Vertigo ultimathule

Vertigo ultimathule
Apertural view of the shell of the holotype of Vertigo ultimathule
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
clade Orthurethra

Superfamily: Pupilloidea
Family: Vertiginidae
Subfamily: Vertigininae
Tribe: Vertiginini
Genus: Vertigo
Species: V. ultimathule
Binomial name
Vertigo ultimathule
von Proschwitz, 2007[2]

Vertigo ultimathule is a species of minute, air-breathing land snail, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs or micromollusks in the family Vertiginidae, the whorl snails.

Distribution

Distribution map of Vertigo ultimathule. The type locality in Sweden is marked with a larger dot.

Distribution of Vertigo ultimathule include:

The type locality is Pältsan-area, in northernmost corner of Swedish Lapland.[3]

Occurrences are to be expected in other parts of Finnmark and adjacent parts of Finland and Sweden.[3] At the present state of knowledge, Vertigo ultimathule must be considered a rare element with a very limited distribution – endemic to northernmost Norway and Sweden.[3]

Description

Aperture.

Vertigo ultimathule is a medium-sized Vertigo, which reaches a height of 2.1–2.2 mm and a diameter of 1.3–1.4 mm, the number of whorls is 4.6–4.7.[3] The shell is almost cylindrical, with marked convex whorls, which are separated by a marked, deep suture. The shape is not distinctly ovoid, as in some other Vertigo-species, and the last whorl does not narrow markedly at the base. In side view from left the outer margin of the last whorl forms a blunt angle close to the umbilicus. The aperture is completely toothless or with only a small, delicate, rather deeply set parietal denticle. The mouth-edge is simple and scarcely thickened. The colour of the shell is light yellow – dark yellow-brown. The surface is glossy, with marked, but irregular, rather coarse striation.[3]

Apical view.
Umbilical view.
Lateral view.
Lateral view.

Ecology

The localities of Vertigo ultimathule are brook valleys or mountain slopes with mountain birch and often Salix shrubs. The pH of the ground litter was measured in two of the localities, the values obtained were 6.75 and 6.0.[3] The Norwegian localities are situated at 180–200 m altitude; the Swedish somewhat higher, at 520–620 m altitude.[3]

References

This article incorporates CC-BY-3.0 text from the reference[3]

  1. 1 2 3 von Proschwitz T. & Neubert E. (2011). "Vertigo ultimathule". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 03 February 2015.
  2. Proschwitz T. von (2007). "Vertigo ultimathule n. sp., a new whorl-snail from northernmost Sweden (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Vertiginidae)". Heldia 5(3): 73-74, Table 9.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 von Proschwitz T. (2010). "Three land-snail species new to the Norwegian fauna: Pupilla pratensis (Clessin, 1871), Vertigo ultimathule von Proschwitz, 2007 and Balea sarsii Philippi, 1847 [= B. heydeni von Maltzan, 1881]". Fauna norvegica 30: 13-19. doi:10.5324/fn.v30i0.628

Further reading

External links

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