GENETIC ASSESSMENT OF SPRINGSNAILS (PYRGULOPSIS) FOR INVENTORY, MONITORING AND CONSERVATION ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN IN NEVADA AND UTAH.

Kristy L Pilgrim; USFS National Genomics Center; kristine.pilgrim@usda.gov; Michael Young, Eric Miskow, Kathryn Perez, Chante Lundskog, Michael Schwartz

Springsnails are tiny, frequently cryptic, aquatic gastropods that are endemic and adapted to small springs, many with limited distribution. The Pyrgulopsis genus alone may have over 100 species, many of which are recognized as Species of Greatest Conservation Need and several are proposed to be or are currently listed under the Endangered Species Act. Springsnails are found throughout the Great Basin with the largest concentration in Nevada and Utah. There are over 35,000 individual springs in the two states, and determining springsnail presence and species composition is both challenging and critical. With expanding development, increasing groundwater extraction and habitat destruction, there’s growing concern for springsnail persistence. Over the past five years there has been a concentrated effort by several state and federal agencies to answer these questions. Our agency partners used systematic sampling to inventory key springs. We then applied a molecular species delineation approach to identify Pyrgulopsis species and their distribution. The data is then compiled into an accessible database to aid with conservation and management of these important organisms.

Natural History of Invertebrates