| Virginia fringed mountain snail | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Panpulmonata clade Eupulmonata clade Stylommatophora informal group Sigmurethra |
| Superfamily: | Helicoidea |
| Family: | Polygyridae |
| Genus: | Polygyriscus |
| Species: | P. virginianus |
| Binomial name | |
| Polygyriscus virginianus (P. R. Burch, 1947) |
|
Polygyriscus is a monotypic genus[1] of snails containing the single species Polygyriscus virginianus, known commonly as the Virginia fringed mountain snail or the Virginia coil.[2] It is endemic to Virginia to the United States. It was listed as federally endangered species on 2 August 1978.[3]
This snail was described in 1947. It is very rare; the snail has only been seen on bluffs along the New River in Pulaski County, Virginia. Only four adult specimens have been observed since 1978 and no juveniles have been seen since 1971. The snail is also difficult to locate because it is only 4 millimeters long and may burrow up to 2 meters into the soil.[1]