WildEarth Guardians

Monday, August 1, 2011
Feds Propose to List Chupadera Springsnail as "Endangered"

Two Tiny Springs also Proposed as Critical Habitat for the Species
Contact: Mark Salvo (503) 757-4221

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to list the highly imperiled Chupadera springsnail as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and proposed to designate 1.9 acres as critical habitat at the only two springs where the species has been known to occur. The springsnail was initially made a candidate for protection under the ESA in 1984.

“Listing is long overdue for the Chupadera springsnail,” said Mark Salvo of WildEarth Guardians. “Twenty-seven years is a long time to wait, particularly for such an imperiled species.”  

The Chupadera springsnail is endemic to Willow Spring and an unnamed spring on private land at the southeast end of the Chupadera Mountains in Socorro County, New Mexico. The two hillside groundwater discharges are located a third of a mile apart. The Fish and Wildlife Service believes the snail has been extirpated from the unnamed spring, but might still occur at Willow Spring. Unfortunately, the agency cannot confirm the species’ status because biologists have been barred from monitoring either spring since 1999 when a new owner began denying access to the property. The springsnail has not been seen for more than a decade.

The Chupadera springsnail is a small to medium-sized hydrobiid snail, which are distinguished by the presence of eyes on long antennae and their conical shell. The Chupadera springsnail’s shell color varies from tan to brown, making it darker in color than any other snail in its genus. Little is known about the Chupadera springsnail, although its biology and habitat requirements appear to be similar to other freshwater snails. It is found on firm surfaces, such as rocks, dead wood, and plants at the spring source. It is probably an herbivore or detritivore that feeds on algae, bacteria, and decaying organic material, or that passively ingests small invertebrates while feeding. The snail almost certainly depends on a constant flow of clean, cold water to persist.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has identified a number of threats to the Chupadera springsnail, including intensive livestock grazing that degrades riparian habitat; groundwater pumping; spring impoundment and dewatering; water contamination; restricted range and mobility; fragmented habitat; and drought.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish petitioned to list the Chupadera springsnail under the Endangered Species Act in 1985, a year after the Fish and Wildlife Service designated the species a candidate for listing. The agency found listing “warranted, but precluded” in 1988 and left the species on the candidate list for the next 23 years. Both the International Union for Conservation of Nature and NatureServe list the snail as “critically endangered.” WildEarth Guardians identified the Chupadera springsnail as among the “Top 40” most imperiled candidate species in 2009.