COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Black Hills mountainsnail Oreohelix cooperi in Canada.: CW69-14/807-2021E-PDF

"Globally, this small (shell width about 1 cm) land snail is confined to four mountainous "sky islands" on the Great Plains of North America. In Canada, it occurs only in the Cypress Hills of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Known from this area since 1905, albeit under a different name, this species occurs on ridges, hilltops, cliffs, and slopes at or near the sand, silt, cobbles, and conglomerates of the Cypress Hills Formation. The snails are patchily distributed within these habitats. It is absent from the gently sloping southern exposure of the Cypress Hills and seldom occurs in the valley bottoms. This slow-moving species is susceptible to catastrophic wildfire, exacerbated by a build-up of fuels from fire suppression over the past century and drought associated with climate change. Introduced species, including ground-foraging Wild Turkey and a parasite, are a growing concern"--Reason for designation, page iii.

Permanent link to this Catalogue record:
publications.gc.ca/pub?id=9.901534&sl=0

• MARC XML format
• MARC HTML format

Request alternate formats