The Atlantic drainages of Georgia, comprising approximately 40% of the waters of the state, are presently covered... ›› more
The four ecoregions of North Carolina drain toward the Atlantic through six major river systems... ›› more
Although perhaps not as environmentally heterogeneous as neighboring states, South Carolina does include... ›› more
The survey reported here is focused on the eastern 75% of the state, draining from the Blue Ridge to the Atlantic... ›› more
All waters draining into the Tennessee River above the Alabama line, including SW Virginia, W North Carolina, and N Georgia... ›› more
A study area of approximately 150,000 km2, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and the West Virginia panhandle... ›› more
A survey of all waters draining into the Ohio River upstream from the mouth of the Tennessee/Cumberland at River Mile 920... ›› more
> Habitat & Distribution
Populations of V. tricarinata range across the northern United States and Canada from New York through Iowa to the Rockies, typically in aquatic vegetation in rich, perennial lakes, ponds and rivers above the glacial maximum (Clarke 1981, Jokinen 1992, Stewart 2006). They are not uncommon in northern New Jersey and Pennsylvania, through the upper Midwest into The Dakotas.
Valvata tricarinata populations become much more uncommon further south, however. We have five records in our database from drainages of The Ohio, none from The Tennessee/Cumberland. Populations are uncommon in Nebraska (Stephen 2015), entirely absent from Kansas (Leonard 1959). We are aware of several records of Valvata populations from the vicinity of Washington DC, historical reports from Virginia interior drainages (Beetle 1973, Stewart & Dillon 2004), and a single isolated record from the Savannah River on the South Carolina / Georgia border.
Within lakes the distribution of V. tricarinata
seems to be contagious (Dillon 2000:404), populations often
reaching maximum densities in deeper waters (Pace et al. 1979).
FWGNA incidence rank I-3p, peripheral in our 17-state
study area.
> Ecology & Life History
Populations of V. tricarinata typically display annual, semelparous life cycles (A), gelatinous masses of 10 - 30 eggs being laid on solid substrates during the spring and summer (McKillop 1985, Jokinen 1992). Jokinen's (1987) analysis of the distribution of V. tricarinata in Connecticut and New York led her to classify it as a “High-S” species, found only in the most species-rich communities. Dillon’s (2000: 360-363) reanalysis of these data suggested that V. tricarinata populations in Connecticut seem to be Undifferentiated with respect to life history adaptation.
The ciliated body and mantle extension demonstrated by V. piscinalis
led Tsikhon-Likanina (1961) to suggest that valvatids may be
filter-feeders, although this is by no means certain (Fretter &
Graham 1962).
Valvata tricarinata was mentioned among the prey of pumpkinseed sunfish in Osenberg's (1989) study of Lawrence Lake, Michigan.
> Taxonomy & Systematics
The nomen Valvata tricarinata has been taxonomically stable since the early 20th century (Walker 1902). Valvata populations are notoriously polymorphic with respect to shell morphology, however, and the distinction between V. tricarinata and V. bicarinata (bearing two spiral carinae or angulations on the shell) seems tenuous at best.
> Maps and Supplementary Resources
> References
Beetle, D. (1973) A checklist of
the land and freshwater mollusks of Virginia. Sterkiana, 49, 21-35.
Clarke, A.H. (1981) The
Freshwater Molluscs of Canada. National Museum of Natural
Sciences, National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
Dillon, R. T., Jr. (2000) The
Ecology of Freshwater Molluscs. Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge.
Fretter, V. &
Graham, A. (1962) British Prosobranch
Molluscs. Ray Society, London.
Harman, W.N. (2000) Diminishing
species richness of mollusks in Oneida Lake, New York State, USA.
Nautilus 114:120-126.
Heard, W. H. (1963) Reproductive features
of Valvata. The Nautilus 77: 64-68.
Jokinen, E. (1983) The
freshwater snails of Connecticut. State Geol. Nat. Hist.
Survey Bull. 109, Hartford, Connecticut. 83 p.
Jokinen, E. (1987) Structure of freshwater
snail communities: species-area relationships and incidence categories.
Am. Malacol. Bull., 5:9-19.
Jokinen, E. (1992) The freshwater snails
(Mollusca: Gastropoda) of New York State. New York State Museum
Bulletin, 482:1-112.
Leonard, A.B. (1959)
Handbook of Gastropods in Kansas. Miscellaneous Publication
Number 20, University of Kansas Museum of Natural History,
Lawrence.
McKillop, W. (1985) Distribution of
aquatic
gastropods across the Ordovician dolomite - Precambrian granite contact
in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. Can. J. Zool., 63:278-288.
Osenberg, C. (1989) Resource limitation,
competition and the influence of life history in a freshwater snail
community. Oecologia, 79:512-519.
Pace, G., Szuch, E. & Dapson, R. (1979)
Depth distribution of three gastropods in New Mission Bay, Lake
Michigan. Nautilus, 93:31-36.
Stephen, B.J. (2015)
Species composition of Nebraska's freshwater gastropod fauna: A review
of historical records. American Malacological Bulletin 33: 61-71.
Stewart, T.W. (2006) The freshwater
gastropods of Iowa (1821-1998): species composition, geographic
distributions, and conservation concerns. Amer. Malac. Bull. 21: 59
– 75.
Stewart, T. & Dillon, R. (2004)
Species
composition and geographic distribution of Virginia's freshwater
gastropod fauna: A review using historical records. American
Malacological Bulletin, 19, 79-91.
Tsikhon-Likanina, E. A.
(1961) On the filtration method of feeding in Bithynia tentaculata
(L) and Valvata
piscinalis (Muller). Byvelleten Instituta
Biologii Vodokhranilishch 10: 59 - 75.
Walker, B. (1902) A revision of the
carinate valvatas of the United States. Nautilus, 15:121-125.
Walker, B. (1906) Notes on Valvata.
Nautilus 20:25-32.