Balcones ghostsnail
Balconorbis uvaldensis Hershler & Longley, 1986
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Gastropoda |
| Order | Littorinimorpha |
| Family | Cochliopidae |
| Genus | Balconorbis |
| Species | Balconorbis uvaldensis Hershler & Longley, 1986 |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Stygobiont
- Realm
- Aquatic
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
- Maximum length
- 1.02-1.15 (diameter) mm
Distribution
Type locality
George Ligocky Farm, Well No. H-5-158, Edwards Aquifer, Uvalde Co., TX
Range
Known from three counties in Texas in the Edwards Plateau and Balcones karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Texas
Counties
- Texas
- Edwards, Kinney, Uvalde
Karst regions
Edwards Plateau and Balcones
Genetics
Molecular resources
| Marker | Molecule | Sequences | Length | Exemplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COI | mitochondrial | 7 | 632-657 bp | PP844665.1 |
| 28S | nuclear | 2 | 355-722 bp | PP860062.1 |
9 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.
Download all 9 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.
Specimens
Type material
- Holotype
- MO359084 · Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
- Paratype
- MO359085 · Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center, Texas State University | 43 |
| Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University | 2 |
| National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution | 2 |
47 cataloged lots in 3 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 47 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
NatureServe
G1G2 Critically Imperiled to Imperiled
Global rank last reviewed 20 May 2026.
Subnational ranks
- Texas
- S3 Vulnerable
Ranks looked up 23 August 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Other resources
References
- Gladstone, N.S., Niemiller, M.L., Hutchins, B., Schwartz, B., Czaja, A., Slay, M.E. & Whelan, N.V. 2022. Subterranean freshwater gastropod biodiversity and conservation in the United States and Mexico. Conservation Biology 36: e13722. doi:10.1111/cobi.13722
- Hershler, R. & Longley, G. 1986. Phreatic hydrobiids (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) from the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer region, south-central Texas. Malacologia 27: 127–172. https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/11313/iz_HershlerLongley1986a.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. details
This account was last revised 28 August 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 23 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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