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Photo by Dr. Kevin J. Roe
Photo Courtesy of Delaware Museum of Natural History; Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Yavapai mountainsnail
Oreohelix yavapai
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G5
State (S-rank): S1
External links
Species range
This species has been reported only from two widely separated localities in Utah, one on Navajo Mountain and one in the Abajo Mountains near Monticello, both in San Juan County. Clarke and Hovingh (1994) discuss specimens "near Taggerts, Morgan County, in Weber Canyon" that "closely resemble O. yavapai ...." They add, though, that "[s]imilar specimens from that area have been identified as O. haydeni oquirrhensis form gabbiana (Hemphill) by Henderson & Daniels (1917)."
Habitat
Navajo Mountain, according to Ferriss (1920), is primarily composed of sandstone, in some places heavily eroded into complex structure--"[m]any fairy bowers, coves and valleys" using Ferriss' terminology. On this mountian Ferriss (1920) reported finding this species, though not alive, "[a]mong the rocks of a large canyon west of Endische Springs" and also mentioned finding it "in the rock slides."
In the Abajo Mountains, Ferriss (1920) found this species "in the shale and also scattered among the rock slides and the aspens" in a setting of "peaks ... covered by thick groves of aspen and spruce with large open spaces of coarse grass and slides of sandstone fringed with wild currants and raspberries."
Threats or limiting factors
Clarke and Hovingh (1994) described heavy human disturbance and alterations to the environment on and around Navajo Mountain. Whether grazing and human activities have resulted in the extirpation of this population is not known; Clarke and Hovingh (1994) concluded, however, that "[a]lthough sheep grazing on Navajo Mountain and possible forest fires in both areas [i.e., Navajo Mountain and the Abajo Mountains near Monticello] could impact the subspecies [CUMMINGSI], there appear to be no current threats to its existence."
