Plants and Animals
Ventridens intertextus Pyramid dome
Key Characteristics
The pyramid dome features a dull yellow to olive green colored, medium-sized (diameter to .8 inches) shell with 5-6 spirally striated whorls, and a dome-shaped spire. The body is about twice as long as the shell's diameter, with long slender eye peduncles and small tentacles.
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: SNR - Not ranked
Occurrences
| County | Number of Occurrences | Year Last Observed |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | 1 | 1948 |
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
This species is found among the leaf litter of forest floors, seeming to prefer areas of acidic soil (Hubricht 1985).
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
Maintaining unfragmented tracts of mesic forest where canopy, ground cover, and thick leaf litter remain in tact will benefit this species. Herbicide/insecticide treatment of sites occupied by vulnerable snail species should be avoided, as chemicals and heavy metals are bioaccumulated (Berger and Dallinger 1993, Hall et al. 2009), and high exposure to heavy metals in the environment has been found to alter snail feeding behavior and prevent reproduction (Notten et al. 2006). Fire management may have a negative impact on this species (Nekola 2009). More research is needed on the distribution and specific habitat requirements of the pyramid dome in order to plan effective management practices.
Active Period
Breeding from first week of May to fourth week of June
Survey Methods
As visual detection of this species is difficult, specimens are collected by litter sampling in suitable habitat. Samples are thoroughly heat-dried, soaked in water for a number of hours to separate the various components, and finally passed through a series of sieves. The shells are then able to be hand-picked from the remaining sample material (Nekola 2003).
Litter sampling
Survey Period: From first week of April to first week of October
Time of Day: Daytime
References
Survey References
- Nekola, J.C. 2003. Large-scale terrestrial gastropod community composition patterns in the Great Lakes region of North America. Diversity and Distributions 9:55-71.
Technical References
- Baker, F.C. 1939. Fieldbook of Illinois Land Snails. Illinois Natural History Survey Manual 2, Urbana, Illinois. 166pp.
- Berger, B. and R. Dallinger. 1993. Terrestrial snails as quantitative indicators of environmental metal pollution. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 25(1):65-84.
- Burch, J.B. 1962. How to Know the Eastern Land Snails. William C. Brown Company Publishers, Dubuque. 214 pp.
- Hall, C.M., S.M. Rhind, and M.J. Wilson. 2009. The potential for use of gastropod molluscs as bioindicators of endocrine disrupting compounds in the terrestrial environment. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 11(3):491-497.
- Hubricht, L. 1985. The Distributions of Native Land Mollusks of the Eastern US. Field Museum of Natural History. Fieldiana: Zoology, No. 24.
- Nekola, J.C. 2009. Conservation Prioritization of the Ontario and Quebec Land Snail Faunas. Final Report Submitted to: Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). 120 pp.
- Notten, M.J.M., A.J.P. Oosthoek, J. Rozema, and R. Aerts. 2006. Heavy metal pollution affects consumption and reproduction of the landsnail Cepaea nemoralis fed on naturally polluted Urtica dioica leaves. Ecotoxicology 15(3):295-304.