Plants and Animals
Vertigo elatior Tapered vertigo
Key Characteristics
The tapered vertigo is a small land snail with a shiny, translucent, chestnut brown-colored cylindrical (beehive-shaped) shell that is 2.2 mm in height with 5 whorls. The aperture has a strong callus (thickening of outer lip), sinulus, and crest.
Status and Rank
US Status: No Status/Not Listed
State Status: SC - Special Concern (rare or uncertain; not legally protected)
Global Rank: G5 - Secure
State Rank: S3 - Vulnerable
Occurrences
| County | Number of Occurrences | Year Last Observed |
|---|---|---|
| Charlevoix | 1 | 2015 |
| Cheboygan | 1 | Historical |
| Chippewa | 5 | 1998 |
| Delta | 4 | 1998 |
| Emmet | 1 | Historical |
| Mackinac | 14 | 2009 |
| Schoolcraft | 1 | 1998 |
Information is summarized from MNFI's database of rare species and community occurrences. Data may not reflect true distribution since much of the state has not been thoroughly surveyed.
Habitat
The species is found in open calcareous sites including fens, cobble beaches, moist alvar, and conifer swamps dominated by white-cedar or tamarack. The species is restricted to wetland habitats underlain by limestone.
Natural Community Types
- Coastal fen
- Limestone bedrock glade
- Limestone bedrock lakeshore
- Limestone cobble shore
- Northern fen
- Prairie fen
- Rich conifer swamp
For each species, lists of natural communities were derived from review of the nearly 6,500 element occurrences in the MNFI database, in addition to herbarium label data for some taxa. In most cases, at least one specimen record exists for each listed natural community. For certain taxa, especially poorly collected or extirpated species of prairie and savanna habitats, natural community lists were derived from inferences from collection sites and habitat preferences in immediately adjacent states (particularly Indiana and Illinois). Natural communities are not listed for those species documented only from altered or ruderal habitats in Michigan, especially for taxa that occur in a variety of habitats outside of the state.
Natural communities are not listed in order of frequency of occurrence, but are rather derived from the full set of natural communities, organized by Ecological Group. In many cases, the general habitat descriptions should provide greater clarity and direction to the surveyor. In future versions of the Rare Species Explorer, we hope to incorporate natural community fidelity ranks for each taxon.
Management Recommendations
The tapered vertigo is sensitive to excessive trampling and ORV use. Hydrological changes should be strictly avoided. Use of prescribed fire in occupied sites should be avoided, if possible, or prescribed fire should be applied very conservatively, leaving multiple refugia and using a burn interval of at least 15 years.
Active Period
Active from first week of June to fourth week of September
Survey Methods
Surveys can be conducted anytime during the growing season, but are most successful in spring and fall following rain showers or when the soil is moist, and during higher relative humidity conditions and cooler temperatures. Visual surveys consist of looking for individuals crawling on the ground, in moist leaf litter, and on or under woody debris. Litter sampling consists of collecting soil and leaf litter samples in the field and drying, sifting and looking for snail shells in the litter samples in the laboratory.
Litter sampling
Survey Period: From first week of June to fourth week of September
Visual surveys
Survey Period: From first week of June to fourth week of September
References
Survey References
- Nekola, J.C. 1998. Terrestrial Gastropd Inventory of the Niagaran Escarpment and Keweenaw Volcanic Belt in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Small Grants Program, 1998 Nongame Wildlife Fund, Natural Heritage Program, Michigan DNR, Lansing. 133pp.
- Schilthuizen, M. and H.A. Rutjes. 2001. Land snail diversity in a square kilometer of tropical rainforest in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Journal of Molluscan Studies 67:417-423.
Technical References
- NatureServe. 2005. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.5. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer
- Nekola, J.C. 1998. Terrestrial Gastropd Inventory of the Niagaran Escarpment and Keweenaw Volcanic Belt in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Small Grants Program, 1998 Nongame Wildlife Fund, Natural Heritage Program, Michigan DNR, Lansing. 133pp.
- Nekola, J.C., T.A. Smith and T.J. Frest. 1996. Land snails of Door Peninsula natural habitats. Final report to the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. 55pp.