Nemouria 49:1-8 © Delaware Museum of Natural History 2014 NEMOURLA Occasional Papers of the Delaware Museum of Natural History Number 49 November 15, 2014 NEW DISTRIBUTION RECORDS FOR VENTRIDENS EUTROPIS PILSBRY, 1946 AND V. INTERTEXTUS (BINNEY, 1841) IN TENNESSEE, USA (GASTROPODA: GASTRODONTIDAE) Timothy A. Pearce' and Robert E. Winters^ Abstract. Vemridens eutropis Pilsbry, 1946 is endemic to central Tennessee where it mostly occurs on the Cumberland Plateau, but also extends to the west of the Plateau. Two new county records of V. eutropis in Grundy and Van Buren Counties, Tennessee, nearly double the known range of this species southward by 55 km. Five new county records in Tennessee for Ventridens intertextus (Binney, 1841) fill gaps within the known range of this more widespread species. Key words: Ventridens, county occurrences, Stylommatophora, Cumberland Plateau INTRODUCTION Pilsbry (1946) named the carinate Ventridens intertextus eutropis, recognizing it as subspecifically distinct from V. intertextus (Binney, 1841) based on a single dead specimen. Hubricht (1965) elevated V. eutropis to a full species, stating (but not describing) anatomical differences from V. intertextus and reporting no intergradation in shell characters between V. intertextus and V. eutropis. While V. intertextus is widespread throughout eastern North America (Hubricht 1985), V. eutropis has been found only in north-central Tennessee. During the course of land snail surveys in Tennessee we found new county records of V. eutropis and through surveys, plus searching museum records, we found new county records of V. intertextus. The new records fill gaps in the known Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Serial Publication Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA; ISSN 0085-3887 PearceT@CarnegieMNH.org ^ 1792 Cedar Creek Road, Sparta, Tennessee 38583, USA; winters830@gmail.com 2 NEMOURIA No. 49 distribution of V. intertextus, and nearly double the known latitudinal range of V. eutropis by 55 km to the south. We examined shell morphology of V. eutropis and V. intertextus to evaluate whether they appear to be distinct species. METHODS Specimens were enccruntered during general land snail surveys by REW. Surc^eys were in sites and habitats that the surc^eyor’s experience suggested were likely to ccrntain land snails, in particular, wooded areas with limestone outcrops. Surveys were for variable (unrecorded) amounts of time. We gathered locality records for Ventridens intertextus and V. eutropis (or V. intertextus eutropis) by searching online databases or querying curators from E3 collections (Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia (ANSP) 130 recorcisl, Bailey Matthews Shell Museum 101, Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CM) 1171, Delaware Museum of Natural History 181, Elorida Museum of Natural History 1211, Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) 1551, Los Angeles County Museum 101, Museum of Comparative Zoology l4l, Ohio State University 161, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 10], United States National Museum (USNM) 17], University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ) 111], and the R.E. Winters private collection (REW) 12]). The CM and REW collections contain the recently cc:»llected specimens from the new locations. Many museum collections are not fully computer-cataloged or not available on the internet, sc^ we might be unaware of existing specimens frt:)m additional localities. We did not verify species identities for museum recc^rds, except for specimens at CM, REW, and one lot at UMMZ. RESULTS Our field surveys added two new counties (Grundy and Van Buren Counties) to the known distribution of V. eutropis (Fig. la). These two new counties are the southernmost two county occurrences indicated in Fig, la. All 15 known localities of V. eutropis are given in Table 1 and shown as dots on Fig, la. Our field surveys added two new counties (Hancock and White Counties) and our museum surveys added three new counties (Anderson, Cumberland, and Grundy Cc^unties) to the previously published distribution of V. intertextus (Fig. lb). Variability exists in the shell morphology of V. eutropis. As examples. Figs, 2a- e show differences amcrng V. eutropis specimens in the relative height of the shell, the relative height of the periphery, the strength of the carina, and the degree of inflatedness of the lower whorl. Regarding the two species, V. eutropis and V. November 15, 2014 Pearce & Winters 3 Table L Known localities of Ventridens eutropis. All localities are in Tennessee. Catalog Date Museum No. County Locality Collector Collected FMNH 85051 Cheatham E edge Cheatham Co., E side Hwy alt 41, 0.5 mi S of jet Hwy 49 M.C. Teskey 4 Sep 1958 FMNH 246996 Cheatham 1 .5 mi SE of Pleasant View L. Hubricht 10 Sep 1955 USNM 672428 Cheatham 21 mi S of Clarksville, S.E. jet of US 41 (alt) and Tenn. 49 M.C. Teskey 3 jul 1955 CM 131331 DeKalb Indian Creek Road jet Rt 96 R.E. Winters 14 Aug 2013 CM 131821 DeKalh Dales Ridge on Rt 96, 2 mi N of US 70 R.E. Winters 16 Aug 2013 FMNH 246997 DeKalb Caney Fork River, Sligo Landing L. Hubricht 5 jul 1958 REW 7665p3 6B DeKalb Johnsons Chapel R.E. Winters 2 Aug 2013 CM 104670 Grundy Beersheba Springs (1 mi E), ravine EofTN Rt 56 R.E. Winters 13 Mar 2010 FMNH 246998 Macon above Ann White Cave, 6 mi W of Lafayette L. Hubricht 19 Apr 1958 CM 131332 Putnam US 70 N, quarry, 2 mi SW of Sand Springs R.E. Winters 20-21 jul 2013 FMNH 246999 Putnam 0.5 mi W of Mill Creek L. Hubricht 10 jun 1969 FMNH 247000 Putnam 1 mi E of Goffton (as Groffton] L. Hubricht lOjun 1969 CM 102845 Van Buren Mooneyham Road Bridge, Camps Gulf (ahead oO R.E. Winters 1 Dec 2009 CM 110273 Van Buren Sweetgum, trash dump next to TN Rt 285 by Cane Creek R.E. Winters 21 Dec 2010 ANSP 167736 Wilson Cherry Valley, W [as "east"] of Watertown, N side Rt 26 H.A. Pilsbry & C. Harvey 1935 Figure L County occurrences (gray) of a. Ventridens eutropis and b. V. intertexius. Fewer than 15 actual occurrences (dots) of V. eutropis are visible because some close localities appear as a single dot. 4 NEMOURIA No. 49 intertextus share some characters, such as the approximately 18 spiral grooves on the approximately 2.0 embryonic whorls, the strong radial growth wrinkles cut by spiral grooves on the post-embryonic shell, and the angled or carinate periphery. These characters separate them from other Ventridens and suggest that these two species might be closely related. However, V. eutropis are morphologically distinct from V. intertextus, a typical specimen of which is shown in Fig. 2f. Ventridens eutropis has a much more strongly carinate periphery, much less convex (nearly flat) whorl above the periphery, and very shallow sutures. Figure 2. Ventridens eutropis and V. intertextus, a. V. eutropis (CM 104670) from Grundy Co.; b. V. eutropis holotype (ANSP167736) from Wilson Co.; c. V. eutropis (CM 13 1331) from DeKalb Co.; d. V. eutropis (CM 110273) and e. V. eutropis (CM 102845) both from Van Buren Co.; f. V. intertextus (CM 100733) from Blount Co. (965 on shell is a previous number from the G.H. Clapp collection). Scale bar is 5 mm. November 15, 2014 Pearce & Winters 5 DISCUSSION The new localities for Ventridens eutropis nearly double the known range of that species to the south, while the new county records of V. intertextus fill gaps within the known range of that species. The two species, Ventridens intertextus and V. eutropis, have distinct forms and we have seen no specimens showing intermediate forms, supporting their recognition as separate species following Hubricht (1965). A good test of their separate species status would be finding them living together in the same microhabitat and maintaining their distinct morphologies. Such a find would support the idea that they are not sharing genes. Unfortunately, we have not found the two species living together, although we have found populations of the two species as close as 13 km apart. In three publications, Hubricht collectively reported Ventridens eutropis from five counties, but in each publication he reported it from a different set of tour counties. Hubricht (1965) reported V. eutropis from Cheatham, DeKalb, Macon, and Wilson Counties. Hubricht (1973) inexplicably dropped Wilson County and added Putnam County, yielding Cheatham, DeKalb, Macon, and Putnam Counties. Then, without explanation, Hubricht (1985) dropped DeKalb County and added Wilson County back in, yielding Cheatham, Macon, Putnam, and Wilson Counties. Museum records confirm this species from all five of those counties. A report of V. eutropis from North Carolina is out of range and the specimen appears to have been misidentified. Pearse (1950) reported V. eutropis (as V. intertextus eutropis) from Duke Forest near Durham, North Carolina. He reported finding V. eutropis (1 empty) and V. intertextus (57 live, 288 empty), and noted that Henry Van der Schalie at University of Michigan had verified identities. Present staff at UMMZ found only one lot collected by A.S. Pearse at Duke Forest, North Carolina (UMMZ 186062). The lot is labeled V. intertextus and a photo of the lot shows approximately 4 dozen shells that appear to be typical V. intertextus. Hubricht (1985) did not include North Carolina in the range of V. eutropis, although he might have been unaware of Pearse (1950). Given that no specimen of V. eutropis from North Carolina can be found and that North Carolina seems out of range for V. eutropis, we consider this record to be unsubstantiated, unlikely, and possibly based on a misidentification. To date, V. eutropis has been found only within Tennessee. Most localities for V. eutropis are on the Cumberland Plateau although its range extends west of the Plateau beyond the Caney Fork River in Wilson and Cheatham Counties. It has not yet been reported from the easternmost edge of the Cumberland Plateau. Its occurrence in Macon County bordering Kentucky leaves open the possibility that 6 NEMOURIA No. 49 with further search effort, V. eutropis might eventually be found in the south- central part of Kentucky, a speculation also noted by Dourson (2010: 148). Regarding habitat, our experience is that V. eutropis seems to occur near dead and rotting logs in limestone areas. Pilsbry (1946: 470) reported it from under flat limestone slabs on a low hill with growth of brush and small trees. Hubricht (1985: 31) reported it from under leaf litter in upland oak woods. Hubricht (1985) reported V. intertextus from Cannon Co., but we have not fecund any museum specimens supporting that record. Hubricht’s Cannon County record might be based on a non-computer-catalcrged museum record that we did not encounter. A single specimen at UMMZ is labeled V. intertextus from Obion County, Tennessee (UMMZ 53341); however, that locality in the northwestern most corner of Tennessee appears to be out of range (toc^ far west) for that species. At UMMZ, the label exists but the specimen could nc’)t be found in December 2013. Obion County is within the range of V. ligera (Say, 1821), so it is possible that the specimen might actually have been V. ligera. We consider this record of Obion County as a locality for V. intertextus to be doubtful until it is confirmed. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful to E.K. Shea and N. Aziz (Delaware Museum of Natural History), G.T. Watters (Ohio State University), the on-line database (http://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/iz/) and L. Ward (United States National Museum llnformation provided with the permission of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th and Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20560-0193. (http://www.nmnh. si. edu/)l), and D. O'Foighil and T. Lee (University of Michigan Museum c^f Zc^ology) for supplying collection records of Ventridens. F.J. Borrero and P. Callomon (Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University) kindly supplied the image of the holotype of V. eutropis. J. Whitacre (CIS Manager at Carnegie Museum’s Powdermill Nature Reserve) produced the distribution maps. Two anonymous reviewers and Dr. J.L. Woods provided useful comments that improved the manuscript. LITERATURE CITED Dourson, D.C. 2010. Kentucky’s Land Snails and their Ecological Communities. Goatslug Publications, Bakersville, NC. ix+298pp. Hubricht, L. 1965. Notes on Zonitidae. Nautilus, 78(4): 133-135. Hubricht, L. 1973. The land snails of Tennessee. Sterkiana, 49: 1 1-17. Hubricht, L. 1985. The distributions of the native land mollusks of the eastern United States. Fieldiana, Zoology, new series, (34): i-viii, 1-191. November 15, 2014 Pearce &. Winters 7 Pearse, A.S. 1950. Some observations on the land snails in the Duke Forest. journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 69(1): 60"-62. Pilsbry, H.A. 1946. Land Mollusca of North America (north of Mexicc')). Monograph 3, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Vol. 2, Part 1: i' viii, L520. Delaware Museum of Natural History Marine Mollusks of Bermuda Checklist and Bibliography by Russell H. Jensen and Timothy A. Pearce This authoritative resource, published by the Delaware Museum of Natural History, includes modern and fossil species, a history of mollusk collecting in Bermuda, and all of the Bermuda literature references to each species. $30, plus $10 domestic shipping or $20 international shipping. Order today! Contact Susan Kifer at 302-658-91 1 1 , ext. 326, skifer@deimnh.org, or Delaware Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 3937, Wilmington, DE 1 9807. Order online at www.deimnh.org 8 NEMOURIA SMITHSONIAN LIBRARIES 3 9088 01801 5727 No. 49 Nemouria: Occasional Papers of the Delaware Museum of Natural History publishes original, peer-reviewed papers on the ecology, evolution, systematics, taxonomy, and distributions of mollusks and birds. Other taxa may be considered if the scope of the project focuses on North America or on a particular geographic strength of the collection (e.g. Indo-West Pacific or Philippines). Detailed descriptions of natural history will also be considered. Nemouria is indexed by BIOSIS and Zoological Record, and distributed to over 70 libraries throughout the world via exchange. Authors wishing additional information about submitting a paper to Nemouria should contact editor Jean Woods, Ph.D., jwoods@delmnh.org. Editor Jean L. Woods Consulting Editor Elizabeth K. 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