Classification

Scientific name:  Allogona ptychophora

The meaning of the word Allogona comes from the Greek words allos gone, meaning "different genitalia" (It's all greek, 2010).  The meaning of the word ptychophora is in reference to the shell sculpture, and means "bearing folds" (Terrestrial, 1870).

Common name:  Idaho Forestsnail

Domain Eukarya- The broad taxa includes all organisms that have deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that is enclosed within a nucleus. Also, these organisms have eukaryotic cells (Ursu, 2010).

Kingdom Animalia- This kingdom has organisms that are multicellular, have no cell walls or chloroplasts, and are heterotrophic (Ursu, 2010).

Phylum Mollusca- Organisms that fall in this tax have a coelom, mantle, radula, muscular foot, and are triploblastic (Hickman et al., 2009).  A coelom is a body cavity.  The radula is a mouth part used to scrape or tear food.

Class Gastropoda-  Gastropods are organisms that have a 180° torsion of their visceral mass and a well-developed head (Wilbur, 1964).  This taxa includes snails and slugs.

Subclass Pulmonata- Organisms in which the mantle cavity has been modified into an air-breathing lung, and most organisms also have two pairs of tentacles that can be retracted (Hickman et al., 2009).

Order Stylommotophora- This taxa has organisms with two pairs of retractile tentacles.  The hind pair of tentacles has eyes at the tip.  These organism tend to be terrestrial.

Family Polygyridae- Organisms in this taxa have a ribbed jaw (Zipcode Zoo, 2010).  A ribbed jaw means there tends to be teeth versus a smooth one without teeth.  There are various other anatomical features that set them apart (Zipcode Zoo, 2010).

Genus Allogona-  Organisms having an umbilicate shell, with a white reflective peristome (Leonard, 1959).  These snails also have a single blunt tooth (Leonard, 1959).

Species Allogona ptychophora- Differ from other species in this genus only slightly.  The shell of the Allogona ptychophora tends to be decreased in size and the shell is not as intricate or that the ribbing pattern is not as apparent(Smith, 1943).

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