Page springsnail

Page springsnail

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda

clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha

Superfamily: Rissooidea
Family: Hydrobiidae
Genus: Pyrgulopsis
Species: P. morrisoni
Binomial name
Pyrgulopsis morrisoni
Hershler, 1988

The Page springsnail (Pyrgulopsis morrisoni) is a species of freshwater snail in the family Hydrobiidae, the mud snails. It is endemic to Arizona in the United States, where it is known only from the Upper Verde River drainage in Yavapai County.[1]

This snail has an ovate to conical shell no more than 2.9 millimeters tall. The species is sexually dimorphic, with females generally larger than males.[2]

This aquatic snail lives in a system of springs along a tributary of the Upper Verde River known as the Oak Creek Springs Complex. Many of the waterways in the area are known locally as cienegas. The snail occurs most often in waters with substrates of gravel and pebbles. It is most common around spring vents and in shallower parts of the springs.[3]

The entire population of this snail occurs within a two-mile radius. It is known from six sites, a seventh having been recently extirpated. Loss of habitat occurred when a local fish hatchery was renovated and when ditches were dug nearby, changing water flow rates. Habitat degradation is an ongoing threat to all six remaining sites. The snail may also be threatened by the introduction of the predatory mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis).[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 NatureServe. 2014. Pyrgulopsis morrisoni. NatureServe Explorer Version 7.1. Accessed September 12, 2014.
  2. Pyrgulopsis morrisoni. Invertebrate Abstracts. Arizona Game and Fish Department.
  3. Martinez, M. A. and D. M. Thome. (2006). Habitat usage by the Page springsnail, Pyrgulopsis morrisoni (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from central Arizona. The Veliger 48(1) 8–16.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, September 13, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.