Wichita Mountains pillsnail
Species of snail
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wichita Mountains pillsnail (Euchemotrema wichitorum) is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Polygyridae. The species is endemic to Oklahoma, the United States. [1]
| Wichita Mountains pillsnail | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Polygyridae |
| Genus: | Euchemotrema |
| Species: | E. wichitorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Euchemotrema wichitorum (Branson, 1972) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Description
Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to the Wichita Mountains area in southwest Oklahoma. The type locality is located in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Originally only being known from two counties, it has now been located in seven counties in southwest Oklahoma. It favors oak dense woodlands rather than the granite boulder fields of the area. They have a fire association, and charred logs shelter more live snails than uncharred counterparts. High severity fires lead to high mortality, due to sheltered locations being burned. The charring of the wood converts less usable calcium oxalate into usable calcium ions and calcium carbonate, which is likely the reason for the fire association.[5]
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge protects a large amount of the range, and the refuge's regular prescribed fires are likely beneficial to Euchemotrema wichitorum.[5]