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Oreohelix hemphilli

(Newcomb, 1869)

Whitepine Mountainsnail

G2Imperiled Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
High - mediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.117342
Element CodeIMGASB5150
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryInvertebrate Animal
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassGastropoda
OrderStylommatophora
FamilyOreohelicidae
GenusOreohelix
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 Date2020-12-11
Change Date2020-12-11
Edition Date2020-12-11
Edition AuthorsMiskow, E. NDNH
Threat ImpactHigh - medium
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
This species has a disjunct range on mountains from a somewhat broad area and has suffers declines and extirpations at many formerly occupied sites. The species also suffers from several ongoing threats including increased drought.
Range Extent Comments
This species occurs in high elevation rocky areas in Nevada and Utah, USA. The western most population is found in central Nevada in the Toiyabe Range, south to the Grant Range, north in the Pilot Range, and in Utah specimens have been found east to the Deep Creek Range and House Range of western Utah. Oreohelix hemphilli has been tied to high elevation rocky areas, from approximately 2400 m and above (Ports, M. personal communication, 2020).
Occurrences Comments
Oreohelix hemphilli colonies are very restricted in size and limited to dolomite rock slides within protected canyons.
Threat Impact Comments
This taxon exists with an unknown viability at multiple sites, most surveys only found shells, few locations had live animals. This should be factored in as on-going threats as colonies are very restricted in size and limited to dolomite rock slides and dispersal mechanisms are poor to non-existent. Major threat impacts from livestock, mining activities, and persistent drought is a cause of decline and can extirpate colonies.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

The White Pine mountainsnail has the smallest shell diameter (mean 8–12.5 mm) of the Great Basin oreohelicids. Its shell also has distinct whorled lirae on the basal and apical surfaces, and a carinate, keeled, peripheral body whorl.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Although described as separate species (Pilsbry, 1939) the shell characters of this group of small Mountainsnails show a great deal of overlap morphologically suggesting despite their isolation from each other that they possibly represent one species (Ports, unpublished data), but more work is necessary to determine this.

Habitat

The biogeography of the land mollusks in Nevada seems to be one of increasing fragmentation, relict populations, and possible extinctions. This taxon is highly dependent on limestone/dolomite habitats, the presence of high elevation metamorphic core complexes and limestone mountain ranges support habitats of deep canyons, including subalpine localities of eastern Nevada with Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, perennial streams with woodlands of aspen, montane conifers, and deciduous shrub under-stories (Ports (1996).
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
NevadaS2Yes
UtahSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureLarge (31-70%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingLarge (31-70%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
3 - Energy production & miningRestricted (11-30%)Extreme or 71-100% pop. declineUnknown
3.2 - Mining & quarryingRestricted (11-30%)Extreme or 71-100% pop. declineUnknown

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Roadless Areas (3)
Nevada (3)
AreaForestAcres
Pearl PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest71,405
Snake - Peacock CynHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,069
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
References (5)
  1. Burke, T.E. 2013. Land snails and slugs of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. 352 pp
  2. Linscott, T.M., K. Weaver, V. Morales, and C.E. Parent. 2020. Assessing species number and genetic diversity of the Mountainsnails (Oreohelicidae). Conservation Genetics 21(6): 971-985.
  3. Linscott, T.M., K. Weaver, V. Morales, and C.E. Parent. 2020. Correction to: Assessing species number and genetic diversity of the Mountainsnails (Oreohelicidae). Conservation Genetics 21(6): 987-988.
  4. Ports, M.A. 2004. Biogeographic and taxonomic relationships among the montain snails (Gastropoda: Orehelicidae) of the central Great Basin. Western North American Naturalist, 64(2): 145-154.
  5. 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.