DWR biologists discover new native snail species in the Uinta Mountains

The boreal top snail. Photo: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

UINTA MOUNTAINS — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) biologists recently discovered a new native snail species — the zoogenetes harpa snail, commonly known as the boreal top snail — in Dry Fork Canyon in the Uinta Mountains.

About a month later after the find, they saw the same species in Big Brush Creek Canyon, which is also in the Uintas. Eight live boreal top snails have been found in total in the area.

The biologists marked the snail as an official new species to Utah. There are now a total of 125 snail species in the state.

“Finding a new species is very exciting because it shows that there are still many things to be learned and discovered when it comes to the natural world, and it shows that there is still a lot that we don’t know yet,” DWR Native Aquatics Biologist Jordon Detlor said. “That excitement and spirit of discovery is what drew me into the field of natural resources.”

The boreal top snail only measures about 4 millimeters in length on average (about the size of a grain of quinoa).

According to DWR, they have a very unique shell — which displays a reddish-brown color with a cone shape that has ribbing along the bottom spirals.

The species can be found all over the world, in places such as Japan, the Swiss Alps, northern Russia, and Scandinavia.

“Because land snails feed on living and dead plant material and help break down leaf litter and rotting wood, they are an important piece of the puzzle for healthy, functional ecosystems,” Detlor said. “They in turn are a food source for different insects, small mammals and even some birds, including grouse and turkeys. Snails are part of the rich diversity of wildlife that we enjoy here in Utah.”