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= Virginia Fringed Mountain Snail = Polygyriscus virginianus, also known as the Virginia Fringed Mountain snail, is an endangered land snail species found along a very small section of the New River near Pulaski County, Virginia. This species was first listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act on July 3, 1978 and has remained under protection since that date. One of the most rare land snail species in North America, P. virginianus has a pale greenish spiral shell with four prominent shell lines and a diameter of 0.18 inches. As of 2010, only 4 population surveys have been performed, documenting only about 27 live individuals per survey. Because of its very small physical and population size, the Virginia Fringed Mountain snail is perpetually threatened by the expansion of nearby roads onto its habitat and the reemergence of human activity in a nearby quarry. Very little information is known about this species, making it all the more difficult to protect from extinction, leading to the conservation status of “data deficient” adjudicated by the IUCN.

Present and Historical Range
The Virginia Fringed Mountain snail was documented to be located along a 230ft stretch of the New River’s western bank in Pulaski County Virginia, just south of the town Blacksburg. Presently found along the bluffs of the New River in Pulaski County Virginia. There is no range map available.

Historical and Present Population Size
In 1978, the known population was around a few hundred individuals. As of 2010, only four population surveys had been performed, documenting only about 27 live individuals for each survey. The exact current population is unknown.

History of ESA and IUCN Listing
The Virginia Fringed Mountain snail was first identified as an endangered species, under the Endangered Species Act, on July 3, 1978. This species was grouped with 6 other snail species that were only found in one state. A formal proposal to identify the Virginia Fringed Mountain snail was submitted in January of 1976. In 2007, a review of ten endangered Northeastern species was initiated. Then in 2012, a second 5-year review of the Virginia Fringed Mountain snail began. In August of 1996, the IUCN identified this land snail species as “data deficient,” noting that more information about the species is needed to make a further judgment.

Human Impact on Species
The impact of increased quarrying and road construction in the habitat range can easily wipe out the entire Virginia Fringed Mountain snail species. Treating nearby roadsides with herbicides is also a possible human impact. A relatively uncommon but possible human impact is shell collecting. If a shell is collected from an observed habitat of the species, it could have severe effects on the habitat, especially because it is unknown whether this snail species still lives in places where shells are found.

Major Threats to Species
The Virginia Fringed Mountain snail is one of the rarest land snail species in North America. The entire species population can only be found along a very small land bank section of the New River in Pulaski County, Virginia. The most significant threats to the species are increased quarry activity and the expansion of a road system in the range of the species. Because the species population is so small, even the most minute action at a nearby quarry (i.e. a single dynamite blast, perturbation to land by a bulldozer) could wipe out the entire species. Widening a small section of the western side of River Road also poses a major threat but can be avoided if an ecologist familiar with the habitat range of the species advises any construction efforts.

Current Conservation Efforts
Some sections of the New River are protected by the Virginia state park system (New River Trail State Park System), but other areas are not, leaving the Virginia Fringed Mountain snail vulnerable to population decline. The species continues to be monitored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act. However, there are no other direct conservation efforts currently known.

Diet
No information presently.

Reproduction
No information presently.

Physical Characteristics
Pale greenish spiral shell. There are four prominent, raised spiral lines with less prominent spiral lines between the prominent four. Within the shell, the snail has a white, fleshy body inside. The shell size is 0.06in high and 0.18in in diameter. This species of snail is thought to be blind.

Life History
The Virginia Fringed Mountain Snail typically dwells in areas where limestone is mixed with clay soil and is associated with permanently damp rocks along the New River banks. “These areas are heavily shaded and may be overgrown with honeysuckle.”   Individuals dwell in the soil at depths ranging from 4in to 24in deep. No observations have been made of live snails dwelling on the soil surface.