page_title: Chittenango ovate amber snail
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Chittenango ovate amber snail / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: SEM black and white photo of a jaw of Novisuccinea chittenangoensis. FMNH 175425. Maganification 38.2×.
context_page_description: The Chittenango ovate amber snail, scientific name Novisuccinea chittenangoensis, is a species of small air-breathing land snail in the family Succineidae, the amber snails. This species was discovered in 1905, and was reported three years later as a subspecies of the oval ambersnail, Succinea ovalis. Several taxonomic reviews took place in the subsequent decades until the end of the 1980s, when the Chittenango ovate amber snail was finally judged to be a distinct species Novisuccinea chittenangoensis, based on chemical and morphological data.
  The Chittenango ovate amber snail is endemic to the Chittenango area of Madison County, New York, United States. There is only one population of this species at Chittenango Falls State Park in central New York, even though it was believed to have a broader range previously; based on fossil records, some authors argue that the distribution of this species may have been much wider in the past. In opposition to this, other authors argue that it is impossible to identify this species based on fossil records, because they only allow for examination of shell features.
context_section_description: The shell of Novisuccinea chittenangoensis is ovate, slender, acute, and of moderate thickness. The shell suture is deep. The spire is gently convex, laterally compressed, with 3¼ whorls. The spire is long, slightly less than half the shell length, and the aperture is very oblique. The shell color is subtranslucent, calcareous pale yellow to white. The surface is somewhat glossy and marked with growth wrinkles and lines. The size varies somewhat, but adult specimens of the type lot averaged 20.9 millimeters (mm) in shell length. Various adult specimens measured during the summer of 1981 and 1982 ranged from 19 to 24 mm.
  Hatchlings measure 1 to 2 mm in shell length, and yearlings average around 10 mm. Measurements of all Novisuccinea chittenangoensis in 2002 ranged from 7 to 23 mm.
  The base color of the living animal is very pale subtranslucent yellow. The mantle, kidney, and hepatopancreas are visible through the shell but are often slightly obscured by the thickness of the shell. The dorsal surface of the mantle is pale yellow, tinted with olive, often marked with black streaks and blotches. Over the hepatopancreas is a golden yellow tessellation that is marked with gray or black spots and streaks. A dark marking on the posterior surface of the foot is distinctive. However, the mark is not present on the hatchlings, making them impossible to identify in the field. The mark becomes obvious once the snail reaches approximately 6 to 9 mm in length.
caption: Jaw
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