New distribution record for the rare limpet Acroloxus coloradensis (Henderson, 1930) (Gastropoda: Acroloxidae) from Montana

Abstract

The Rocky Mountain Capshell, Acroloxus coloradensis (Henderson, 1930), the only North American member of the basommatophoran family Acroloxidae, is broadly distributed across southern Canada and south into the Rocky Mountains in the USA (Turgeon et al., 1998; Lee and Ackerman, 2000). Despite its wide geographic range, A. coloradensis has been documented from < 30 locations, mostly in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec (Lee and Ackerman, 2000; Anderson, 2005). Relict populations of A. coloradensis in the USA have been documented from only 6 sites in Colorado and 2 sites in Glacier National Park (Glacier NP), Montana (Anderson, 2005; Ellis et al., 2004). In Glacier NP, A. coloradensis was first reported from Lost Lake (Figure 1; Russell and Brunson, 1967). A second population in the park was discovered in Trout Lake in 2001 (Ellis et al., 2004). In both lakes, A. coloradensis was found primarily under rocks and other cover objects.