Classification
Mesodon altivagus was named by Pilsbry in 1900 (Pilsbry, 1940).
Mesodon altivagus: In Latin, "vagus" means roving or
wandering. (Latin Dictionary, 2012) and
"meso" means middle (Gillis,
2012) According to Pilsbry, "altivaga"
translates
as wanderer on the heights (Pilsbry,
1940).
Common name: Wandering Globe Snail (Encyclopedia of Life, 2012).
Kingdom: Animalia-
Members of the kingdom Animalia are all multicellular and contains
over 1.5 million animal species (Encyclopedia
of Life, 2012).
Phylum: Mollusca-
Members of the phylum Mollusca are soft-bodied coelomates and
have a mantle that secretes the shell and creates a cavity for gills
or
lungs.
Members are found in terrestrial, marine, and freshwater
habitats (
Class: Gastropoda- Members of the
class Gastropoda are
asymmetrical with a
well-developed head and a broad flattened foot. They have also
undergone
torsion of 180 degrees because of the asymmetrical
coiling (Wilbur et al., 1964).
Order: Stylommatophora- Members of the order
Sylommatophora are fully
terrestrial (loss of gills), undergo direct
development, and are true
hermaphrodites
(Wilbur 1984).
Family: Polygyridae- Members of the family Polygyridae do not have a
dart
apparatus.
Genus: Mesodon-
Members of the Genus Mesodon
are heliciform and
contain transverse and spiral striations. Many
species also have a parietal tooth (Dourson,
2010).
Species: Mesodon
altivagus (Pilsbry
1900)- Mesodon
altivagus was named in 1900 by Henry Pilsbry.
M.
altivagus contains a smaller dresden brown colored shell
(Pilsbry 1940). They are commonly found
in the Great
Smokey Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Recent changes in their habitat, such as worsening air
quality, have led to a decline in their population
(Florida
Museum of Natural History, 2012)