Snails of the Potomac River

Thirty-seven species of freshwater snails have been identified in Maryland, according to data from the Maryland Biodiversity Project. The Potomac River is a snail haven, home to almost half of these known species. In this presentation, Aydin Orstan will report on his recent two-year snail survey, which added three more species to the list: Cipangopaludina cf. japonica, Gillia altilis, and Laevapex fuscus. While some snails may be difficult to find, others are highly abundant. Anyone kayaking in the shallow waters of the river in the summer may see thousands of Leptoxis carinata on the rocks below and hundreds of Elimia virginica on the muddy shores.

Aydin will introduce the snails, including the largest native species, Campeloma decisum, with shells up to 1.3 inches long and whose populations consist only of females, the 4-mm long limpet, Laevapex fuscus, only visible to the sharp-eyed who look under the rocks where it hides, and the larger Physa acuta, with its reverse-coiled shell, which may often be spotted outside of water since it breathes air.

In addition to information about snails, tips about kayaking safely in the river, and good spots to see snails will also be shared.

A native of Turkey, Aydin Orstan has a Ph.D. in chemistry, but his first love is natural history. He is a research associate at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, but conducts research work in the basement of his house in Maryland. Link to research:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aydin-Oerstan/research.