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Iowa Pleistocene
Iowa Pleistocene snail (Discus macclintocki)
Photo © Marla Coppolino
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The Iowa Pleistocene snail has a small shell (5-8mm) with a smooth surface and many whorls. The shell is pale in color, wider than high, and the lip is not reflected.
BEHAVIORS
The Iowa Pleistocene snail is found in Jo Davies County. It was placed on the endangered species list in 1984, due to habitat loss and destruction by human activity. The number of known populations has increased from 19 to 37 since then, through educating landowners and installing protective fences on private and public lands through state and federal programs. These snails rely on rare habitats known as algific talus slopes to keep cool during the summer and warm during the winter. Algific talus slopes are loose, steep piles of limestone rock that freeze and thaw with the seasons. These snails are remnant species of the Pleistocene and their existence is threatened by climate change. Monitoring is difficult because the habitat is fragile, and abundance and population growth rates vary so much between sites.
Illinois Range
Illinois Status: state endangered, native
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Discidae