Critically Endangered
Socorro springsnail
Pyrgulopsis neomexicana
Socorro springsnail is a springsnail in the family Hydrobiidae (order Littorinimorpha) — Pyrgulopsis neomexicana, recorded as Critically Endangered.
Appearance
The Socorro springsnail has an elongate-ovate conical shell that is light tan and short-spired, in other words the shell is low and rounded, without much of a pointed "tip" to it. The shell has 3.5–4.5 whorls. The internal callus is reddish brown to amber, and the operculum is pale.
The height of the shell is 1.6–2.3 mm, and its aperture is ovate.
In all of the species in the genus Pyrgulopsis, the radula (a strong rasping feeding ribbon covered in microscopic teeth) is of taenioglossan type (seven teeth in each row, i.e. One middle, two laterals and 4 marginals.) The radula of Socorro springsnail was described in detail by Hershler (1994).
Range and habitat
This species is endemic to Socorro County in central New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The species has been reported from other springs in Socorro County (Landye 1981), although there is disagreement on whether the species historically occurred there. The Socorro springsnail is entirely aquatic, occurring in low-velocity (slow-moving) water near spring sources in a thermal habitat, i.e. Near hot springs.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Diet
This species is herbivorous.
In crisis
Its survival is seriously endangered because its habitat is both vulnerable and severely threatened. The current status of the population of this snail and its habitat area is unknown. The Socorro springsnail has been listed as endangered by the governments of the United States and New Mexico.
Potential threats to the species include all activities that would significantly reduce either spring flow or availability of the food source that supports this springsnail species. The population of the Socorro springsnail is thought to be limited to a single pool that is less than 1 m2 in area, and an outflow ditch about 2.5 m (8 ft) in length.
A springsnail listed from one source is one drought or one borehole away from an empty name.
Socorro springsnail is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Socorro springsnail, Wikidata item Q2594262. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
