Habitat

The Fossaria parva are considered a freshwater, semi aquatic (sometimes referred to, loosely, as “amphibious”) snail and tend to find small, sometimes temporary, pools of water in which to reside.  Many times the snail will favor uneven land surfaces, where interim pools of water are most likely to accumulate, and create hollows in which they will inhabit (Forsyth, 1957).  Some snails can be sensitive to the pH level of water when deciding where to live.  In a study done in Minnesota, it was found that F. parva tend to inhabit in or around water that is between pH level 5.2 through 6.5 and tend to live in faster-moving water than the their lymnaeid counterparts (Averbeck, 1989).    When not in the water, F. parva will remain nearby on land, usually on a moist surface such as a rock, log or wet leaf near the water's edge (The Skipper Project, 2011).

According to the online encyclopedia, Nature Serve, the Fossaria parva is found in various locations across North America.  In the United States, the pygmy fossaria is found in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington.  In Canada, this species is also found in the following Provinces: British Colombia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.  In most areas in which this snail dwells, the prevalence of these animals are unknown and considered still under review, meaning that conservationists are still in the process of determining which areas the Fossaria parva are in need of protection/conservation or not.  There are some places, however, in which numbers are known and different conservation levels have been applied.  Unfortunately, the pygmy fossaria is considered vulnerable (meaning their numbers are in danger of depleting) in New York and British Colombia, imperiled (meaning few members in the population remaining) in Connecticut and critically imperiled (which means very few members remain in the population) in Utah.  On the other hand, the population of these animals in Oklahoma, Virginia and Alberta are classified as apparently secure (their numbers show no threat of depleting at this time) and secure (their numbers are stable) in Colorado and Ontario. (Nature Serve, 2010)

Below is a map depicting the distribution of the freshwater snail Fossaria parva.  The different colors represent different conservation levels and correspond with the coloring in the paragraph above.