Rocky Mountain capshell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rocky Mountain capshell |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): | |
| Superfamily: |
Acroloxoidea
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| Family: |
Acroloxidae
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| Genus: |
Acroloxus
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| Species: |
A. coloradensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Acroloxus coloradensis J. Henderson, 1930
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The Rocky Mountain capshell (Acroloxus coloradensis) is a type of freshwater snail. It belongs to the family Acroloxidae, which are also known as river limpets. This snail is special because it is the only member of its family found in North America.
What it Looks Like
This snail has a flat shell that is brown and white. The pointy part of its shell, called the apex, is on its back left side. You can see clear growth lines on its shell, like rings on a tree. It also has tiny lines spreading out from the center.
The Rocky Mountain capshell is quite small. It can grow up to 5 millimeters long. It is about 2.9 millimeters wide and 1.2 millimeters tall.
Where it Lives
The Rocky Mountain capshell naturally lives in the Rocky Mountains of North America. It has been found in high-up ponds and lakes. In the United States, it lives in Colorado and Montana. In Canada, it has been seen in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.
Recently, it was also found in slow-moving parts of the Beaver River in Alberta. Long ago, fossils of this snail were found in Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
These snails mostly live at high elevations, between 8,500 and 10,000 feet (about 2,600 to 3,000 meters). Below this height, the lake bottoms are too fine for them. Above this height, there isn't enough calcium and other important minerals they need to survive.
How it Lives
Diet
Scientists don't know a lot about what this snail eats. However, they believe it probably eats microphytes. These are very tiny plants, like microscopic algae, that grow in water.
Reproduction
Like all other pulmonate snails, the Rocky Mountain capshell is a hermaphrodite. This means each snail has both male and female reproductive parts. It can fertilize itself, or it can mate with another snail. Not much is known about how it reproduces, but it might be similar to other river limpets.
Staying Safe
The Rocky Mountain capshell is a "relict" species. This means it's a leftover from a time when its habitat was more widespread, like a living fossil. Its small groups are now scattered in places that are far apart. These groups have gone through "bottlenecks," meaning their numbers have dropped very low at times. The snails in the western and eastern parts of their range are now separated.
This snail faces several dangers. Its alpine lake homes are being lost or damaged. This happens because of cities growing, especially in parts of Colorado. Pollution, drought, and outdoor activities also threaten them. Other possible threats, which haven't been fully confirmed yet, include logging, mining, grazing by animals, and new species that don't belong there.
Overall, its conservation status is G3, which means it is "vulnerable." In Colorado and Montana, it is S1, meaning "critically imperiled." In Alberta, it is S2, or "imperiled." In British Columbia, it is S3, meaning "vulnerable."
See also
In Spanish: Acroloxus coloradensis para niños
