BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Vespericola columbianus
Northwest Hesperian
| Scientific Name: | Vespericola columbianus |
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| English Name: | Northwest Hesperian |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S5 |
| Date Status Assigned: | March 24, 2005 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | March 11, 2025 |
| Reasons: | This is a widely distributed species, nearly ubiquitous along whole coast and into wetter areas inland. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | G = 200,000-2,500,000 square km |
| Range Extent Comments: | This species is found throughout BC with an estimated range extent of over 800,000 km2. It is particularly prevalent along the coast, including Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Island (GBIF, accessed 12 December 2024). |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | U = Unknown |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | E = > 300 |
| Comments: | The number of occurrences is greater than 1800 (Forsyth 2014). There are 884 observations in iNaturalist (accessed 12 December 2024) and 715 in GBIF (accessed 12 December 2024). As a larger, easy to identify snail, there are more records than many of the much smaller snails. |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Population Size: | U = Unknown |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | Wide range of habitats in predominantly forested areas from sea level to the subalpine, where sufficient precipitation occurs. Also on grassy, open seaside habitats where it lives under driftwood. They appear to be found in enough habitats, including higher elevations, that threats are overall likely low. |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Long-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Environmental Specificity: | D=Broad. Generalist or community with all key requirements common. |
| Comments: | Found in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, as well as in open areas under vegetation, wood, and rocks. It can also be found under driftwood and logs along the seashore and at higher elevations (Forsyth 2004). |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Ramsay, L. (2024), Forsyth, R. and L. Gelling (2015) |
| Date: | December 12, 2024 |
| References | |
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Forsyth, R. 2014. General Status rank assessment of the terrestrial molluscs of British Columbia. Prepared for Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada. Gatineau, PQ.
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Forsyth, R.G. 2003a. Land snails of British Columbia. Online. Available: http://www3.telus.net/rforsyth/index.html (no longer available)
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Forsyth, R.G. 2004. Land snails of British Columbia. University of British Columbia Press. Vancouver, BC. 176pp.
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GBIF.org. 2024ax. GBIF. Occurrence download for Vespericola columbianus; Accessed 12 December 2024.
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iNaturalist community. 2024y. Observations of Vespericola columbianus from British Columbia, Canada. Exported from www.inaturalist.org on 12 December 2024.
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2024. Conservation Status Report: Vespericola columbianus. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 17, 2026).