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Home/Species/ Winding Mantleslug

Philomycus flexuolaris

Rafinesque, 1820

Winding Mantleslug

G5Secure Found in 26 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.111221
Element CodeIMGAS64050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryInvertebrate Animal
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassGastropoda
OrderStylommatophora
FamilyPhilomycidae
GenusPhilomycus
Synonyms
Philomycus carolinianus flexuolarisRafinesque, 1820
Concept Reference
Turgeon, D. D., J. F. Quinn, Jr., A. E. Bogan, E. V. Coan, F. G. Hochberg, W. G. Lyons, P. M. Mikkelsen, R. J. Neves, C. F. E. Roper, G. Rosenberg, B. Roth, A. Scheltema, F. G. Thompson, M. Vecchione, and J. D. Williams. 1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks. 2nd Edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26, Bethesda, Maryland. 526 pp.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-09-19
Change Date2004-10-01
Edition Date2025-09-19
Edition AuthorsT. Cornelisse
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
This species has a large range, many occurrences, and although it was threatened by forest lost in the past, it has been found throughout its range consistently in recent years.
Range Extent Comments
This species occurs in southeastern Canada from Ontario to Nova Scotia and in the eastern United States from Maine, south to Georgia and west to Texas (Hotopp and Pearce 2007; NatureServe 2025; RARECAT 2025; InvertEBase 2025).
Occurrences Comments
This species is known from at least approximately 545 occurrences using a 1 km separation distance and records from 1994-2025 (Hotopp and Pearce 2007; NatureServe 2025; RARECAT 2025; InvertEBase 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Although this species was likely impacted by forest lost historically, it is unknown if it remains a threat.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species is found in upland mixed hardwood forests up to 1500 m; as with most native slugs during the day it goes into hiding under the exfoliating bark of large rotting logs in advanced stages of decay, especially large beech trees (Dourson 2013).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - Hardwood
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New JerseySUYes
MaineSNRYes
New YorkSNRYes
North CarolinaSUYes
VirginiaS4Yes
DelawareS1Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
West VirginiaSNRYes
KentuckyS1Yes
TennesseeS3Yes
MarylandSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
CanadaNU
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecSNRYes
OntarioS3Yes
Nova ScotiaSUYes
New BrunswickS3Yes
Prince Edward IslandSUYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Roadless Areas (26)
New Hampshire (12)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
Great Gulf Ext.White Mountain National Forest15,110
JobildunkWhite Mountain National Forest3,660
KearsargeWhite Mountain National Forest4,554
Kinsman MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,999
Mt. Wolf - Gordon PondWhite Mountain National Forest11,846
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Pemigewasset ExtWhite Mountain National Forest15,840
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
WatervilleWhite Mountain National Forest4,312
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
North Carolina (5)
AreaForestAcres
Craggy MountainPisgah National Forest2,657
Graveyard Ridge (addition)Pisgah National Forest1,958
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
Sam Knob (addition)Pisgah National Forest2,576
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Hearts ContentAllegheny National Forest221
Vermont (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Wilder Mountain 09082Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests8,759
Woodford 09086Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests2,456
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Laurel ForkGeorge Washington National Forest9,967
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
West Virginia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Seneca CreekMonongahela National Forest22,287
References (10)
  1. Burke, T.E. 2013. Land snails and slugs of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. 352 pp
  2. Dourson, D.C. 2010. Kentucky's land snails and their ecological communities. Goatslug Publications, Bakersville, NC. 298 pp.
  3. Dourson, D.C. 2013. Land snails of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and southern Appalachians. Goatslug Publications, Bakersville, NC. 336 pp.
  4. Dourson, D C. and West Virginia DNR. 2015. Land snails of West Virginia. Goatslug Publications, Bakersville, North Carolina. 412 pp.
  5. Hotopp, K. and T.A. Pearce. 2007. Land snails in New York: statewide distribution and talus site faunas. Final Report for contract #NYHER 041129 submitted to New York State Biodiversity Research Institute, New York State Museum, Albany, New York. 91 pp.
  6. InvertEBase. 2025. Online. Available: https://invertebase.org/portal/index.php.
  7. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  8. Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre 2020. Element Subnational Ranking Form in Biotics 5 database. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.<br/>
  9. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  10. Turgeon, D. D., J. F. Quinn, Jr., A. E. Bogan, E. V. Coan, F. G. Hochberg, W. G. Lyons, P. M. Mikkelsen, R. J. Neves, C. F. E. Roper, G. Rosenberg, B. Roth, A. Scheltema, F. G. Thompson, M. Vecchione, and J. D. Williams. 1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks. 2nd Edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26, Bethesda, Maryland. 526 pp.