BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Hemphillia burringtoni
Keeled Jumping-slug
| Scientific Name: | Hemphillia burringtoni |
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| Scientific Name Synonyms: |
Hemphillia glandulosa
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| English Name: | Keeled Jumping-slug |
| English Name Synonyms: |
Warty Jumping-slug
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| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S2? |
| Date Status Assigned: | December 01, 2015 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | March 26, 2025 |
| Reasons: | In B.C., this species is known only from southern Vancouver Island. Habitat loss, fragmentation, drought and degradation resulting from clear-cut logging and residential development are the greatest threats. The low number of scattered populations makes the species particularly vulnerable to both anthropogenic and natural disturbances. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | E = 5,000-20,000 square km |
| Range Extent Estimate (km2): | 5126 |
| Range Extent Comments: | This species is known from an area of about 5100 sq km on southern Vancouver Island (COSEWIC 2013d; NatureServe Explorer, accessed 10 October 2024). No recent observations have been recorded to expand the range extent (GBIF, accessed 10 October 2024). |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | E = 26-125 |
| Area of Occupancy Comments: | 104 sq km (26 grid cells) is based on known occurrences. "...the actual IAO (area of occupancy) is larger, as much potential habitat remains unsurveyed and the species is unlikely to be found unless specifically searched for. However, because of the patchy distribution of the species and its apparent absence over large tracts of land in drier forest within the Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone in the south and east of the island, the IAO is unlikely to be more than 2000 km2" (COSEWIC 2013d). |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | BC = 6 - 80 |
| Comments: | As of 2021, the BC CDC has 20 mapped occurrences on Vancouver Island; four are historical. This is likely an underestimate, as not all suitable habitat has been searched (COSEWIC 2013d). |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Percent Area with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | 2008: Several occurrences on the west coast of Vancouver Island may have good viability, but little data are available. These occurrences include the lower Muir Creek area, where relatively high densities of slugs have been found, Sombrio-Noyse Creek area with 5 locality records, and Lower Carmanah Valley with 2 locality records and relatively large tracts of undisturbed habitat. Viability in the other areas (Bamfield, East Sooke) is unknown; the species is known from only 1-2 specimens, and the habitat is fragmented. Viability may be poor at all sites from the interior and east coast of the island due to extensive habitat fragmentation and alteration by logging and other human activities, which summer droughts, predicted to become more prevalent under climate change scenarios, are likely to accentuate (K. Ovaska, pers. comm. 2008). |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Population Size: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | The number of mature individuals is unknown, although the slugs can be locally abundant in suitable moist sites in some areas (COSEWIC 2003, 2013d). |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | B = High |
| Comments: | Fragmentation and loss of habitat from logging practices is likely the greatest threat to this species; the rate of forest loss on Vancouver Island is the highest in the province (COSEWIC 2003b, 2013d). Fragmentation of forest caused by clearcut logging could curtail dispersal and gene-flow, especially in drier forest types such as found in south-central and eastern Vancouver Island, and diminish quantity and quality of coarse woody debris that provides shelter. Residential development is also a threat to important habitats in coastal areas from Port Renfrew to Sooke, which are vulnerable to conversion of forests to residential areas or other purposes. Competition with introduced gastropods is a potential threat at some localities (K. Ovaska, pers. comm. 2008). Other threats include summer droughts and wildfires, which have become more prevalent under climate change. The species can occupy young seral stages and small habitat patches in suitable areas. |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | Nothing is known about population or distribution trends of this species in BC (COSEWIC 2003b, COSEWIC 2013d). Logging, land-clearing, and other human activities have extensively modified habitats throughout southern Vancouver Island both over the long- and short-term and have probably resulted in fragmentation and shrinking of populations (K. Ovaska, pers. comm. 2008). |
| Long-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | Forests throughout Vancouver Island have undergone extensive loss and fragmentation since European colonization (COSEWIC 2003b, COSEWIC 2013d). Habitats on the south and east coast of the island, in particular, have been greatly altered by urban development and land clearing, and it is likely that the distribution has become fragmented and populations have shrunk or disappeared from these areas. The species may have disappeared from two historical sites on the southeast coast where it was found in 1900 and 1914, but these areas have received little survey effort (COSEWIC 2003b, COSEWIC 2013d). |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | B=Moderately vulnerable |
| Comments: | Low dispersal ability likely contributes to vulnerability of populations in fragmented landscapes. Reproductive biology of the species is largely unknown, and its contribution to recovery rates and vulnerability cannot be assessed at present. The species exists at the northern limits of its range on Vancouver Island and might be subjected to climatic and ecological constraints (K. Ovaska, pers. comm. 2008). |
| Environmental Specificity: | C=Moderate. Generalist or community with some key requirements scarce. |
| Comments: | These slugs require very moist forest floor conditions, such as riparian areas or in the shade under canopy in moist forest types (COSEWIC 2003b). Decaying logs or other moist shelter sites are also required (K. Ovaska, pers. comm. 2008). |
| Other Rank Considerations: | This species is endemic to coastal forests of western North America. It is an important contributor to forest biodiversity in BC (COSEWIC 2003b). |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | Research is needed in the following areas: (1) population size and dynamics; (2) life history and reproductive biology; (3) spatial requirements and size of occupied areas within suitable habitat; (4) habitat associations and key habitat features; (5) forestry interactions (K. Ovaska, pers. comm. 2008). |
| Inventory Needs: | The following areas need to be surveyed: (1) historic localities and their vicinity on the east coast of Vancouver Island; (2) unsurveyed areas in the south-central part of the island, including riparian areas and moist forests over a wide range of elevations; (3) unsurveyed suitable habitat along the west coast of the island from Port Renfrew to East Sooke to fill in gaps in distribution (K. Ovaska, pers. comm. 2008). Note: Numerous surveys for terrestrial gastropods have been conducted on Vancouver Island since the preparation of the 2003 COSEWIC report for this species, which has resulted in 11 new records from 2003-2011 (COSEWIC 2003; 2013d). |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Forsyth, R. and L. Gelling (2015), (updates L.Ramsay 2024) |
| Date: | October 12, 2024 |
| References | |
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COSEWIC. 2003b. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Warty Jumping-slug Hemphillia glandulosa in Canada. 2003b. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 19 pp.
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GBIF.org. 2024l. GBIF. Occurrence download for Hemphillia burringtoni . Accessed 12 October 2024.
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Ovaska, K. and L. Sopuck. 2004b. Distribution and status of rare forest slugs in western Canada: results of 2003 and 2004 field seasons. Report prepared for Endangered Species Recovery Fund. Environment Canada. 42pp + append.
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Ovaska, K. and L. Sopuck. 2006. Surveys of potential wildlife habitat areas for terrestrial gastropods at risk in southwest British Columbia, March 2006. Prepared for BC Ministry of Environment, Victoria, BC. 45pp.
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Ovaska, K. and L. Sopuck. 2006b. Surveys for terrestrial gastropods at risk in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, 2006. Report prepared by Biolinx Environmental Research Ltd for Parks Canada, Western and Northern Service Centre, Victoria, B.C.
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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: Hemphillia burringtoni. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 7, 2026).