I am trying to identify the snail of the attached image. It was photographed in Cuatro Cienegas, Coahuila, Mexico by I. Domínguez.
Based on the shell sculpture, this snail resembles to the banded snail Mexithauma quadripaludium, but I have not found any information about if there is a white morphotype of this species, like the case of another endemic snail Mexipyrgus churinceanus.
I would like to identify this specimen, any help with this is welcome. Thanks for your help and comments.
A description of Mexithauma quadripaludium can be consulted on page 72 from the following document:
http://biostor.org/cache/pdf/b0/51/b8/b051b8e46eb0cb76de3c64bdfdf4fdfc.pdf
It's been quite a few years since I've looked at Cuatro Cienegas snails! But I am fairly certain that we saw very light specimens of Mexithauma. Do you know in which spring(s) it has been found?
Hi Peter,
The only information I have is that this picture was taken in a pool between Poza Azul and Rio Mesquites.
Hmm, ok. My notes are pretty old, but I'll look and see if we noted any similar morphs in that area! Nice to see ongoing work on the snails. It's a fascinating story.
Hi Eréndira,
Sé que han pasado muchos años de ésta pregunta y quizás ya tuvo una respuesta. Pero sí es una concha de Mexithauma quadripaludium, no es que sea un morfotipo distinto por ser la concha blanca, lo que pasa es que las bandas en color oscuro que tienen estas conchas es una capa epidérmica que se llama periostraco, el cual suele desprenderse. En el sedimento de las pozas de Cuatro ciénegas hay miles de conchas como las de la fotografía, y son conchas ya vacías. Por lo que podría decirse que al morir el animal el periostraco se va desprendiendo y queda la concha en color blanco.
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