Tumbling Creek cavesnail

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Tumbling Creek cavesnail
Antrobia culveri.jpg
A live individual of Antrobia culveri
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Cochliopidae
Subfamily: Cochliopinae
Genus: Antrobia
Hubricht, 1971 [2]
Species:
A. culveri
Binomial name
Antrobia culveri
Hubricht, 1971 [2]

The Tumbling Creek cavesnail (Antrobia culveri) is a species of freshwater cave snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Amnicolidae. [3]

Contents

Antrobia culveri is the only species in the genus Antrobia. [2] [4] This is an endangered species.

The common name refers to Tumbling Creek Cave, a National Natural Landmark, in Taney County, Missouri, USA.

Taxonomy

The Tumbling Creek cavesnail was described as a new species by Leslie Hubricht in 1971, from specimens taken by David Culver, Thomas Aley, and Hubricht in 1969 and 1970. [5] Antrobia culveri is the type species for the genus Antrobia , also described as new to science in 1971 by Hubricht. [2] [5]

Hershler and Hubricht (1988)[ citation needed ] examined specimens of Antrobia culveri and confirmed the taxonomic placement of this species at that time in the subfamily Littoridininae. [5] They also noted the similarity of the genus Antrobia to, but distinguished it from, the genus Fontigens , which contains cave-adapted snails found in other caves and springs of the Ozark Plateau in Missouri and Arkansas. [5]

Description

The Tumbling Creek cavesnail is a small, white, blind, aquatic snail. [2] [5]

The shell is small, conical, well-rounded and pale-yellow with about 3.5 whorls. [5] The dimensions of the type specimen are as follows: height 2.3 millimeters (mm) (0.09 inches); diameter 2.0 mm (0.08 in); aperture height 1.2 mm (0.05 in); aperture diameter 1.1 mm (0.04 in). [2] [5]

Distribution

Map of Missouri with Taney County marked in red, where Antrobia culveri occurs. Map of Missouri highlighting Taney County.png
Map of Missouri with Taney County marked in red, where Antrobia culveri occurs.

Antrobia culveri is an endemic species, part of the wildlife of Missouri, United States.

Its distribution is restricted to a single cave stream in Tumbling Creek Cave, in Taney County, in southwestern Missouri. [5]

Ecology

Habitat

This snail is an animal which lives in caves, thus it is a troglobite. In addition it is an aquatic troglobite, and animals who live in this specialized kind of habitat are known as stygobites or stygofauna.

The Tumbling Creek cavesnail lives on the underside of rocks in areas of Tumbling Creek that have little or no silt. [5] Antrobia culveri is using a solid rock bottom, and the species is usually observed on the undersurface of rocks and gravel of various sizes. [5]

Observations between March and August 2001 suggest that Antrobia culveri is now restricted to 23 m of available stream habitat or approximately 5 percent of the 457 meters of accessible suitable habitat. [5]

Species such as the Tumbling Creek cavesnail, which spend all of their life cycle in subterranean waters, are highly vulnerable to changes in the quality and quantity of that water. [5]

Feeding habits

Although little is known regarding the biology of this cave snail, it is believed that the species feeds on aquatic microfauna (i.e., the microscopic, bacterial film or “biofilm" which does appear to be ingested by the cave snail). [6] Because Tumbling Creek cavesnails are usually concentrated in those sections of Tumbling Creek Cave which are adjacent to large deposits of bat guano, it has been suggested that Antrobia culveri is indirectly dependent upon these deposits for food. [6]

Life cycle

Life history aspects of this species, including its reproductive behavior, are unknown. [5]

Conservation

The number of cave snails has significantly decreased over the past few decades, from an estimated 15,118 in 1973, [5] [6] to the point where only one individual was found within the survey areas during January 11, 2001 [7] and April 22, 2003. [5] A small population containing approximately 40 individuals does exist however in a small area upstream from the part of the creek that is regularly surveyed. [5] Based on the decline of the Tumbling Creek cavesnail, it is listed as endangered at United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species since August 14, 2002. [5] [8]

Although the primary limiting factor of the population appears to be decreased water quality, due to increased erosion and water pollution in the cave's recharge area, scientific research is needed to confirm this hypothesis. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Antrorbis breweri, common name Manitou cavesnail, is a species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Lithoglyphidae.

The Ichetucknee siltsnail, also known as the sand grain snail, scientific name Floridobia mica, is a species of small freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod in the family Hydrobiidae. This species is characterized by its association with bryophytes and eelgrass, with females typically being larger than males. The snails show sexual dimorphism, and their population includes both adult and juvenile individuals, indicating active recruitment. The majority of specimens are juveniles, identified by having one to one and one-half whorls.

The phantom cave snail or phantom cavesnail is a species of very small freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod in the family Hydrobiidae.

Fontigens is a genus of minute freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs in the family Hydrobiidae.

The mimic cavesnail, scientific name Phreatodrobia imitata, is a species of very small or minute freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Hydrobiidae.

Phreatodrobia is a genus of very small or minute freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Lithoglyphidae.

<i>Pyrgulopsis</i> Genus of gastropods

Pyrgulopsis is a genus of freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Hydrobiidae.

The San Bernardino springsnail is an endangered species of freshwater snail in the family Hydrobiidae. This species is endemic to a small number of springs in the USA and northern Mexico.

Marstonia castor, common name the beaver pond marstonia, is a species of very small freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic operculate gastropod mollusc in the family Hydrobiidae. This species was endemic to a very limited area of the US state of Georgia, mostly to streams and creeks around Lake Blackshear.

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<i>Cambarus aculabrum</i> Species of crayfish

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<i>Cambarus zophonastes</i> Species of crayfish

Cambarus zophonastes, also known as the Hell Creek Cave crayfish, is named for its original location of discovery, Hell Creek Cave. It is also found in other similar habitats in Stone County and Marion County, Arkansas. These habitats include springs and caves such as Nesbitt Spring Cave in Stone County. C. zophanastes is critically endangered according to the IUCN. C. zophanastes is also protected by the ESA as an endangered species. Currently conservation efforts focus on monitoring populations, reducing disturbances, and monitoring water quality. More research has to be conducted to better understand and conserve the species.

<i>Lirceus</i> Genus of crustaceans

Lirceus is a genus of isopod crustaceans in the family Asellidae that live in southern Canada and the eastern United States as far west as the Great Plains. Of the 15 species in the genus, two are listed as either endangered (EN) or vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cochliopidae</span> Family of gastropods

Cochliopidae is a family of small freshwater snails with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithoglyphidae</span> Family of gastropods

Lithoglyphidae is a family of small freshwater snails with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socorro springsnail</span> Species of gastropod

The Socorro springsnail, scientific name Pyrgulopsis neomexicana, is an endangered species of minute freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Hydrobiidae, the mud snails.

<i>Marstonia</i> Genus of gastropods

Marstonia is a genus of freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod molluscs in the family Hydrobiidae.

Antrorbis is a genus of minute freshwater snails with gills and opercula, aquatic gastropod molluscs in the family Lithoglyphidae.

References

This article incorporates public domain text (a public domain work of the United States Government) from the reference [5]

  1. ↑ Mollusc Specialist Group (1996). "Antrobia culveri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 1996: e.T1786A7578594. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T1786A7578594.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hubricht (1971). "New Hydrobiidae from Ozark caves". The Nautilus 84: 93-96. page 95.
  3. ↑ Bouchet, P. (2014). Antrobia culveri Hubricht, 1971. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=729787 on 2015-02-19
  4. ↑ Kabat A. R. & Hershler R. (1993). "The prosobranch snail family Hydrobiidae (Gastropoda: Rissooidea): review of classification and supraspecific taxa". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 547: 1-94. PDF.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2003). "Tumbling Creek Cavesnail Recovery Plan (Antrobia culveri)"]. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ft. Snelling, Minnesota. 97 pages. PDF.
  6. 1 2 3 Greenlee R. E. (1974). "Determination of the range of the Tumbling Creek cavesnail". Missouri Speleology 14(3): 9-11.
  7. ↑ Ashley D. C. (2003). "A final report on the monitoring project to evaluate the population status of the Tumbling Creek cavesnail, Antrobia culveri (Gastropoda:Hydrobiidae)". Progress report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia, MO. 93 pp. Grant Agreement: 30181-0-G050.
  8. ↑ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "Species profile Tumbling Creek cavesnail (Antrobia culveri)". Accessed 15 November 2008.
  9. ↑ Hershler R. & Thompson F. G. (1990). "Antrorbis breweri, a new genus and species of hydrobiid cavesnail (Gastropoda) from Coosa River Basin, northeastern Alabama". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 103(l): 197–204. PDF.
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