Stenotrema spinosum

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Stenotrema spinosum
Stenotrema spinosum.jpg
A mature carinate slitmouth
Status TNC G4.svg
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Polygyridae
Genus: Stenotrema
Species:
S. spinosum
Binomial name
Stenotrema spinosum
(I. Lea, 1830)
Synonyms
  • Carocolla spinosa I. Lea, 1831 (unnacepted)
  • Helix spinosa I. Lea, 1831 (unnacepted)

Stenotrema spinosum, also known as the carinate slitmouth, is a species of pulmonate land snail in the family Polygridae.

Contents

Physical appearance

The carinate slitmouth possesses a thin, lens-shaped shell with a sharp, angular periphery covered in tiny spines. The shell may range from a light chestnut brown to a dark brown, and is covered by dark, irregular splotches. The shell has 5-6 whorls, and the outside whorl may be slightly transparent. The spire is nearly even with the rest of the shell. The aperture is narrow with a thick outer lip and long, curved parietal tooth. The notch in the basal lip is barely perceptible. [1] [2]

Ecology

The carinate slitmouth is native to the southeastern United States, where it can be found in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia. The species is listed as secure globally and at the Tennessee state level. [3]

Like a few other members of the Stenotrema genus found in the southeast, the carinate slitmouth is a limestone specialist (calciphile). It is most commonly found on or around limestone outcrops in hardwood forests, hiding in crevices or crawling on stone surfaces. [4] They tend to hide in crevices during the day and become active in the evening or at night. [5] They may also be found in caves, such as Big Mouth Cave in Grundy County, Tennessee, or on rotting logs. [4] [3]

Mature Stenotrema barbigerum (upper left), Stenotrema spinosum (upper right), and Anguispira cumberlandiana (bottom) individuals found together on a limestone boulder Stenotrema Anguispira Duo.jpg
Mature Stenotrema barbigerum (upper left), Stenotrema spinosum (upper right), and Anguispira cumberlandiana (bottom) individuals found together on a limestone boulder

References

  1. "Stenotrema spinosum". Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  2. Lea, I. (1831). Observations on the naïades, and descriptions of new species of that and other families. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. (NS) 4: 63-121, plates 3-18.
  3. 1 2 "Stenotrema spinosum". NatureServe Explorer 2.0. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  4. 1 2 Hubricht, Leslie (1985). The distributions of the native land mollusks of the Eastern United States. Field Museum of Natural History.
  5. Dourson, D.C. 2013. Land snails of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and southern Appalachians. Goatslug Publications, Bakersville, NC. 336 pp.