Elimia virginica
Common Name:
Piedmont elimia
Synonyms and Other Names:
piedmont elimia, Virginia river snail, Goniobasis virginica, and Oxytrema virginica
Identification:
Elimia virginica belongs to the family Pleuroceridae, a group of snails with thick, elongated shells. The opercula are withdrawn, proteinaceous, corneous, and paucispiral. The shells are dextral and have a very high and narrow spire, with little space in the incisions between the whorls. This species has two distinct shell morphologies, one smooth and one lirate (i.e. finely lined or grooved) (Smith 1980). Specimens of this species often vary in coloration; in general, E. virginica is yellow to chestnut in hue, but it may or may not exhibit 2 darker brown spiral bands (Peckarsky et al. 1993). Juveniles (snails with an aperture height of no more than 7 mm) display the banding more frequently than adults (Smith 1980). It is straightforward to distinguish the female of this species by way of the external genital sinus (Jones and Branley 1964).
Size:
Elimia virginica from New York State and the Connecticut River range from 27–33 mm high, with an aperture height of 9–12 mm (Smith 1980).
Native Range:
Elimia virginica is native to large Atlantic coast rivers in eastern North America from Massachusetts to Virginia, found east of the continental divide (Pennak 1989, Smith 1980). The northeastern limit of the native range of the species is the lower Connecticut River (Smith 1980).
Great Lakes Nonindigenous Occurrences:
The first record in the Great Lakes drainage is in 1860 when it was found in the Erie Canal, New York State (USEPA 2008). Populations later increased throughout the canal in the late 1800s and reached Buffalo, at the mouth of Lake Erie. In the 1960s, this species was recorded from Oneida Lake, New York State (Mills et al. 1993).
Table 1. Great Lakes region nonindigenous occurrences, the earliest and latest observations in each state/province, and the tally and names of HUCs with observations†. Names and dates are hyperlinked to their relevant specimen records. The list of references for all nonindigenous occurrences of Elimia virginica are found here.
Full list of USGS occurrences
Table last updated 5/1/2024
† Populations may not be currently present.
Ecology:
Found in freshwater rivers and streams with cobble bottoms and boulders. Pleurocerids are usually found in lotic erosional environments, in riffles or shoals with rock or sand substrate, and especially frequently on rocks in slower areas of medium size reaches. Elimia virginica usually inhabits slow to medium velocity rivers and streams with firm and clean gravel, cobble and rock substrate (Smith 1980). Pleurocerids in general are sensitive to abiotic stresses, and the E. virginica is not tolerant to siltation (Smith 1980). In Connecticut, the E. virginica is at the edge of its range and is most likely limited to hard water habitats only (Jokinen and Pondick 1981). During collections made in the Connecticut River, the snail was found to inhabit regions with water temperatures up to 27.5 degrees C, dissolved oxygen between 7 and 14 ppm, CaCO3 concentration from 42–160 ppm, pH from 7.6–9.0 and CO2 concentration from 0–10 ppm (Smith 1980). However, it should be noted that at some of these sites, population abundance was very low and/or decreasing, especially in conditions of high water temperature and alkilinity (Smith 1980). A short study in the Potomac River, Virginia, found that the snail has a very strong shell that is adapted to withstand predation by such predators as crayfish and ducks. However, there is an evolutionary trade-off between predator defense and rapid growth and reproduction amongst snail populations found in this river.
Elimia virginica, unlike softer shelled physid snails, grows very slowly and has the lowest intrinsic rate of increase, along with Mudalia carinata, in this environment (Hamilton 1980). Elimia virginica is dioecious (Jones and Barclay 1964) and lays its eggs from spring to summer, in particular in June and July (Smith 1980). It is often sexually mature in a year; can live 5 years.
In the Connecticut River, shells of E. virginica is often used as substrate by epizootic algae and the Entoproct Urnatella gracilis (Smith 1980). Trematodes are often parasitic in reproductive organs of this species (Smith 1980).
Means of Introduction:
Migrated from the Atlantic drainage through the Erie Canal to the Lake Ontario drainage.
Status:
Range is shrinking in the native Connecticut River range. The species is considered established in the Lake Ontario drainage.
Great Lakes Impacts:
Summary of species impacts derived from literature review. Click on an icon to find out more...
Current research on the environmental impact of Elimia virginica in the Great Lakes is inadequate to support proper assessment.
Realized:
During glaciation, the Alleghenian Divide geographically isolated congeners E. virginica and E. livescens—the former was only found in Atlantic Slope drainages, while the latter was only found in Interior Basin drainages (Bianchi et al. 1994). There is recent evidence for hybridization and introgression between the species, whose populations were brought into contact with the opening of the Erie Canal (Bianchi et al. 1994). Hybridization and introgression have the potential to jeopardize the genetic integrity of a species, especially when the population is already small.
There are currently no known impacts caused by introduction of this species to other water bodies in the Great Lakes.
Potential:
Elimia virginica is a known host of trematode parasites, including Philophthalmus megalurus and Sphaeridiotrema globulus (Huffman and Fried 1983, Smith 1980). In one New Jersey Lake, multiple mute swan (Cygnus olor) deaths appeared to be caused by S. globulus hosted in E. virginica at an infection rate of roughly 50% (Huffman and Fried 1983).
There is little or no evidence to support that Elimia virginica has significant socio-economic impacts in the Great Lakes.
There is little or no evidence to support that Elimia virginica has significant beneficial effects in the Great Lakes.
Management:
Regulations (pertaining to the Great Lakes region)
There are no known regulations for this species.
Note: Check federal, state/provincial, and local regulations for the most up-to-date information.
Control
Specific control methods for Elimia virginica have yet to be developed.
Biological
There are no known biological control methods for this species.
Physical
There are no known physical control methods for this species.
Chemical
There are copper compounds that are sold as snailicides but they are usually not selective in the snails they kill. With Elimia virginica possessing the ability to close their shells (opercula), more damage would probably occur to native snails in the treatment area than to the target pest.
Note: Check state/provincial and local regulations for the most up-to-date information regarding permits for control methods. Follow all label instructions.
Remarks:
Elimia virginica is synonymous with Goniobasis virginica and Oxytrema virginica. It is considered rare in Connecticut (Jokinen and Pondick 1981). This species, although introduced to the Lake Ontario drainage, has been largely out-competed by the introduced snail Bithynia tentaculata, and is thus virtually absent now from the Oswego drainage and possibly very reduced in abundance in other localities where it was introduced, due to such competition (Mills et al. 1993).
References
(click for full reference list)
Author:
Kipp, R.M., A.J. Benson, J. Larson, and A. Fusaro
Contributing Agencies:
Revision Date:
6/4/2019
Citation for this information:
Kipp, R.M., A.J. Benson, J. Larson, and A. Fusaro, 2024, Elimia virginica: U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL, and NOAA Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System, Ann Arbor, MI, https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/greatLakes/FactSheet.aspx?Species_ID=1032&Potential=N&Type=0&HUCNumber=DGreatLakes, Revision Date: 6/4/2019, Access Date: 5/1/2024
This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.