Socorro springsnail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Socorro springsnail |
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| A drawing of the shell of a Pyrgulopsis neomexicana snail, showing its opening. | |
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Pyrgulopsis
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neomexicana
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The Socorro springsnail (scientific name: Pyrgulopsis neomexicana) is a tiny freshwater snail. It's an endangered species and belongs to a family called Hydrobiidae, also known as mud snails.
This small snail used to live in hot springs in New Mexico, USA. Its home is very fragile and in danger. We don't know how many of these snails are left or how much of their habitat remains. Both the United States and New Mexico governments have listed the Socorro springsnail as endangered.
We don't know much about this snail. This is because it's so small and lives in a very limited area. Also, the places where it lives now are on private land, so people can't easily visit them.
Contents
About the Socorro Springsnail
What it Looks Like
The Socorro springsnail has a light tan shell that is shaped like a cone. It's short and rounded, not very pointy at the top. The shell has about 3.5 to 4.5 turns, called whorls. The very first part of the shell, called the protoconch, is often worn away.
The snail's body, head, and tentacles are dark gray to black. Its tentacles can be black at the bottom and pale gray at the tips. Female snails are usually bigger than males.
How it Breathes and Eats
This snail breathes using a special comb-like gill called a ctenidium. It has 20 tall, narrow parts that help it take in oxygen from the water.
The Socorro springsnail is a herbivore, meaning it eats plants. It uses a ribbon-like tongue with tiny teeth, called a radula, to scrape off and eat algae. It also eats other organic material found on plants and debris.
Life Cycle
Female Socorro springsnails are oviparous, which means they lay eggs. They probably lay their eggs during the spring and summer months.
Where it Lives
This snail is found only in Socorro County in central New Mexico, USA. It is an endemic species, meaning it naturally lives only in this one area. The first snail found was from a thermal spring near Socorro.
The snail is now gone from where it was first discovered. We don't know exactly when or why it disappeared from that spot. Today, the Socorro springsnail is known to live in only one place: the Torreon Spring in Socorro County. It was first found there in 1979.
Its Habitat
The Socorro springsnail lives entirely in water. It prefers slow-moving water near the source of hot springs. You can find it in the top layer of organic muck or mud.
The main spring where the snail lives has been changed by humans. It was blocked off, which turned the flowing water into a very small pool. Only one tiny spring source remains. This small pool is less than 1 square meter in size and has a water temperature of 17 °C (62.6 °F). The snails are common on plant roots in this pool. However, they are not found in the ditches or ponds that lead from the spring into irrigation systems.
In 1981, scientists estimated that the snail colony lived not only at the spring source but also in a small outflow stream. This stream was about 2.5 meters (8 feet) long and led to an irrigation ditch. No snails were found in the irrigation flow itself. In 1991, the total number of Socorro springsnails in the spring outflow was estimated to be about 5,000.
The snail used to live in other hot springs west of the city of Socorro. It shared these homes with another endangered animal, the Socorro isopod.
Threats to the Snail
The Socorro springsnail is very vulnerable because it lives in such a small area. It also needs a very specific type of habitat. This makes it easy for the snail to lose its home or for its home to change.
Anything that reduces the spring water flow or changes its food source is a threat. Changes to the watersheds or springs could lower the water flow. It could also change the water temperature or water quality. These changes would harm the snail's habitat or food, which could be devastating.
These snails cannot easily move to new places. This means they can't escape pollution or other bad changes to their home. They are stuck where they are.
The main population of Socorro springsnails is thought to be in a single pool less than 1 square meter in size. There's also an outflow ditch about 2.5 meters (8 feet) long. Several springs where the snails used to live have been blocked off. This destroyed the special habitat the snails need to survive.
Perhaps the biggest threat is losing water flow. If too much water is pumped from the underground source that feeds the springs, both the springs and the snails could disappear. Pollution of the spring could also harm or even wipe out the species. Climate change is another new threat. If it causes widespread drought, less spring water, or changes in water chemistry, the snail could be lost.
Protecting the Snail
The State of New Mexico listed the Socorro springsnail as endangered on March 28, 1985. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also listed it as endangered on October 30, 1991. Because the snail lives in such a small area, the main way to help it is to protect its habitat.
It might be possible to start new populations in other hot springs. But this depends on finding springs that have the right conditions for the snail and don't already have their own unique animals.
The snail's home is on private land. Since 1995, access to the spring has been denied. Because of this, we don't know how many snails are left. We also don't know the current state of their habitat or how big the threats are.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has suggested trying to get access to the spring again. If access is allowed, they recommend studying the snail's life. They also want to monitor how many snails there are and figure out what makes a good habitat for them. This includes things like the best type of mud, water temperature, and water chemistry. Long-term monitoring of water flow and temperature is also important.
If access continues to be denied, they suggested a one-time visit. This visit would be to collect some snails to start a captive population in a safe place.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided not to buy the land. They felt that making the land public might actually put the snails at greater risk. This is because of threats like vandalism or people collecting the snails without permission. A plan to manage the snail's habitat had not been written by 2008. The old recovery plan from 1994 needs to be updated, and a separate plan for the Socorro springsnail should be created.
