American Fisheries Society List of Freshwater Snails from Canada and the United States

About: This website presents the 2013 American Fisheries Society Endangered Species Committee list of freshwater snails (Gastropods) of United States and Canada. The committee evaluated the conservation status and determined the major threats impacting these taxa.

Summary: This is the first conservation status review for freshwater snails (gastropods) of Canada and the United States by the American Fisheries Society's Endangered Species Freshwater Gastropod Subcommittee. The goals of this contribution are to provide: 1) a current and comprehensive taxonomic authority list for all native freshwater gastropods of Canada and the United States, 2) provincial and state distributions as presently understood, 3) a conservation assessment, and, 4) references on their biology, distribution and conservation. Freshwater gastropods occupy every type of aquatic habitat ranging from subterranean aquifers to brawling montane headwater creeks. Gastropods are ubiquitous invertebrates and frequently dominate aquatic invertebrate biomass. Of the 703 gastropods documented by Johnson et al. (2013), 74% are imperiled or extinct (278 endangered, 102 threatened, 73 vulnerable, and 67 are considered extinct); only 157 species are considered stable. Map queries display species distributions in provinces and states in which they are believed to occur or occurred in the past, but considerable fieldwork is required to determine exact geographic limits of species. We hope this list stimulates a surge in the study of freshwater gastropods.

Supporting Literature: Supporting literature for the North American freshwater gastropods assessment are organized alphabetically by state and province, followed by national, regional, and other general references. This literature compilation is not comprehensive, but offers considerable information for individuals interested in freshwater snails.

Recovery Examples: Although the gastropod fauna of Canada and the United States is beleaguered by multiple forms of habitat loss, the fauna is resilient and capable of remarkable recovery when suitable habitat is available. Three examples of recovery demonstrate the inherent reviving potential of freshwater gastropods. Images of the incredible diversity of freshwater snails are presented in plates and photo gallery.

Maps: Each species on the list was assigned to one or more states or provinces that circumscribe its native distribution. Mapped distributions indicate where taxa naturally occur or occurred in the past. Resources used to obtain distributional information include state and regional publications.