Facts of Discovery and Physical Description

The Vertigo meramecensis was found in the Meramec River drainage on a warm and muggy day in 1979 by Amy Schraeder Van Devender.

 

The distinct jaw of the Bluff Vertigo- Photo permission granted by Staff at The Nautilus for use of photo from Van Devener, S. 1979. A new Vertigo (Pulmonata:Pupillidae) from the Ozarkian uplift. The Nautilis 93: 70-73.What separates this species from others in this genus is its oblong shell tapering with five well rounded whirls. The shell surface has strong small striations and is said to be a translucent chestnut /cinnamon brown color. The species is 1.86 mm long and 1.15 mm wide. (Van Devender 1979) Though it is usually very difficult to distinguish between species of this genus, the Bluff vertigo next to last whorl bears a crest and the ventral side teeth on the snail are more recessed than the teeth closest to the dorsal side.

 

This organism is particularly interesting to me since it is found and was discovered in the Midwest. Since the Vertigo meramecensis is endangered it is important to find and publish information about it before it goes extinct.