Banded dune snail
Encyclopedia
The banded dune snail or Morro shoulderband, scientific name Helminthoglypta walkeriana, is a species
of air-breathing land snail
, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Helminthoglyptidae
. This species is endemic to California
, in the United States
.
This snail was placed on the United States' Endangered Species List in 1994. At the time the species was divided into two subtaxa (subspecies or varieties), H. w. walkeriana and H. w. morroensis. The latter was thought to be extinct but was rediscovered. In 2004, it was elevated to species status as Helminthoglypta morroensis and it inherited the endangered status it had when it was part of Helminthoglypta walkeriana. Both snails together were known as the banded dune snail. Today H. walkeriana is the Morro shoulderband and H. morroensis is the Chorro shoulderband.
The USFWS recommends that the Morro shoulderband be downlisted to threatened status and the Chorro shoulderband be delisted.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of air-breathing land snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
, a terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Helminthoglyptidae
Helminthoglyptidae
The Helminthoglyptidae are a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea.This is a large and diverse group of new world snails, ranging in distribution from Alaska through North America to the West Indies, Central America, and as far...
. This species is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
This snail was placed on the United States' Endangered Species List in 1994. At the time the species was divided into two subtaxa (subspecies or varieties), H. w. walkeriana and H. w. morroensis. The latter was thought to be extinct but was rediscovered. In 2004, it was elevated to species status as Helminthoglypta morroensis and it inherited the endangered status it had when it was part of Helminthoglypta walkeriana. Both snails together were known as the banded dune snail. Today H. walkeriana is the Morro shoulderband and H. morroensis is the Chorro shoulderband.
The USFWS recommends that the Morro shoulderband be downlisted to threatened status and the Chorro shoulderband be delisted.