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Home/Species/ Vagabond Holospira

Holospira montivaga

Pilsbry, 1946

Vagabond Holospira

G2Imperiled Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.117769
Element CodeIMGAS39080
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryInvertebrate Animal
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassGastropoda
OrderStylommatophora
FamilyUrocoptidae
GenusHolospira
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.
Taxonomic Comments
Uit de Weerd (2009) determined, in an analysis of phylogenetics of the family Urocoptidae, that the family Cerionidae occupies a taxonomic position nested within the New World Urocoptidae, or at the very least is their sister group; despite traditionally used morphological characters to separate the two groups. Among Urocoptidae, Cerion appears most similar genetically and morphologically to the Holospirinae, including the genera Coelostemma and Holospira. Uit de Weerd (2008) recommends that as long as significant support for a placement of Cerion within the Urocoptidae is lacking, the current classification cannot be rejected and Cerionidae should be maintained as a separate family. Also a new superfamily, Urocoptoidea, is proposed to classify both the Urocoptidae and Cerionidae. Several other species of Holospira described from the Guadalupe Mountains are synonymized by Metcalf and Smartt (1997).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2018-12-15
Change Date2002-10-08
Edition Date2018-12-15
Edition AuthorsCordeiro, J.R.
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank Reasons
This is a narrow endemic species is restricted to the Guadalupe Mountains of Texas and New Mexico. Live individuals have not been documented at historical localities for the last 10 years. These localities face a diverse array of threats. However, new populations were discovered in 2016; these need to be assessed for viability and threats.
Range Extent Comments
Range restricted to Guadalupe Mountains of Texas and Eddy Co., New Mexico (Metcalf and Smartt, 1997; Cheatum and Fullington, 1973) with an occurrence at the type locality Sierra de La Breña, in Chihuahua, Mexico (Pilsbry, 1946).
Occurrences Comments
Until recently, most of the remaining occurrences have not been documented in over 10 years. New occurrences have been documented since 2016.
Threat Impact Comments
Fire, drought, climate change, mining have been proposed as threats but scope, severity, and timing have not been assessed. Mining and human intrusion can be inferred but not confirmed.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs on both the exposed, arid, western slope of Guadalupe Mountains and in such habitats as more mesic, higher parts of the range, especially in wooded canyons (Metcalf and Smartt, 1997). Living specimens have been found along ledges on walls of Devil’s Den Canyon at 6950 feet among ponderosa and pinyon pines and gambel and live oaks (Metcalf and Smartt, 1997).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - MixedBare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoS2Yes
ArizonaSNRYes
TexasS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
3 - Energy production & miningUnknownUnknownUnknown
3.2 - Mining & quarryingUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownUnknownUnknown
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionUnknownUnknownUnknown
11 - Climate change & severe weatherUnknownUnknownUnknown
11.2 - DroughtsUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Roadless Areas (1)
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
References (7)
  1. Bequaert, J.C. and W.B. Miller. 1973. The mollusks of the arid southwest with an Arizona checklist. University of Arizona Press: Tucson, Arizona. 271 pp.
  2. Cheatum, E. P., and R. W. Fullington. 1973. The aquatic and land mollusca of Texas. Part II: The recent and pleistocene members of the Pupillidae and Urocoptidae (Gastropoda) in Texas. Dallas Museum of Natural History, Bulletin 1. 67 pp.
  3. Fullington, R.W. 1979. The land and freshwater Mollusca of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas. National Park Service Transactions and Proceedings Series 4: 91-111.
  4. Metcalf, A.L. and R.A. Smartt. 1997. Land snails of New Mexico. Bulletin of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 10: 1-145.
  5. Pilsbry, H.A. 1946. Land Mollusca of North America (north of Mexico). Volume 2, Part 1. Monograph of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 2(1): 1-520.
  6. 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.
  7. Uit de Weerd, D.R. 2008. Delimitation and phylogenetics of the diverse land-snail family Urocoptidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) based on 28S rRNA sequence data: A reuinion with <i>Cerion</i>. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 74: 317-329.