Newcomb's Littorine Snail (Littorina subrotundata)
This article was originally published by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as part of its annual report Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in Washington.
State Status: Removed, 2010
Federal Status: Species of concern
Recovery Plans: None
Newcomb’s littorine snail, also known as the saltmarsh or Newcomb’s periwinkle, was placed on the state candidate list in 1997, but was removed in 2010. It is a common coldwater North Pacific marine gastropod. The species has been studied in recent years and is now known to range from Humbolt Bay in California north to Alaska and west to Russia and the Kurile Islands (J. Carlton, correspondence on file). It is common or abundant in many estuaries and bays along the entire northwest coast. It was once believed to be a very localized salt-marsh species, but more recent study clarified the taxonomy of the species. Recent genetic analysis that included samples from Mukkaw Bay, Grays Harbor, and Shi Shi Beach in Washington confirms the wide distribution and identity of the species (Kyle and Boulding 1998).
Literature Cited
Kyle, C. J. and E. G. Boulding. 1998. Molecular genetic evidence for parallel evolution in a marine gastropod, Littorina subrotundata. Proceedings Royal Society London B, 265:303-308.
