Wing Snaggletooth
Gastrocopta procera (Gould)

Status: State Threatened (August 1, 1989).

Occurence: Occurs in Buffalo, Crawford, Grant, La Crosse, Pierce and Trempealeau and Vernon Counties of Wisconsin.

Aid to ID: Several species of snaggletooth snails occur in Wisconsin. They are distinguished by a pupa-shaped shell and several to many "teeth" or folds within the aperture. The lip of the rounded aperture of G. procera is heavily callused within and the 5 folds, of which the upper is bifed (two-pronged), are prominent but not nearly filling the aperture. The somewhat glossy shell is cinnamon-brown in contrast to others of the genus which are white or transparent. The shell is marked by lightly impressed striate lines, has five to six whorls with sutures that are noticeably deep, and measures less than 1/8th inch (2.5 mm) in length.

Habitat: This snail is a calciphile and occurs on hill or "goat" prairies with southern or western exposures in western Wisconsin. Populations may exist in an area of only a few square meters. The animals probably prefer to live under organic debris. In states to the south, the species inhabits woodland areas as well, but is restricted in Wisconsin to open sites, which warm early enough in the spring to provide a growth season of at least 160 frost-free days, typical of the western Wisconsin hill prairies and glades.

Management Considerations: Prairie burn management, which removes the thatch layer, will cause snail mortality. However, closure of the open prairie habitat by invasion of woody plants will eventually result in the loss of many species of the grassland community including this snail. Brush cutting and direct herbicide applications on basal bark and stumps are useful in occupied sites. Heavy grazing is detrimental to habitat and snail populations. Where burning is necessary, use long rotations and multiple units of snail habitat.

The content for this page was originally presented in the Endangered and Threatened Invertebrates of Wisconsin, a free publication available by contacting the Endangered Resources Program.