Great Lakes Waterlife Photo Gallery
Benthic Invertebrates
Gastropoda - Snails

The identification of gastropods to family level can be difficult because the families are defined on internal anatomical structures. There are few readily observable characters, other than those of the shell, but shells vary as much within as between families. Adult whole animals can best be identified using a combination of shell and operculum (the valve used to close the shell) plus external body characters. Caution - The operculum is often lost from dead animal shells.
Terminology and Anatomy Diagrams - Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society

Basommatophora
Ancylidae
(freshwater limpets)

No operculum, mantle serves as a lung. Patelliform with the bluntly rounded apex behind the center
< 10mm. Hermaphroditic.

3 Great Lakes species.

Basommatophora
Physidae
(sinistral pond snails)

No operculum, mantle serves as a lung. Smooth sinistral spirals - elliptic to ovate with a very short spire and large aperature. Tentacles long and thin. 5-20mm. Hermaphroditic.

2 Great Lakes species

Basommatophora
Lymnaeidae
(dextral pond snails)

No operculum, mantle serves as a lung. Spiral, elongate, dextral. Mantle without digitations, tentacles broad, flat, triangular and without a pseudobranch. Hermaphroditic.
13 Great Lakes species.
(1 nonindigenous)

Basommatophora
Planorbidae
(wheel snails)

No operculum, mantle serves as a lung. Disc with a sunken spire. Body reddish due to hemoglobin. Tentacles long and thin with a pseudobranch on the left. Hermaphroditic.

7 Great Lakes species

Heterostropha
Valvatidae
(valve snails)

External gills. Circular and multispiral operculum. Depressed or discoidal dextral shells <7mm. Small radula with few (~7) teeth arranged in transverse series. Hermaphroditic.
4 Great Lakes species
(1 nonindigenous)

Architaenioglossa
Viviparidae
(mystery snails)

Gills. Concentric operculum. Spiral shell dextrally coiled with rounded whorls. >15mm. Small radula with few (~7) teeth arranged in transverse series. Not hermaphroditic - give birth rather than laying eggs.

4 Great Lakes species (3 exotic)

Mesogastropoda
(Neotaenioglossa)
Pleuroceridae

Internal gills. Horny, ovate, paucispiral operculum. Shell narrowly to elongate conic. 15-40mm. Small radula with few (~7) teeth arranged in transverse series. Not hermaphroditic.
3 Great Lakes species. (1 nonindigenous)

Mesogastropoda
(Neotaenioglossa)
Hydrobiidae

Internal gills. Paucispiral or multispiral operculum with a subcentric nucleus. Small radula with few (~7) teeth arranged in transverse series. Conical shells <10mm. Not hermaphroditic - oviparous or live bearers.
11 Great Lakes species
(2 nonindigenous).

Mesogastropoda
(Neotaenioglossa)
Bithyniidae

Not hermaphroditic. Concentric operculum and gills. Small radula with few (~7) teeth arranged in transverse series. Spiral shell <15mm.
1 specie, (not indigenous to the Great Lakes).

Stylommatophora
Succineidae

Note: really a terrestrial order.

1 specie listed for Lake Huron wetlands - Oxyloma retusa

Species List

Class

• Order
  • Family
    • Genus
      • Species Reported Locations**

** Reported locations based on a limited literature search. Codes indicate presence reported but absence of a code should not be interpreted as a species absence.

• Architaenioglossa
  • Viviparidae
    • Campeloma sp.
      • C. decisum XE
    • Cipangopaludina spp.
      • C. chinensis malleata O (Exotic)
      • C. japonica E (Exotic)
    • Viviparus sp.
      • V. georgianus M (Exotic)
• Basommatophora
  • Ancylidae XR O
    • Ferrissia spp.
      • F. parallela R
      • F. parallelus X
      • F. rivularis O
    • Laevapex sp. X
      • L. fuscus X
  • Lymnaeidae XWR SMHEO
    • Acella sp. X
      • A. haldemani X
    • Fossaria (Lymnaea) spp. XR S
      • F. dalli X
      • F. decampi S
      • F. humilis WR HEO
      • F. modicella S
      • F. parva XS
    • Lymnaea spp. W SHEO
      • L. caperata W HEO
      • L. stagnalis X
    • Pseudosuccinea sp.
      • P. columella W SHO
    • Radix (Lymnaea)
      • R. auricularia W MO (Exotic)
    • Stagnicola (Lymnaea) sp. W S
      • S. catascopium R O
      • S. elodes X
      • S. exilis X
  • Physidae XWRN1 SHEO
    • Physa spp. W1 SHEO
      • P. heterostropha O
    • Physella spp. RN SEO
      • P. gyrina N O
      • P. gyrina sayi R
  • Planorbidae XWRN SHEO
    • Gyraulus spp. XWRN SHEO
      • G. circumstriatus S
      • G. deflectus XS
      • G. parvus XWRN SHEO
    • Helisoma spp. WRN SHEO
      • H. anceps RN SEO
      • H. trivolvis R
    • Planorbella sp. X
      • P. trivolvis X
    • Planorbula sp. X
      • P. armigera X
    • Promenetus sp.
      • P. exacuous XW H
• Heterostropha
  • Valvatidae
    • Valvata spp. XWRN1 SMHEO
      • V. lewisi R
      • V. piscinalis EO (Exotic)
      • V. sincera WRN1 SMHEO
      • V. tricarinata WRN SHEO
• Mesogastropoda (Neotaenioglossa)
  • Bithyniidae
    • Bithynia (Bythinia) sp.
      • B. tentaculata XWN MHEO (Exotic)
  • Hydrobiidae XWRN12 SHEO
    • Amnicola spp. XWRN1 SHEO
      • A. limosa X
    • (Cincinnatia) spp.
      • C. integra W E
      • C. limosa WRN1 SHEO
      • C. walkeri R
    • Gillia sp.
      • G. altilis O (Exotic)
    • Hoyia sp.
      • H. sheldoni M
    • Marstonia spp. 12 SO
      • M. decepta 12 O
      • M. lustrica S
    • Potamopyrgus sp.
      • P. antipodarum S (Exotic)
    • Probythinella
      • P. lacustris (emarginata) XN HO
    • Pyrgulopsis sp. X
      • P. lustricus X
  • Pleuroceridae XWRN HEO
    • Elimia (Goniobasis) sp. X
      • E. livescens WN HEO
      • E. virginica O (Exotic)
    • Pleurocera sp.
      • P. acuta R H
• Stylommatophora
  • Succineidae
    • Oxyloma sp.
      • O. retusa X

S (Lake Superior) based on:

• Vertical distribution of profundal benthos in Lake Superior Sediments. 1982. Ann S. Heuschele. JGLR 8(4)603-613.
• Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.
• Benthic Community Structure and Composition among rocky habitats in the Great Lakes and Keuka Lake, NY. 1987. Michael H. Winnell and David J. Jude. JGLR 13(1)3-17.
• Lake Superior: an invasion coldspot? 2003. Igor A. Grigorovich, Alexei V. Korniushin, Derek K. Gray, Ian C. Duggan, Robert I. Colautti& Hugh J. MacIsaac. Hydrobiologia 499: 191-210.

M (Lake Michigan) based on combination of:

• The Nearshore Benthic Invertebrate Community of Southern Lake Michigan and its Response to Beach Nourishment. 2004. Eric L. Garza and Richard L. Whitman. J. Great Lakes Res. 30(1):114-122.
• Abundance and biomass of the meiobenthos in nearshore Lake Michigan with comparisons to the macrobenthos. 1983. JGLR 9(4)530-547.
• Space as a limiting resource in freshwater systems: competition between zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and freshwater sponges (Porifera). 2004. Thomas E. Lauer & Anne Spacie. Hydrobiologia 517: 137-145.

H (Lake Huron) based on:

• Abundance, Biomass, and Species Composition of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Populations in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, 1987-96. Thomas Nalepa, David Fanslow, Margaret Lansing, Gregory Lang, Mark Ford, Gerald Gostenik, and David Hartson. NOAA Technical Memorandum GLERL-122.
• Relationships among zoobenthos, sediments, and organic matter in littoral zones of western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay. 1983. Richard A. Cole and Diana L. Weigmann. JGLR 9(4)568-581.
• Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.
• Benthic Community Structure and Composition among rocky habitats in the Great Lakes and Keuka Lake, NY. 1987. Michael H. Winnell and David J. Jude. JGLR 13(1)3-17.
• NOAA Great Lakes Nonindigenous Species List

C (St. Clair - Detroit River Corridor) based on:

• NOAA Great Lakes Nonindigenous Species List

E (Lake Erie) based on:

• Relationships among zoobenthos, sediments, and organic matter in littoral zones of western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay. 1983. Richard A. Cole and Diana L. Weigmann. JGLR 9(4)568-581.
• Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.
• Distribution of some common benthic invertebrates in nearshore Lake Erie, with emphasis on depth and type of substratus. 1988. David R. Barton. JGLR 14(1)34-43.
• Benthic and pelagic secondary production in Lake Erie after the invasion of Dreissena spp. with implications for fish production. 2000. Ora E. Johannsson, Ron Dermott, Donna M Graham, Julie A. Dahl, E. Scott Millard, Debra D. Myles, and Jennifer LeBlanc. JGLR 26(1)31-54.
• Changes in the benthic macroinvertebrate community of the Cleveland Harbor area of Lake Erie from 1978 to 1989. 1993. Kenneth A. Krieger and Lloyd S. Ross. JGLR 19(2) 237-249.
• Changes to the deepwater benthos of eastern Lake Erie since the invasion of Dreissena 1979-1993. 1997. R Dermott and D Kerec. CJFAS 54: 922-930.
• NOAA Great Lakes Nonindigenous Species List
• Changes in the Biodiversity of Freshwater Mussels in the Canadian Waters of the Lower Great Lakes Drainage Basin Over the Past 140 Years JL Metcalfe-Smith, SK Staton, GL Mackie, and NM Lane. J. Great Lakes Res. 24(4):845-858, 1998.

O (Lake Ontario) based on:

• Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.
• Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.
• Factors influencing changes in the nearshore benthic community on the Canadian site of Lake Ontario. 2000. Bruce W. Kilgour, Robert C. Bailey, and E Todd Howell. JGLR 26(3)272-286.
• Benthic macroinvertebrate communities of southwestern Lake Ontario following invasion of Dreissena. 1994. Timothy W. Stewart and James M. Haynes. JGLR 20(2)479-493.
• Benthic macroinvertebrate communities in southwestern Lake Ontario following invasion of Dreissena: Continuing change. 1999. James M. Haynes, Timothy W. Stewart, and George E. Cook. JGLR 25(4)828-838.
• NOAA Great Lakes Nonindigenous Species List
• Changes to the deepwater benthos of eastern Lake Erie since the invasion of Dreissena 1979-1993. 1997. R Dermott and D Kerec. CJFAS 54: 922-930.

X (Great Lakes coastal wetlands) based on:

• The ecology of invertebrates in Great Lakes coastal wetlands: current knowledge and research needs. 1992. Kenneth A. Krieger. JGLR 18(4)634-650.
• Burton, T.M., D.G. Uzarski and J.A. Genet. 2004.  Invertebrate habitat use in relation to fetch and plant zonation in northern Lake Huron coastal wetlands.  Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management. 7(2): 249-267

W (wave zone = 0-2m) based on:

• Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.

R (rocky habitats) based on: Benthic Community Structure and Composition among rocky habitats in the Great Lakes and Keuka Lake, NY. 1987. Michael H. Winnell and David J. Jude. JGLR 13(1)3-17. and Pothoven et al. In press.

L (littoral) based on: Relationships among zoobenthos, sediments, and organic matter in littoral zones of western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay. 1983. Richard A. Cole and Diana L. Weigmann. JGLR 9(4)568-581.

N (nearshore) based on:

• The Nearshore Benthic Invertebrate Community of Southern Lake Michigan and its Response to Beach Nourishment. 2004. Eric L. Garza and Richard L. Whitman. J. Great Lakes Res. 30(1):114-122.
• Distribution of some common benthic invertebrates in nearshore Lake Erie, with emphasis on depth and type of substratus. 1988. David R. Barton. JGLR 14(1)34-43.
• Factors influencing changes in the nearshore benthic community on the Canadian site of Lake Ontario. 2000. Bruce W. Kilgour, Robert C. Bailey, and E Todd Howell. JGLR 26(3)272-286.
• Pothoven et al. In press.

1 = 14-30m based on:

• Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.
• Factors influencing changes in the nearshore benthic community on the Canadian site of Lake Ontario. 2000. Bruce W. Kilgour, Robert C. Bailey, and E Todd Howell. JGLR 26(3)272-286.
• Pothoven et al. In press.

2 = 31-50m based on:Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society. and Pothoven et al. In press.

3 = 51-70m based on:Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.

4 = 71-90m based on:Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.

5 = >90m based on:Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.