Land Snails of West Virginia

Land Snails of West Virginia combines historical research and a statewide land snail survey from 2006-2015 funded and facilitated by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). The land snail inventory represented perhaps the most comprehensive statewide land snail survey in North America. Biologists, Master Naturalists, and volunteers across West Virginia collected thousands of specimens, resulting in 459 new county records, 5 new state records and 7 species previously unknown to science. Over 17,000 specimens have been examined by the author alone as a result of this statewide endeavor. There are currently 168 native land snail species confirmed from West Virginia, 11 of which are endemic (more than any neighboring state). Eighteen species are restricted to the borders of West Virginia and Virginia along the Ridge and Valley region. While the land snails in West Virginia are fairly well documented, there remains a dearth of basic biological and life history information for nearly all 168 species. One of the few snails that has received more than casual observation is the federally threatened Cheat three-tooth, Triodopsis platysayoides (Hotopp 2003; Dourson 2008).

The book contains general information on the importance of land snails in ecosystems, snail anatomy and biology, how to collect land snails, detailed species accounts for all native land snail species found in the state including slugs, exotic species, and a section on species occurring in border states but not yet documented in West Virgina.