Anguispira mordax

Anguispira mordax, also known as the Appalachian tigersnail, is a species of pulmonate land snail in the family Discidae endemic to the southeastern United States. It is named after the Appalachian mountain range.

Anguispira mordax
A mature Appalachian tigersnail found in Tennessee
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Discidae
Genus:	Anguispira
Species:	A. mordax
Binomial name
Anguispira mordax (Shuttleworth, 1852)
Synonyms
Helix mordax (Shuttleworth, 1852) Anguispira alternata smithi (Walker, 1928) Anguispira alternata paucicostata (Kutchka, 1938)

Appearance

The Appalachian tigersnail has a dull, slightly depressed shell ranging from 13 to 18 mm in diameter.^[1][2] It is heavily ribbed, with the ribs being roughly 1-1.5mm apart.^[3] This gives the shell a distinct ′wavy′ look. It is striated with a defined carina and a narrow, deep umbilicus. The shell is yellowish or "buckthorn brown" in color, defined by darker brown or reddish streaks that radiate outwards across the shell, running parallel to the radial ribs.^[1][2]

Ecology

Populations of Appalachian tigersnail have been found across Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia.^[4] It is listed as vulnerable in Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina and as imperiled in West Virginia.

The Appalachian tigersnail is found in a wide range of habitats similar to those of its close relative, Anguispira alternata.^[5] It is typically found in mesic hardwood forests on or around decaying logs, hollow trees, or limestone outcrops.^[2][6]

There is some uncertainty surrounding the Appalachian tigersnail's taxonomy due to its tendency to hybridize with close relatives Anguispira alternata and Anguispira stronglyodes.^[2] Malacologist Leslie Hubricht claims the only ′pure′ populations of Appalachian tigersnail exist in the mountains of North Carolina.^[5]