Several taxonomic reviews took place in the subsequent decades until the end of the 1980s, when the Chittenango ovate amber snail was finally judged to be a distinct species based on chemical and morphological data.

There is only one population, located at Chittenango Falls State Park in central New York, even though it was believed to have a broader range previously; based on fossil records, some authors argue that the distribution of this species may have been much wider in the past.

In opposition to this, other authors argue that it is impossible to identify this species based on fossil records, because they only allow for examination of shell features.

Novisuccinea chittenangoensis has a small (an average of 20.9 mm in length in adult individuals), delicate, ovate shell of 3¼ whorls, with deep sutures.

The visible soft parts of the animal are of a pale subtranslucent yellow color, with different markings during distinct stages of development.

It is an herbivorous species which lives in the fresh spray zone of the Chittenango Falls, in partially sunlit areas with lush herbaceous growth.

In 1908, Henry Augustus Pilsbry reported the discovery, describing the snail as a subspecies of the widely distributed Succinea ovalis.

[6] Alan Solem (1976)[4] considered this snail to be merely a form of Succinea ovalis, citing similarities in genitalia and radula, and attributing shell differences to, possibly, a marked genetic mutation.

A preliminary analysis by Hoagland (1984)[8] stated unequivocally that the red and the gray morphs were two distinct species, possibly in separate genera.

Solem examined specimens of the gray morph and assigned it to Succinea putris, an introduced snail possibly from Europe which appears to crowd out all other species.

[5][9][10] Hoagland and Davis (1987) subsequently completed a thorough analysis, based on electrophoresis, shell morphology, and internal anatomy, of the succineids at Chittenango Falls.

Both species have been observed with red and gray morphs, bringing into question whether the earlier separation truly represented taxonomic distinctiveness.

[5] During the summer of 1982, "sub-fossil" shells of what appeared to be Novisuccinea chittenangoensis were found in the banks on the west side of Chittenango Creek near the Falls.

Studies by investigators at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) since 1981 have contributed to the base of knowledge about the biology and life history of Novisuccinea chittenangoensis.

Molloy (1995)[15] reported on the captive population of Novisuccinea chittenangoensis and associated field studies related to factors influencing the distribution of Succinea sp.

[5] Novisuccinea chittenangoensis survives in and presumably prefers cool, partially sunlit areas of lush herbaceous growth within the spray zone of the Falls.

[5] The habitat of Novisuccinea chittenangoensis lies within the ravine at the base of the 167-foot-tall waterfall formed by Chittenango Creek as it flows north from its origin toward Oneida Lake.

Spring thaws and periodic major rainfall events tend to remove vegetation from significant portions of the primary Novisuccinea chittenangoensis habitat.

[5] Further investigation is needed into seasonal and annual hydrological conditions within the Chittenango Creek watershed and at the Falls relative to the high-humidity areas used by Novisuccinea chittenangoensis.

Water volume and flow rates within the Chittenango Creek watershed influence the size of the waterfall as well as the mist-zone and the actual temperature at the site.

[18] During warmer periods, snails retreat to cool areas provided by the moist rock and moss, or aestivate in the vegetation.

During cold winter temperatures, it is believed that the snails at the Falls retreat into cracks or fissures in the rocks and remain inactive.

In drier talus adjacent to the mossy areas are various plant species, such as eastern skunk cabbage Symplocarpus foetidus and Angelica atropurpurea, upon which Succinea sp.

The ledges where Novisuccinea chittenangoensis is found clearly comprise an early successional sere, periodically rejuvenated to a bare rock substrate by flood waters.

[5] Novisuccinea chittenangoensis apparently feed on microflora and must obtain high levels of calcium carbonate from their environment for proper shell formation.

[5] During the summer of 1982, Aloi and Ringler[13] conducted a mark and recapture study in the patch of watercress where the snails appeared most densely.

A captive Novisuccinea chittenangoensis colony was being maintained at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York, however, the last remaining snails died in November 2002.

Ultimately, however, the species was listed as threatened in July 1978 (43 FR 28932-28935) because of the presumed existence of a second colony in Tennessee and North Carolina.

The 1978 final rule listing Novisuccinea chittenangoensis as threatened estimated that 60 percent of the habitat at Chittenango Falls was trampled by humans.

Human disturbance also continues to threaten Novisuccinea chittenangoensis, although this has been greatly minimized by fencing of the snail's habitat area at Chittenango Falls.