Overview
The Pecos springsnail (Pyrgulopsis pecosensis) is a tiny gastropod in the mud snail family. It has been found in a few spring systems associated with the Black River in the Pecos River Basin of New Mexico. The species was listed as New Mexico state threatened in 1983, and its status is under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Threats to the species include habitat loss or alteration from groundwater pumping and surface diversion, flood scouring, drought, and groundwater contamination.
Enhancement of Survival Permits are issued through two Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances that are aligned with a Candidate Conservation Agreement to cover activities such as monitoring and research, water pumping and irrigation, grazing, and oil and gas development, production, and transport. These agreements are for the federally endangered Texas hornshell mussel (Popenaias popeii) and include the Pecos springsnail as a covered species.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Food
Pecos springsnails are presumed to be primarily herbivorous, likely feeding on algae and other organic matter.
Behavior
The Hydrobiidae family of snails is distinct from other snail families in that gills are used for aquatic respiration rather than lung structures for breathing. They have a pair of eyes at the base of long tentacles used for orientation and olfactory functions.
Physical Characteristics
No recorded weight measurements for Pecos springsnail are available at this time.
The heads of Pecos springsnails are dark grey to black in color. Their periostracum (shell coating) is tan colored, and their operculum (shell lid) is amber and more intensely hued in the callus.
Pecos springsnail sounds have not been identified or recorded.
The shells of Pecos springsnails are very small (> 3.7 mm) with incised spiral patterns and a spire with a conical outline. Males and females do not differ significantly in size.
Life Cycle
The lifespan of Pecos springsnails has not been recorded.
Little is known about the details of Pecos springsnail reproduction. The male's reproductive organ is bifid (divided in two by a deep cleft or notch), consisting of a narrow penis with a ductless accessory process on the left.
The life cycle of Pecos springsnails is not well studied. Females lay eggs that develop and hatch in their aquatic environment, likely in the spring and summer.
Similar Species
There are no other similar springsnail species where Pecos springsnails are known to occur.
Habitat
Pecos springsnails have been known to occur in a few wetland areas in arid karst topography of southeastern New Mexico. They have been found primarily along the edges of their spring habitat in mud and pebble substrates. These habitats are characterized by natural narrow channels with vertical banks, substantial flows, excellent water quality, Chara aquatic algae, watercress (Nasturtium officinale) and abundant riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian vegetation such as willows (Salix spp.).
Land on which the natural dominant plant forms are grasses and forbs.
A dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large tract.
Arid land with usually sparse vegetation.
A natural chamber or series of chambers in the earth or in the side of a hill or cliff. An irregular limestone region with sinkholes, underground streams and caverns.
A natural body of running water.
Environments influenced by humans in a less substantial way than cities. This can include agriculture, silvaculture, aquaculture, etc.
Areas such as marshes or swamps that are covered often intermittently with shallow water or have soil saturated with moisture.
Areas where ground water meets the surface.
Geography
This species and its parts are not available to import or export.
Pecos springsnails are historically known from two spring complexes in close proximity to one another that serve as perennial tributaries to the Black River in southeastern New Mexico. The population in Castle Springs, the smaller of the two complexes, fluctuated from low in 1968 to high in 1971, 1973, and 1980. Surveys in 1992 and 1993 did not detect snails, and the species was presumed to have been driven out due to adverse land use practices and flood scouring. Blue Springs, the larger of the two spring systems, is currently known to support springsnails. Snails have been recorded as far as 1.25 miles from the spring source, and have been monitored with regularity through the middle reach of the spring run. A Candidate Conservation Agreement and two Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances have special management stipulations for Blue Springs, where participants exercise good faith efforts to avoid disturbance.
Timeline
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