> Spilochlamys turgida (Thompson 1969)
 
> Habitat & Distribution
This is one of three nominal species of Georgia hydrobiids endemic (or nearly endemic) to springs and spring-fed tribuarties of the Ocmulgee River in the vicinity of Hawkinsville.  The FLMNH also holds a few collections of S. turgida from tributaries of the Oconee River in Laurens County.  Watson (2000) characterized their habitat as "relatively undisturbed pools of springs or small streams," with substrate "mud-silt-sand mixture, sometimes with leaf litter and woody debris."
   

> Ecology & Life history
No specific life history data are as yet available for Spilochlamys.  Males bear a relatively large, bladelike penis above their heads, females lay single, hemispherical egg capsules (Hershler 1994).    

> Taxonomy & Systematics
Like Marstonia, Notogillia, and Floridobia, the genus Spilochlamys belongs to the hydrobiid subfamily Nymphophilinae, males being characterized by a lobe-shaped penis (or verge) with surficial glandular patterns (Kabat and Hershler 1993, Hershler et al. 2003, Thompson 2004).  The penis of S. turgida has been figured by Thompson (1969).

Its nymphophiline penial morphology together with its relatively large shell, depressed apex and squarish shoulders makes S. turgida distinct from any other Georgia hydrobiid.  There are two other species of Spilochlamys in Florida, bearing slightly different arrangements of glands on the penis and somewhat higher spires (Thompson 1968).

> Map of Spilochlamys distribution (PDF)


> References
Hershler, R. (1994)  A review of the North American freshwater snail genus Pyrgulopsis (Hydrobiidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 1994; 0(554):1-115.   Hershler, R., H. Liu, and F.G. Thompson (2003)  Phylogenetic relationships of North American nymphophiline gastropods based on mitochondrial DNA sequences.  Zoologica Scripta 32:357-366.   Kabat, A.R., and R. Hershler (1993) The prosobranch snail family Hydrobiidae (Gastropoda: Rissooidea): review of classification and supraspecific taxa. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 547:1-94.   Thompson, F.G. (1968)  The Aquatic Snails of the Family Hydrobiidae of Peninsular Florida. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, Florida, USA.   Thompson, F.G. (1969) Some hydrobiid snails from Georgia and Florida. Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 32:241-265.  Thompson, F.G. (2004) An identification manual for the freshwater snails of Florida.   Watson, C. N.  (2000)  Results of a survey for selected species of Hydrobiidae (Gastropoda) in Georgia and Florida.  pp. 233 - 244 in Freshwater Mollusk Symposium Proceedings (Tankersley et al, eds)  Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus.   Thompson, F. G. & R. Hershler (2002)  Two genera of North American freshwater snails: Marstonia Baker, 1926, resurrected to generic status, and Floridobia, new genus (Prosobranchia: Hydrobiidae: Nymphophilinae).  The Veliger 45: 269 - 271.