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Cave Biology Data Portal
Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe
AnimaliaMolluscaGastropodaBasommatophoraPhysidaePhysa

Cave Physa
Physella spelunca Turner & Clench, 1974

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Order Basommatophora
Family Physidae
Genus Physa
Species Physella spelunca Turner & Clench, 1974

Synonyms

Haitia spelunca (R. D. Turner & Clench, 1974)
Physa spelunca R. D. Turner & Clench, 1974

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class
Stygobiont
Realm
Aquatic
Troglomorphy
Troglomorphic
Maximum body length
11 mm

Distribution

Type locality

Lower Kane Cave, Big Horn Co., WY

Range

Known from Wyoming in the Other karst region.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

Wyoming

Counties

County-level records have not been compiled for this taxon. Distribution is recorded at state and karst-region level.

Karst regions

Other

Genetics

Molecular resources

MarkerMoleculeSequences LengthExemplar
16S mitochondrial 2 507-511 bp AY651243.1
COI mitochondrial 2 616-629 bp AY651205.1

4 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.

Download all 4 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.

Specimens

Type material

Paratype
95983 · Delaware Museum of Nature and Science
Paratype
280018 · Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard

Collections holding material

InstitutionLots
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 7
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution 2
Delaware Museum of Nature and Science 1
Alabama Museum of Natural History 1

11 cataloged lots in 4 collections. Compiled from GBIF and not an exhaustive census: many collections are not yet digitised, and holdings are added continually. Search GBIF for specimen records.

Download all 11 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.

Conservation and management

IUCN Red List

VU Vulnerable A1ce

EXEWCRENVU▲NTLC

Assessed in 1996.

NatureServe

G1 Critically Imperiled

G1▲G2G3G4G5

Global rank last reviewed 26 February 2008.

Subnational ranks

Wyoming
S1 Critically Imperiled

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

Other resources

Catalogue of Life
4HH25
GBIF
5189797
ITIS
76728
NCBI Taxonomy
283760

How to cite this account

Physella spelunca Turner & Clench, 1974. Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-1376. https://cavebiology.org/species/physella-spelunca/ (accessed 3 September 2026).

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.

Cave Biology Data Portal

Species accounts, distributions, and conservation status for the subterranean fauna of North America and around the globe, with resources for the cave and karst research community.

Text and data CC BY 4.0. Images all rights reserved unless stated.

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