Elimia livescens
Common Name:
Liver elimia
Synonyms and Other Names:
Goniobasis livescens (Menke, 1830), Goniobasis virginica (Say, 1817)
Identification:
Elimia livescens is a small snail with a conical shell that ranges widely in color (light to dark black/brown to green/yellow). Shell shape can also vary in the number of whorls (7-9), spire length, thickness, and width concurrent with development due to allometry and/or environment (Dazo 1965; Owen et al. 2013). The operculum is ovate and reddish-brown in color, with three whorls and a compact basal nucleus (Strong 2005). The foot is broad and rounded with a ciliated egg grove. Elimia livescens has a well-developed hypobranchial gland distinguished by deep, transverse folds (Strong 2005).
Size:
Adult length ranges from 15 to 21 mm (Cazenave and Zanatta 2016). Eggs average 280 µm in diameter (Dazo 1965).
Native Range:
From the St. Lawrence River drainage from the Great Lakes to Lake Champlain. Tributaries of the Ohio River, Wabash River and Scioto River and west to the Illinois River. DeVanna et al. (2011) listed Elimia livescens as native in the Great Lakes. However, other sources first reported it in the Great Lakes in the 1800s — discovered in Lake Superior (Say 1821), Lake Michigan (Cooper 1834), Lake Erie (Menke 1830), Lake Huron (Tyron 1865), and Lake Ontario (Tyron 1865) (Burch and Jung 1988).
Great Lakes Nonindigenous Occurrences:
Elimia livescens has been recorded in all 5 of the Great Lakes.
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 livescens are found here.
Full list of USGS occurrences
Table last updated 5/1/2024
† Populations may not be currently present.
Ecology:
Elimia livescens is a small freshwater snail that inhabits rocky, sandy, and muddy substrate in lakes, ponds, and rivers. Tolerant of brackish water but does not tolerate pollution or anoxic conditions. Mortality occurs in temperatures above 32°C (Nash 1954). Chemical habitat requirements are not reported for this species specifically, but most freshwater gastropods require calcium concentrations above 5 mg/l (Lodge et al. 1987). Furthermore, most freshwater snails are not found in waters below a pH of 5 (Jokinen 1983). Shell shape and thickness is correlated to environmental conditions: snails in higher currents exhibit thicker, shorter, and more globular shells to promote adhesion, whereas those in lower currents have thinner, taller, and elongated shells to facilitate navigation (Anderson 2010; Dunitahn et al. 2012; Cazenave and Zanatta 2016). Elimia livescens mature sexually after one year, and typically live up to five. Sexes are separate and mate in fall and spring. Oviposition begins in spring, peaking in April and May and ending in early August. Between one and four eggs are laid per day and are covered in a thin layer of soil (Dazo 1965). Egg production is positively related with body length (Krist 2001). Hatch occurs approximately two weeks after deposition (Dazo 1965).
This species grazes on periphyton (green algae and diatoms) using its radula (Dazo 1965; Sallenave et al. 1994). Elimia livescens is eaten by fish, ducks, and crayfish. Its shell shape and thickness can be influenced by the presence of crayfish, with more defensive shell orientations in heavily predated populations (Krist 2002).
Means of Introduction:
Cryptogenic in the Great Lakes. Migrated via the Erie Canal to the Hudson River where it is considered invasive (Burch and Jung 1988).
Status:
Unknown in the lower Hudson River. Great Lakes:
Widespread cryptogenic. Reproducing and overwintering at self-sustaining levels have been recorded in all 5 of the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Impacts:
Summary of species impacts derived from literature review. Click on an icon to find out more...
There is little or no evidence to support that Elimia livescens has significant environmental impacts in the Great Lakes. Potential:
Elimia livescens is an intermediate host for virgulate trematodes that carry Ehrlichia risticii, which caused an outbreak of Potomac horse fever in central Ohio in 1998 (Kanter et al. 2000).
Elimia livescens hybridizes with the invasive Pleurocera virginica, and abundant hybrid populations have been found along Lake Ontario (Levri et al. 2012).
There is little or no evidence to support that Elimia livescens has significant socioeconomic impacts in the Great Lakes.
There is little or no evidence to support that Elimia livescens has significant beneficial impacts in the Great Lakes.
Management:
Regulations (pertaining to the Great Lakes region)
There are no regulations for Elimia livescens in the Great Lakes region. Note: Check federal, state/provincial, and local regulations for the most up-to-date information.
Control
Biological
No biological controls are listed for Elimia livescens.
Physical
No physical controls are listed for Elimia livescens.
Chemical
No chemical controls are listed for Elimia livescens.
Note: Check state/provincial and local regulations for the most up-to-date information regarding permits for control methods. Follow all label instructions.
Remarks:
Several sources have mis-attributed the taxonomic description of Lymnaea virginica by Say (1817) as Elimia virginica instead of the correct Elimia livescens. Gmelin (1791) is the original author of Elimia virginica (Burch 1989).
References
(click for full reference list)
Author:
Benson, A.J., and A. Bartos
Contributing Agencies:
Revision Date:
2/25/2021
Peer Review Date:
2/25/2021
Citation for this information:
Benson, A.J., and A. Bartos, 2024, Elimia livescens: 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=2233&Potential=N&Type=0&HUCNumber=DGreatLakes, Revision Date: 2/25/2021, Peer Review Date: 2/25/2021, 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.