrema exodonPilsbry, 1900 (original combination)

Stenotrema exodon, also known as the Alabamaslitmouth, is a rare species of pulmonate land snail in the family Polygyridae.

Physical appearance

The Alabama slitmouth's shell is horn-brown and covered in the thin, fine hairs typical of species in the Stenotrema genus. The aperture lips are paler than the rest of the shell, protrude outwards, and possess a defined notch and short parietal tooth. The spire is elevated and the shape is globose. ^{[1] [2]}

Ecology

The Alabama slitmouth is endemic to the southeastern United States, where it can be found in Alabama and Tennessee along the southernmost edge of the Cumberland Plateau. It is listed as imperiled globally and at the Tennessee state level. ^[3] The species was first described by carcinologist Henry A. Pilsbry in the city of Woodville in Jackson County, Alabama. ^[2] It has now been additionally documented in Madison, DeKalb, Marshall Counties in Alabama, and in Franklin and Marion Counties in Tennessee. ^{[4] [5]}

This species is a limestone specialist (calciphile), and can be found on or around limestone outcrops or between limestone boulders in forested karst environments. ^{[6] [7]} They are most commonly found in hardwood-dominant forest. ^[3]

References

1. Pilsbry, H. A. (1892-1893). Manual of conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species . Ser. 2, Pulmonata. Vol. 8: Helicidae, vol. 6. pp 1-314, pls 1-58. Philadelphia, published by the Conchological Section, Academy of Natural Sciences.
2. Pilsbry, H.A. 1900. Mollusca of the Great Smoky Mountains. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1900:110-150.
3. "Stenotrema exodon". NatureServe Explorer 2.0. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
4. Pilsbry, H.A. 1940. Land Mollusca of North America (north of Mexico). Volume 1, Part 2. Monograph of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1(2): 574-994.
5. Hubricht, L. 1973. The land snails of Tennessee. Sterkiana, 49: 11-17.
6. Hubricht, Leslie (1985). The distributions of the native land mollusks of the Eastern United States. Field Museum of Natural History. 40.
7. Sargent, F. [H.] E. (1892). Annotated list of Alabama land Mollusca. The Nautilus. 6(7): 76-78.