Plants and Animals
Euchemotrema hubrichti Carinate pillsnail
Key Characteristics
The carinate pillsnail (Euchemotrema hubrichti, formerly Stenotrema hubrichti) can be identified by a somewhat flattened, round shell, lens-shaped when viewed from the side, of less than .4 inches in diameter with 4-5 lightly and unevenly striated whorls and a pinched oval aperature. The shell is a dull yellowish-brown to amber color. The body of the snail is pale brown in color with short tentacles and rounded eye peduncles.
Status and Rank
US Status: No Status/Not Listed
State Status: T - Threatened (legally protected)
Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
State Rank: SNR - Not ranked
Occurrences
| County | Number of Occurrences | Year Last Observed |
|---|
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
Quite restrictive in its habitat requirements, the carinate pillsnail has been found primarily on certain limestone bluffs in one area of Southwestern Illinois. Among the bluffs themselves, it seems to favor those which are arid, shaded, and with an abundance of loose, thin limestone slabs under which hundreds of individuals sometimes congregate (Anderson and Smith 2005).
Natural Community Types
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
Management efforts of small, restricted populations of the carinate pillsnail should center around protection of habitat and reducing human disturbance. Recreational rock climbing has been found to have negative ecological impacts on limestone cliff communities (McMillan et al. 2003), and should be limited where this and other vunerable land snail species are present.
Active Period
Breeding from first week of May to fourth week of June
Survey Methods
Surveys for this species involve visually searching suitable habitat.
Visual, suitable habitat
Survey Period: From first week of April to first week of October
Time of Day: Daytime
References
Technical References
- Anderson, F.E., and D.A. Smith. 2005. A redescription of the carinate pillsnail, Euchemotrema hubrichti (Pilsbry, 1940) (Pulmonata: Polygyridae), with notes on habitat and genetics. Zootaxa 807:1-11.
- McMillan, M.A., J.C. Nekola, and D.W. Larson. 2003. Effects of Rock Climbing on the Land Snail Community of the Niagara Escarpment in Southern Ontario, Canada. Conservation Biology 17(2):616-21.