Family: Succineidae
Common name: Suboval Ambersnail
Discovery: Say, 1829
Identification
Width: 4.0-6.8 mm
Height: 7-11 mm
Whorls: 3+
This is the smallest member of the Succineidae in the state. Its pale shell has dramatically convex whorls, deep sutures, and a shorter aperture relative to the rest of its shell. Shells often appear dull gray as they are frequently coated with mud.
Ecology
A denizen of lowland streams and wetlands, Mediappendix vermeta is sometimes found in numbers upon soaked logs, in damp seasonal channels, old beaver ponds, wet meadows, or along the margins of ponds and swamps. It can be found in both shady and sunlit microhabitats (Hubricht, 1985).
Taxonomy
Synonyms for Mediappendix vermeta include Catinella avara, Succinea avara, S. a. Say forma alba, S. a. var. compacta, S. a. var. major, S. illinoisensis, S. poeyensis, S. venusta, S. vermeta, and S. wardiana.
Distribution
Mediappendix vermeta is widespread across the lower 48 continental United States and southern Canada, reaching west to British Columbia and California, east to Nova Scotia, and south to Texas and Florida. In Virginia this animal is found mainly in the western mountains and Coastal Plain.
Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G5, Secure.
