Oreohelix sp.
Oreohelix land snails are endemic to the western United States and particularly the Rocky Mountains, Great Basin and Southwest. There are seven species known to occur in Utah: Oreohelix eurekensis, O. haydeni, O. parawanensis, O. peripherica, O. strigosa, O. subrudis, and O. Yavapai (Pilsbry 1939).
I believe most of the shells above belong to Oreohelix peripherica (Deseret Mountainsnail) and specifically the recognized sub-species Oreohelix peripherica wasatchensis (named after the Wasatch Mountain Range where we have found all of these specimens while poking around the Wasatch Front).
These snails have obviously been racing around the region for a long time - here is a fossilized representative we found (below left) displayed next to its modern day cousin!
We collect the intact shells when we find them and have been using them for craft projects. The Things love painting and coloring on them :) After a long soak to get the dirt out and a little bit of bleach water to lift the stains, these shells make a great canvas.
|
|
|
Utah Snail References
Pilsbry, H. A., 1939. Land Mollusca of North America (North of Mexico). Monograph No 3 of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Vol. 1, Part 1. Philadelphia, 377 and 573