Help me identify these tiny Ambersnail babs!

[gluckuk]

Some of you may know that I live in Tennessee. Currently Chattanooga. There are no native species of amber snails that I'm aware of, but I still see them from time to time in gardens and schools where plants have been imported.

I was walking around the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on a rainy day last saturday, watching my step to make sure I didn't squish anything, and I saw these two rascals on a sidewalk, exploring during the rain. They almost got stepped on!

You can't tell in the pictures, but these guys are tiny! like smaller than a BB pellet. Yet they aren't shy. They didnt' even retreat into their shells when I picked them up.

My questions: What are they? What conditions do they need to survive?

[snerdahmik]

I can't see a picture.

[littlegoldsnail]

They are adorable, those are definitely babies, I’m a little unsure about what kind though.

[snerdahmik]

I think the wifi I was connected to earlier blocked the image. I was in a public place. Sorry!

They look a lot like chittenango amber snails, but that can't be right because those are endemic to new york. Maybe they could've snuck over to TN on a plant somehow? I'll keep looking for another possible match, I doubt that's the real answer.

[gluckuk]

Oct 30, 2019 1:54:45 GMT snerdahmik said:

I think the wifi I was connected to earlier blocked the image. I was in a public place. Sorry!

They look a lot like chittenango amber snails, but that can't be right because those are endemic to new york. Maybe they could've snuck over to TN on a plant somehow? I'll keep looking for another possible match, I doubt that's the real answer.

I don't believe there are any ambersnails endemic to TN, so these must be hitchhikers of some kind! They were near some shrubbery the university recently planted.

[wolf]

Hi,

I'm sorry, but it's very very difficult to identify an amber snail species by just a picture, and if they are juvenile, it's nearly impossible. Even if the specimens are adult, in most cases a dissection (morphology of the genital apparatus) is necessary.

Kind regards: wolf

[gluckuk]

Oct 30, 2019 9:20:23 GMT wolf said:

Hi,

I'm sorry, but it's very very difficult to identify an amber snail species by just a picture, and if they are juvenile, it's nearly impossible. Even if the specimens are adult, in most cases a dissection (morphology of the genital apparatus) is necessary.

Kind regards: wolf

is there any way to narrow it down? Sub family? Region of the world endemic? I need to get as specific as I can without harming them, I'm planning to use this for a documentary. I've found a slightly older specimin if that helps.

[snerdahmik]

Oct 30, 2019 17:37:06 GMT gluckuk said:

Oct 30, 2019 9:20:23 GMT wolf said:

Hi,

I'm sorry, but it's very very difficult to identify an amber snail species by just a picture, and if they are juvenile, it's nearly impossible. Even if the specimens are adult, in most cases a dissection (morphology of the genital apparatus) is necessary.

Kind regards: wolf

is there any way to narrow it down? Sub family? Region of the world endemic? I need to get as specific as I can without harming them, I'm planning to use this for a documentary. I've found a slightly older specimen if that helps.

Post another picture! I'll try to help if I can, it's worth a shot.

It does look a lot like the species I mentioned, but to be safe, you should measure the snail from it's shell opening to the apex, the shell width, and take pictures from multiple angles. That would help a lot to identify it properly.

[wolf]

Hi gluckuk,
sorry, but it will be very very difficult to get a reasonably solid/valid (!) determination.
Don't worry: even in official scientific papers sometimes only the family (in this case: Succineidae) or genus is named.
In
MARQUEZ, P. & K.E. PEREZ (2015): Picture guide of some Tennessee snails & slugs for survey inspectors -- www.npdn.org/system/files/WPDN%20Snail%20Guide%20COPY%20TENNESSEE.pdf
they write: "Succineidae spec. of. No specialist available for this group."
The only Succineidae species from Tennessee I know is Succinea greerii (the Dryland Ambersnail), but there might be more species of this family in this state.
Best of luck: wolf